History repeats itself. This is a well-known axiom. The current, ever-deepening recession is not a unique occurrence; however, the stage on which it is happening is unique. We live in an information age where information travels at the speed of thought.
This blog being a perfect example. I think it. I write it. I post it. Within minutes, it is published for the world to read, and within hours it is indexed for the world to find.
My opinions are just that – my opinions. I strive to make them educated opinions, but in many cases there are no clear right or wrong answers or solutions to the topics discussed. Those who disagree with my assertions are able to provide just as many “supporting facts” for their point of view as I am for mine.
We go back and forth, again and again. It could be said that we are not making progress, but I would disagree. Most of the issues we discuss on this blog, and that are discussed on others, have no quick solution. There is no magic bullet that feeds the world’s hungry, houses our homeless, makes everyone honest, or makes everyone healthy.
Which means that there is no legislation that can be passed tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after that to accomplish these goals. Yet, in this age of immediate information and immediate gratification that is precisely what our government is trying to do – immediate legislation.
To this end, they introduce legislation that is not read. Legislation that is nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction to political pressures of the moment. And, we are now talking moment by moment changes. Within the last 24 months, the national focus has shifted from war, to energy costs, to the economy, to healthcare. Each of these has become the topic of the day. Coming and going with alarming speed. Yet, none of these really are new issues. Many are problems that to one degree or another have faced man from the beginning of time.
The idea that problems that have been around for centuries can be solved in the blink of an eye by creation and adoption of a new law is just absurd. Thousands of laws and regulations have been passed since the birth of his nation, and yet, we still have many of the same major problems we have always had.
Right now, the lawmakers and regulators running this country are trying to solve all of our problems before the next election cycle. This is an unrealistic goal, and the solutions being proposed are going to cause more problems than they are going solve. Of this, we can be sure. After all, history repeats itself.