A ‘crisis of confidence'

With President Obama's latest round of stimulus spending gaining absolutely no traction, the President is now launching a series of executive orders to implement small portions of his latest jobs bill package.

Despite massive lobbying and arm-twisting galore, the jobs bill drew bipartisan opposition last week. And in the current federal culture, if you can't get it one way, you get it another.

There was a time -- not too long ago -- that legislative failure forced politicians to rethink their positions. Now legislative failure gives creative rise to other avenues to achieve the same rejected results.

But as I make feeble repeated attempts to explain, it's not the legislative agenda itself that should cause concern. It's the result of that legislative agenda that offers a growing divide.

Yet another survey out recently puts the focus in the right spot. An alarming 69 percent of Americans surveyed believe our great nation is in decline and a frightening 57 percent are convinced their children will not have the same opportunities as their parents.

Now we can discuss the intricacies of too much spending and too high taxes until we're blue in the face. But when that overwhelming majority of Americans hold such a pessimistic view of our future, therein lies the real problem.

I would assume someone has already used the term "crisis of confidence." If not, then I'll take credit. Because that is at the heart of our national woes.

Blame that growing pessimism on an overreaching administration or a reticent GOP majority in the House. To be real honest, at this point, I care less where the blame lies -- I would like for us to focus on the solutions to this growing dismal attitude.

The political rhetoric today discourages civil discourse. And both sides of the political spectrum share the blame for these raging voices.

When reasoned leaders are unable -- despite their public pronouncements -- of civil discourse, then how can you expect the general population to offer anything else?

Now all eyes are focused on the supercommittee facing a rapidly-approaching deadline to offer some economic solutions that are palatable for all factions. Without some compromise by these select few, automatic spending cuts will be implemented.

The president seems to eye this looming crisis as yet another opportunity to force-feed his grand scheme. But even those within his own party recognize the folly of this massive spending approach. And yet this president will cling to that folly.

If we lose faith in our elected leaders, just study history to see what follows. Lost in this entire discussion it seems is the recent electoral mandate of less than a year ago when the American public sent a crystal clear message that our directional shift was ill-founded.

There is no discussion on last year's elections. But there is an entire focus on the upcoming elections. Don't expect the climate to change. And above all else, don't expect the climate to improve.

Lost faith is a scary prospect.