On Clocks and Cleaning

Reading tea leaves is always tricky. It looks as though the Democrat party is about to get what they richly deserve, (...waits for the cheers and raucous howls of derision to die down...) although its not yet clear if the electorate will deliver a mild slap upside the head or beat them like a rented mule.

Lets be cautious, though.

What drives the voters is not be a sudden conversion to Republican principals of smaller government and fiscal conservatism. Just like in the last election, the electorate is pissed off and is about to let the man in charge and his buddies know it.

Which means that the next set of ample buttocks planted in those House and Senate offices better fix some of the problems or they'll get kicked even harder in a few short years.

Milton Friedman outlined the problem and the tendencies of those in power much better than I could:

"There are four ways in which you can spend money. You can spend your own money on yourself. When you do that, why then you really watch out what you’re doing, and you try to get the most for your money. Then you can spend your own money on somebody else. For example, I buy a birthday present for someone. Well, then I’m not so careful about the content of the present, but I’m very careful about the cost. Then, I can spend somebody else’s money on myself. And if I spend somebody else’s money on myself, then I’m sure going to have a good lunch! Finally, I can spend somebody else’s money on somebody else. And if I spend somebody else’s money on somebody else, I’m not concerned about how much it is, and I’m not concerned about what I get. And that’s government.”

Lets not get cocky, guys. OK? Please?