Where's Bill?

No, not Bill Gates or Bill Clinton or anyone else named Bill, for that matter. The “Bills” fall into two categories: legislative and financial.

Obama is preparing a big speech that will address the economic and unemployment dilemmas facing many of us. I can only surmise that his approach will focus on the introduction of legislation (bills) to promote a healthier outlook. His problem lies within those in Congress who abhor the least scintilla of “big government” and will quash such attempts under the guise of “government can’t create jobs”.

While I generally agree that the private sector is more adept at powering the economy, it remains clear that they are reluctant to do so. That leaves only the government to try and incentivize business into hiring and expanding. But the government’s hands have been tied by the austerity measures contained in the debt ceiling agreement. Take your pick: federal, state, or local. Each is affected as the cash flow is stemmed. One look no further than the European Union to get a glimpse of the ramifications of cost-cutting without increased revenue.

So, without legislative bills to spur the economy, we are left with less bills (the good kind) in our pockets and more (the bad kind) in our mailbox, aren’t we? Businesses say they won’t hire because no one is buying and no one is buying because no jobs are available. A chicken and egg problem, to be sure. Of course, we don’t make much of anything anymore, so I’m hard pressed to see where these jobs would be created in the first place.

Either way, we’re stuck with a polarized government and recalcitrant corporate America. Someone recently suggested that the business world has decided to hold America hostage in the hopes of bringing a pro-business administration (Republican) back into the White House. This strikes me as the ultimate in conspiratorial supposition, but there’s not much I’d put past any boardroom today. After all, most companies are sitting on huge amounts of uninvested capital while claiming that uncertainty is to blame for their hesitancy. Funny, but most in the upper echelons of business got there by making bold decisions in uncertain times.

If you’re scanning down this treatise looking for the ray of sunshine, I’m sorry to disappoint. I see us stuck in a squirrel cage that goes round and round, getting nowhere fast no matter how hard we sprint. My only hope is that a new, unknown event will force the powers-that-be to re-think their position and break out of the mental box they’ve built for themselves.

Perhaps such an event lies in the effort behind Americans Elect (Americanselect.org). It’s not a ray of sunshine quite yet, but maybe a thinning of the overcast. This group is attempting to redefine the Presidential election landscape by introducing a viable third candidate into the mix. It’s an on-line process with the goal of including a ticket on the ballot of every state. And the ticket must not contain two names from the same political affiliation.

I’ve long maintained that the two party system has no interest in having a third voice to upset the sweet deal currently enjoyed. This might well be that external event that propels us into a new and productive direction. You need to drop by their website and take a look, though. Waiting for “Bill” to materialize and somehow save us without our involvement is nothing but pie in the sky. And who can afford that kind of dessert these days?