Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full ...

It used to be the right thing to do to give credit where credit was due. Our politics have now become so toxic that we are compelled to add an asterisk to the opposition’s accomplishments.

Both sides of the aisle indulge in this self deprecating Kabuki dance. It does not have to be that way.

The Yes But Politics …

We discount results to deny the opposition worthy accomplishments. It used to be that we congratulated others for their good deeds. It used to be fashionable to give credit where credit was due. No more …  Here is an incomplete list …

Yes buts under Trump

·      The US Economy is booming.

Yes but thanks to the previous administration.

·      We have the lowest unemployment in 50 years.

Yes but most of the new jobs are low level.

·      We have the lowest unemployment among African Americans and Hispanics.

Yes but the rates are still higher than the whites’.

·      In the past 3 years the Stock Market broke several records.

Yes but poor and lower wage earners do not own any stocks.

·      401(k) plans have surged during the past three years.

Yes but poor people and lower wage earners do not have a 401(k).

·      We have improved the NAFTA trade agreement.

Yes but it is not that much better.  NAFTA light?

·      We have improved our bilateral trade relationship with China.

Yes but it has increased the price of imports.

·      We have the lowest interest, inflation and unemployment.

Yes but the top 1/10% controls half of the wealth in America.

·      Congress approved and Trump signed the largest tax cut in years.

Yes but our deficit has increased substantially.

·      We eliminated self appointed Caliph Al-Baghdadi.

Yes but others will soon emerge to lead the jihad.

·      Wages for lower earning people have increased significantly.

Yes but the gap in income inequality remains high.

Yes buts under Obama

·      The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a major legacy of Obama.

Yes but we still have millions of uninsured Americans.

·      Obama took out Osama Bib Laden.

Yes but we failed to take him alive.

·      Obama took out Qaddafi in Libya.
    Yes but this lead to the Benghazi fiasco.

·      Obama saved the auto industry.

Yes but the shareholders were hosed in the process.

·      Obama pulled us out of the Great recession.
    Yes but we doubled our national debt.

·      Obama invested heavily in the green economy.

Yes but millions were spent propping up now defunct companies.

·      Obama was a great orator.

Yes but he just read what somebody else wrote.

Surely we have not reached perfection!

A step forward is better that standing still or going backwards. On one side, we have the view that the glass is half full. On the other, the glass is definitely half empty. Cynics prefer the latter while optimists choose the former. The same pattern repeats itself when the other party is in power.

Trapped in Oscillation?

A downside of a two party system is what has been referred to as the wide pendulum swing. From one extreme we oscillate to the other.

One party tries to raise taxes, the other tries to lower them. One party is pro business, so the other party has to be against. One party is against illegal migration and the other party is for it. One party hates the rich yet the other party sings their praises. One party defends capitalism while the other party pushes socialism.

Anything that ends in –sm has a dark side. The list is long: Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, Populism, Fascism, Environmentalism, Utopianism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and so on.  They are all ideologies, often defended with dogma.

We all know that there is no perfect system that it all depends Yet we cling to the notion that one size fits all. It might be better to blend positives and minimize negatives.

I wish all of you a healthy and prosperous 2020!