Everything's on the table, indeed

The administration says eveything's on the table, yet the deficit commission is working under the table past the mid-term election to come up with creative taxes and avoid cutting anything meaningful. I would like to be surprised, but if the government wanted to cut, they'd go ahead and cut. The problem is that the under-the-table tactics no longer work. Everything's brought and placed on the table, and this is what's driving politicians crazy.

It was not too long ago that Clinton could work under the table, in more ways than one, and no one bothered to look too closely -- then Bush posed as a conservative while under the table he played footsie with statism. But, no, communication has broken loose, the public has opened its eyes, and the stakes in the lying game have been raised way too high to ignore.

As government fans the flames of racism in Arizona, all the non-partisans, and those who aren't card-carrying members of special interest groups, know the source of the illegal immigration problem -- government inaction due to political cowardice. The majority's not fooled -- they now know the definition of "is".

As government treats Goldman Sachs like a gang of street thugs, righteously preaching the virtues of honesty, the pubic looks at the Goldman Sachs relationships with government which are more entangled than an urban wife-swapping club.

As government developes the energy plan to save the world from melting glaciers and rising seas, the public follows the dotted line to power players and international cartels licking their lips over the trillions of pyramid pieces placed one green bill at a time.

As the administration continues to praise the money-saving miracle of healthcare reform, the public gets the bill and learns the truth and the prognosis isn't good.

In other words, there's a disconnect between government and the public. Politicans have always lied, it's just that they could control the information before and get by with it. The State has lost control of information and people are actively seeking information. Robert Gibbs and administration operatives are looking like fools spouting talking points when all anyone has to do is spend five minutes Googling to discredit the spin. Government and media are losing legitimacy, so even when they might deserve the benefit of the doubt, there's been so many lies, people cannot trust the information. When the administration criticizes the public for paying attention and calling it it like it is, the public becomes more disgusted and more cynical.

As I wrote in a post the other day, this is the way it is and it's not going to change -- the public is only going to become more informed, and contrary to the belief of some, the information is not coming from rightwing propaganda machines -- the public is gathering information on Republicans, too, so the old games aren't working from either side. Information is becoming available from many sources, and the public's becoming savvy at information processing. Information is what will save the republic from sliding further into statist control -- the propaganda game is over.

Something else is ending which has so far benefited the Democrats, but it's somthing which the Republicans can use to their advantage, if they'll get honest and become transparent -- that is the voting power of young people. Until recently, young people assumed that a Democrat-controlled government was in their interest. Young people haven't understood politics and economics all that well, based on polls questioning their knowledge, but they've been influenced by their teachers, cultural heroes, like Bill Maher and Jon Stewart, and if it's okay by them, then the youth goes along. The young look at Democrat-controlled government like a funky, liberal uncle who has his quirks, but he's always understanding, even when they get in trouble smoking pot.

There's a good chance, though, that the youth of the nation will be become just as informed in the Information Age, regarding politics and economics, as the rest of the public, especialy if youth unemployment stays high and opportunites keep shrinking. If Republicans back off the social issues and concentrate on economic freedom and technological progress, there could be a change in voting habits among the young. The young can be inspired also by a philosophy of private sector responsibility to deal with social problems. As it becomes more evident that government services can longer be supported by a bloated bureacracy, the movement which enlists the help of the young to find solutions will resonate.

Everything is, indeed, on the table, including political loyalties. The Democrat Party, and moderates looking for a niche, are framing opposition to progressivism in terms of race. This is a poor strategy, because it alienate the majorty of the public. The old political tactics are not working in the Information Age. The political class has lost control of information which means that politicians have to be honest or their dishonesty is quickly revealed. Everything has to be on table, it will be on the table, and those who deal under the table will lose.