What the devil..!?

A new government report is out talking about all the wasted billions lost over the course of the Iraq war. Can our government do anything right?! Can the American people get anything right?! It's not looking so good for us, eh? Basically, the congressional report claims that the extensive use of "contractors" (which now outnumber all Federal employees in Iraq) is the greatest contributor to fraud and theft. Let's be a little clearer on what they mean by "contractor" and "Federal Employee". Contractors are better known as Mercenaries or private construction/paramilitary companies like Halliburton, who were awarded billions of dollars by their former CEO, Cheney, during the early days of the Iraq war. Federal Employees are, for the most part, our military.

All this report says is more of the same: the government has become this massive, rusty derelict, but the broken system doesn't end there. Big Business is just as guilty of corruption and excess. And it doesn't end there. Our people don't know how to take care of themselves, a large number are dependent on government aid and entitlement programs. We're a sick country.

There is a silver lining to all of this, and it's unnerving that no one seems to acknowledge it. Both Republicans and Democrats are at each other's throats, but think about what they are fighting so viciously about: They both care a lot about the sad state of our country. Both parties are making legitimate points about where there is a real need for reform. The Republicans are right, Big Government is wasting money on programs that aren't helping this country and it's costing billions. But Democrats are right as well, a larger percentage of the American people than ever before are struggling to get by, and the government has a responsibility to help those people. Regulation is needed, but existing regulations that are hindering business need to be addressed as well. We need to streamline the process by which our politicians tackle these all important issues. Every day, dollars are being wasted as debate after debate gets nothing done. Instead of coming up with one-party solutions that will never be implemented because we live in an era of division, both parties need to suck it up and cross the aisle!

The way forward is clear: Instead of constantly working to block the other party's ideas and legislation, compromises that take into account the validity of both arguments needs to be put into effect. We need pragmatism, not idealism.