The Twin Cities exurbs seem to have become a favorite stalking ground of print journalists. This Times recently paid a visit to the residents of Chisago County to examine their attitudes on government assistance; the same assistance upon which many of them rely to keep themselves afloat. What the reporters uncovered is a mix of semi-articulated resentment and compassion that elected officials will have to confront when we finally have a serious discussion about public spending and entitlements. Many of the people expressed frustration that they need assistance and that such assistance is readily available, but they also conceded that life would be much more difficult if those benefits were taken away.
It’s easy to label such attitudes as childish, but decades of poor leadership on the part of both Republicans and Democrats made this collective schizophrenia possible. Both parties were eager to expand benefits when it suited their political agendas, but nobody was willing to lead an adult conversation about the financing. And now that a reckoning looms, people are bewildered and angry. I don’t think we’re on the verge of Greek-style riots–not yet–but everyday people like those in Chisago County need to have their faith in the political process restored if there’s to be any hope of reaching a consensus on tough solutions that will be needed. And I don’t think Ron Paul libertarian utopianism or Tea Party nihilism can restore that faith.
