There's a philosophy floating free in this country that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  On the surface that sounds like a good idea, but the problem is that we usually don't know when it is broken badly enough to fix.  Let's use cars as a metaphor here, but the topic is government and what to do about it.  I'll start by saying that I think government in the U.S. is broke down, like an old jalopy that won't run like it should, or maybe at all.  If you buy into the basic principles of democracy (and I do), which is that government is a vehicle, then we need to examine it's condition.  Yep, it's time to hook the old jalopy up to some diagnostics and see what's wrong - what can be fixed and what can't.  What it all boils down to is this:  Is it time to send this broke down jalopy to the junkyard and get ourselves a new vehicle?

Let's look at our metaphorical object first - the car.  We've all gone through it with a car giving out on us, right?  But did it really give out, or did we just give up on it because it started breaking down and giving us some problems.  Maybe the problem was partly with us, and that's usually the case with cars.  Most people don't take good care of them, don't maintain them properly, and end up having problems.  And in most cases, they let little problems turn into big problems, again because they didn't fix what should've been fixed at the right time.  Finally, they get tired of dealing with the problems with the vehicle and trade it in on a new one. 

People who make and repair automobiles have figured us out, know how we are about cars.  Having a car repaired these days is like being cornholed by a gorilla.  Take lots of Vaseline when you go to pay your bill because they're going to ream you out good.  Just a few trips to the pay window at your local car dealership garage and you're ready to bite the bullet and buy a new one that's under warranty.  Again, make sure you've got your Vaseline along.  You're getting ready to take it up the old you-know-what again . . . but at least, you'll probably have something that runs.

Dealing with government is like dealing with folks in the auto business.  We're just as stupid about maintaining this essential vehicle as we are about taking care of our cars.  We don't fix what needs fixing at the right time.  We let little things become big things because we're not smart enough to know when it's broken to where it must be fixed.  And again, when you deal with government that's become expensive because it's broken and not working well at all, take along the Vaseline.  A trip to the county tax office leaves you walking like you've got a corncob up your ass for weeks on end.  Shucking out big bucks for property tax is due mostly to having local governments so antiquated that they have to be hand cranked . . . and guess who provides the hand.  Worse yet, guess who let it get that way - you.  Neglect caused it.
 
Government in America has become so big and unmanageable that it's almost too costly to maintain, and not just at the county or city level.  We put too many demands on government, want too much in the way of services, and they are hard pressed to meet these demands because they just don't have the skills to do it.  And even if they do have the know-how, they don't have the funds to do it.  Their solution to meeting demands is to raise taxes, increase levies.  We are strapped with governments that only know how to obtain money one way, and that's to take it from you, the taxpayer.

At the federal level, we're incapacitated by interest groups and a privileged class that dominates Congress . . . and the executive branch . . . and even the judicial branch.  Does government work?  Oh, yeah, it works wonderfully well - if your're the fat cat, the privileged, the power broker.  If your average Joe Blow who pays taxes out the ass to keep what little you have, it's not such a good deal.  That means a good 90 percent of the American public is getting screwed, taking it up the ass from a government that has not been his vehicle for a long time.

Some people in the car business are involved in restorations.  They love taking an old car that is almost completely worn out, then restoring it like it was when it came off the assembly line back in 1950, or whenever it was made.  I think that's a wonderful thing to do, but that's not possible with government.  We can't restore government like we can an old car, but lots of people are out there trying to do exactly that.  And maybe they'll learn that it's not possible because the parts are just not available anymore.  Many restoration jobs actually turn out to be custom jobs.  It looks the same, but it just might be a lot better than the original ever was. 

I like custom jobs better because they just make sense.  Why replace worn out parts with antique parts, especially if you plan to drive the vehicle?  What we need in America is a custom government, one that looks something like the old one but has all new, modern, high tech parts.  We need to scrap the old jalopy for the simple reason that it just doesn't work now.  It's a slick machine, for sure, like a big limo or a Rolls or something like that, but it's just not a ride for most of us.  There's no room in it for us average taxpaying, hard-working Americans.  We need something we can all ride in . . . and with room left over for growth.

I'll pay attention to the candidates as they talk about their plans for America . . . but with the belief they're just pissing in the wind when it comes to trying to save the old jalopy they love so much.  I want to hear somebody talk about real change, and not just a restoration.  We need some custom builders to come along, and I probably won't live long enough to see that happen.  But I can dream, and the best dreams of all are the ones that come true for your grandchildren.

PMC, 2/4/08