I have to beg the forgiveness of my readers as I begin my random thinking…I try to keep myself on the topic of the great outdoors, first and foremost fishing, and even more to the point, fly fishing. Every now and again (okay, maybe more often than that), I stray a bit and for that I apologize. Even worse, occasionally I dip into the well of politics and religion (which I really do try to avoid) and this winter I have had a difficult time containing myself. It has been, after all, an election season and we have a whole new team in Washington, D.C., and it has been the focus of attention for many. With every new election cycle, whether your team won or lost, there is a sense of anxiousness…perhaps hope, or uncertainty, or some other emotion that each of us goes through. This year in particular has churned things up a bit…we all lost money in our investment accounts…some have lost their jobs…many of us have lost our confidence in a number of things…scary times, these are. We also wonder what the implications for the conservation cause will be and we hope for the best and work hard for the worst. The times they are a changing…Our new President, Barrack Obama said during his inauguration speech, “We have chosen hope over fear.” Within 2 weeks of taking office, he said, “A failure to act, and act now, will turn crisis into a catastrophe.” From hope to catastrophe in two weeks…are you kidding me? This is the candidate of change that Americans voted for. As his cabinet nominees have been exposed for income tax evasion, we “ordinary people” (his words, not mine) could never get away with that stuff. One of our past Presidents, Ronald Reagan said, "Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." I don’t know if you liked the “Gipper” or not, but I have never been a big fan of big government. When I was a young man (a long, long time ago) I read the book Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand (first published in 1957) and it really changed my thinking on personal responsibility, capitalism, the force of government, and what fly I should select when I am streamside (well…maybe not…not really). This book actually used to be required reading in the schools where I grew up. I know a number of people that name it as one of the most influential books in their life and I would encourage you to read it. In fact, I challenge you to read it and drop me a line on what you think about it. Warning…the book is over a thousand pages, but it is worth the read. I think most reasonable people can agree in a government that is responsible, accountable, and at the very least efficient.
So, the geniuses in Washington, D.C. (see my rant on throwing the bums out last fall) have all the answers to our problems…have no fear…the government is here. Drum roll please…gigantic, obese, government bailout (the so called “Stimulus” plan) So, I says to myself, “myself…what are these people thinking?” I was getting my car worked on at the shop the other day and had a conversation with the “ordinary people” in the waiting area…everyone thought this thing did not make a lot of sense. People are wondering if it will really do any good. As of this writing, the total is more than $800 Billion. Most Americans oppose it…the amount of “pork” spending in it is absurd…if you don’t believe me, look at this partial list:
•$850 million for Amtrak.
•$650 million for the digital television convertor box coupon program.
•$600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
•$500 million for repairing the National Institutes of Health facilities in Maryland.
•$246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers.
•$200 million for alternative energy vehicles for the military.
•$150 million for the Smithsonian museum.
•$150 million for livestock insurance.
•$110 million to the Farm Service Agency for computer systems.
•$88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker.
•$75 million for “smoking cessation activities”.
•$10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
I could go on, but you get the point. These things may be reasonable on their own merit (although I really doubt it), but not in this bill. The most disturbing thing to me is the money that they doled out earlier, only to find it was not being used properly, and then watching our leaders express outrage after the fact. I think that tells you all you need to know. And now, they want more…and more…and more. This will help the economy as much as me sending a letter (instead of calling) to the fire department when my house caught on fire. Too little and too late.
Now ladies and gentlemen…here is Ty’s plan – I am calling my version of the bailout, the Local Economy Stimulator Plan. Each and every fly fishing person in our community needs to do the following; plan your next trip (and soon!) – even if it is only a day trip…go down to your local fly shop and gear up…purchase plenty of tippet and flies (in particular the Stimulator – I like mine in a sizes 12 and 14 in orange), and go fishing. Enjoy yourself, drink some scotch, smoke a cigar, laugh with a friend, and if you are so inclined, catch and release. Forget about all of this other nonsense for a little while and have some fun. It will still be there when you get back. You think about that…TL
No comments:
Post a Comment