Taxes! Taxes! Everybody hates them but they are as necessary as the air we breathe. However, it is hard to know taxation is growing all the time, beyond the good or bad economic environment. Modern Democracy is a thirsty monster who always asks for more money, more civil servants, more resources. Although we constantly create new public needs to solve public problems, the middle taxpayer feels things could be better. In fact, citizens believe public budget should be managed more efficiently. It is not an easy task as officials keeping the money depend on the increase of resources to survive. To play a political role is nowadays a professional career and no one wants to retire at 45. I would like, but I am not a politician.
Año: 2009 Página 1 de 9
We can decide whether to maintain our old and no perfect market economy or looking for new paradigms. It is not an easy task as Masters of the Universe prefer to live in cyclical crisis which is very profitable for them. If economy shows a positive balance, they win. If economy is going down to the Hell, they win. On the contrary, ordinary people do not perform very well. They are being pushed to run in a bigger wheel of consumption and debt that is causing domestic bankruptcy for generations. And do not mention the rampant public debt.
The Brookings Institution has compared the performance of the Obama’s Government with past Cabinets in How We’re Doing: A Composite Index of Global and National Trends. There are some aspects that are being performed worse, while others offer a good face. However, we should not forget that current President is managing an unprecedented crisis.
The short term and populist politics our politicians are used to practise is delaying the end the global crisis. They are not the only factor of the solution, but their fear to face the real problems of the economic system is causing so much pain in our societies. At the moment, the only big action they have taken is to increase the public expenditure as it is an easy and popular policy.
When the EU began its big enlargement, many people thought it was rising the new superpower, also in military terms. USA was not going to be the only policeman on the block. However, leaders of the EU have preferred to maintain the influence in the field of soft power. As Charles Grant, Director of the Centre for European Reform, says, «although the Union is respected for its prosperity and political stability, it no longer loooks like a power in the making».