Government by committee

Do either of you U.S. readers have any confidence in the so-called Super Committee that is supposed to come up with a plan to reduce the deficit and get this country back on a secure economic path?

Yeah, me neither.

I haven't waxed political here in quite a while, but I was recently re-elected president of our local Democratic women's group, so I guess I ought to be paying attention. (I do pay attention, I just don't write about it much.) Our group is committed to electing Democrats at the local, state and national level, and we'll get to do a lot of that in 2012.

I hope.

Tea Party Republicans have been nothing but obstructionists. Moderate Republicans are afraid to challenge them. Blue Dog Democrats are feeling their power increase and We The People are left to wonder who the hell is in charge.

President Obama needs a Democratic Congress in order to create jobs, improve water and air quality, reduce the deficit and provide more nutritious school lunches to low-income children. As long as Republicans control the House and as long as the Senate isn't filibuster-proof, nothing good will get done.

Well, not nothing, but nearly so. In unanimous votes last week, the Senate (95-0) and the House (422-0) agreed to part of the President's jobs bill which provides incentives to employers who hire veterans.

Who's going to vote against veterans? No one in this war-mongering Congress, that's for sure.

I've nothing against veterans. The best way we can support them is to bring them home. And that appears to be happening, slowly and at great cost to this country. I wonder, however, just how many jobs are available for them, when there've been none available for the rest of us? (Not that I'm looking, but my daughter-in-law and son-in-law were both casualties.)

So what am I going to do to make my voice heard? I've signed a couple of petitions asking Congress to leave Social Security alone. I need to get some thoughts down on paper that will educate voters on the real political issues affecting us now and our children's futures.

Because God, guns and gays are not real political issues.

Not a whole lot can get done on Saturday, though, so I'm going to take advantage of my improving health and a lovely day to plant daffodils and make horseradish. The horseradish project might even be good for my sinuses.