Keeping it Simple

My blog's name came after a long conversation with my 15 year old daughter about why solving the economic woes and getting out of Iraq and Afganistan are taking so long.  We talked about that again yesterday.  Here's what I learned from her.

1. We must clearly communicate the history of a problem so that people can understand it fully
2. Once the history is laid out and clear, we must listen to ideas. Listening is so much better than talking.
3. Kids are smarter than we think they are.  They can handle the truth about war, politics, religion, and sex.  Why do we feel like we must protect them?
4. Her take on things:
1. When my school district handed down a 3% paycut across the board, I picked up summer work to make ends meet. Therefore, our government should raise taxes.
2. When we got jobs, we started saving for retirement. When we had kids, we started saving for college. This is how to prepare for the future.  Social Security and Medicare fill that gap for some but these should not be paying for the wealthy or upper middle class.
3. Anytime our family is feeling a little pinched, we all give up something to get through. Cutting programs should not be out of the questions.

I realize that the President, Senators, and Representatives at the bargaining table are worried about getting reelected but they need to do their damn jobs. Raise taxes, trim SS/MC benefits for those who can afford it, and trim expensive programs.