Monday, May 2, 2011

How Close Are We To "Done?

The United States is withdrawing from Iraq. American operatives killed Osama bin Laden. Something faintly resembling universal health care will arrive in the next five years. Is it me, or is the big picture project of getting United States policy to suck less more complete than incomplete at this point?

Don't get me wrong; we're still doing a lot of awful, stupid things. Guantanamo Bay is still open. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed won't face a proper trial. We still have to take our shoes off at airports and can't put full-size bottles of shampoo in our carry-on equipment. We spend an awful lot of money on defense and homeland security spending that is of dubious value. Medicare part D is probably more expensive than it ought to be. The people who run Congress and the Fed seem more concerned about invisible bond vigilantes than they are about actual 9.5% unemployment. We haven't done bupkis about climate change. But if you look at where the USA was in, say, May of 2003, and compare it to where we are today, you'd have to feel pretty good about all that's been accomplished.

2 comments:

Charlene said...

I get discouraged too, but I don't give up, never.

As a country, as a country of individuals I believe we try to do good more than bad. I do not belive even a simple majority of Americans are evil people. Would we be destroyed if Lot were walking away today in that parable? No. For there are good people here.

Neil Sinhababu said...

Change "May of 2003" to "mid-November 2004", and you've got the revelation of Pelositheism.