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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Quote of General Sherman Recalled - Friday Dec. 23, 2011 The political machinations of the President and Congress recall a quote from Civil War General William T. Sherman’s Memoirs in a letter to General U. S. Grant on February 14, 1868, "My opinion is, the country is doctored to death, and if President and Congress would go to sleep like Rip Van Winkle, the country would go on under natural influences, and recover far faster than under their joint and several treatment." I wrote the above piece last night and sent it as a letter to the editor of USA Today and the Orange County Register. It was prompted by the most recent standoff between Republicans and Democrats over extending the so-called "Payroll Tax Cut", which is of course, a temporary relief from paying the Social Security tax.
The effort to extend the payroll tax cut (Social Security tax cut) is nothing but a political maneuver for votes and temporary political gain. We have paid the Social Security tax for well over 50 years, so why is it so important now for employed people to not pay it? At least they have a job. Also, the Social Security payroll tax has a minor effect on creating jobs. What is shameful is that unemployment benefits are also in limbo because of the political maneuvering of the President and Congress. Other recent standoffs between the President and Congress such as the one over raising the debt limit last August raise similar issues. The one good thing I can say about this is that the situation is still better than what we would have under a totalitarian government, such as North Korea. Maybe it is a good thing to have standoffs between the President and Congress, because they limit the amount of damage that can be done. It is a kind of sick alternative to going to sleep like Rip Van Winkle. Bob Van Wechel
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