How the political establishment in Washington DC is leading the US down the drain

Probably never in US history has its political establishment been so lacking in its response to the kind of dangers that the country is facing. These are not very visible dangers, like external aggression. But the implications for human welfare and for the sustainability of the economy are enormous. Politics as usual in Washington DC leaves one wondering as to how the US public has grown so apathetic about its own future and so lax in the kind of performance it demands from this establishment. Any astute observer of the US political scene of recent times should be able to gather that the puniness of the Washington DC politicians and the gargantuan scale of the short-term and long-term problems facing the nation will soon begin to tell on the nation's health in ways that have the potential to create intense strife, instability and hardships.

If one goes back in history, the Great Depression is one instance where the country was faced with dark, gloomy and uncertain economic prospects of an unprecedented nature. Even though the Great Recession wasn't as severe as the Great Depression, we still don't know whether or not we will slide towards a double-dip recession in the US. Also, there are many more people in the US than during the Great Depression. Never underestimate the importance of a large population when economic stability and sustainability are issues. How and in what manner this can enter into the economic well-being of the country is difficult to tell, but only the most naive can assume that it is an irrelevant factor.

The defense budget of the US is a big albatross around its neck. It is buying the US little in terms of security or image. However, it contributes to the creation of a macro-economic time-bomb in the form of a possible debt crisis. The miltary-industrial-political establishment may have become bigger since the Great Depression, but it has not necessarily improved in quality. In fact, quite the opposite is probably the case. How this nexus interacts with the democratic process will determine how well the US will be able to defend itself against existential threats of an economic nature.

by C. Jayant Praharaj ( send comments to cjpraharaj.blog@gmail.com )