In spite of the president, vice president, treasury secretary and numerous other higher ups in the U.S. government voicing their support for the $700 billion financial bailout, the plan was defeated in the House of Representatives on Monday.
What does this mean?
"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!"
The House of Representatives has acted according to their name and responded to the will of the people. With President Bush's approval rating at 28 percent and the average Congressional approval rating at 18 percent, the American people have finally had enough.
The defeat of the bailout is the non-partisan victory so many have been waiting for. Politicians went against party lines and reached across the aisle to respond to the will of their constituents.
The question is whether the will of the people is correct in this case.
It is no surprise that Americans finally pay real attention to the actions of their government not when they invade a third-world nation or wiretap phones, but when they ask for a big sum of money. We tend to get gun-shy when people hit us up for cash.
But this might have saved us. Or it might not have. The average person has a spotty understanding of the financial crisis, both its roots and where we should move as a nation.
It is our responsibility as citizens to be as informed as possible. Information is like food: CNN is fast and easy, but not very nutritious. CSPAN is like a home-cooked meal. It's hard to make, but it's better in the end.
Education will be this nation's salvation. If we are given the right to representation by our constitution, if it is not a privilege, then we have to make sure that we lead this country in the right direction.
Educate yourself. It will be your salvation in these troubled times.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
