Pony Quest

January 8, 2008

We've lost our way, but we haven't lost hope

We're still holding on to the end of the rope

Waiting for a dream come true…

--from "Lost and Waiting to be Found" by Verlon Thompson and Suzi Ragsdale

Opening the 2009 calendar somehow felt different--it was for me an act of relief, anticipation and cautious optimism.

2008 was a typical year of personal challenges and stresses, a bit more difficult than most, but it did not seem out of the ordinary at the time. A noteworthy exception was the nation's unusually serious mood throughout the year regarding election choices. Barack Obama's victory over Hillary Clinton was itself unanticipated, and his electrifying triumph over John McCain set the stage for a sea change in the way Washington DC has done business for the past eight years or more.

So now it is almost January 20, 2009, when the power officially transfers from the tired and tarnished Bush administration to the next wave of torch-bearers, and the mood of most Americans is that of being oh, so ready to turn that page. We are weary of making war on the wrong enemies, worried about jobs and mortgages, mad as hops at bankers and financial houses and wondering how "safe" investments and retirement portfolios could evaporate before our eyes--and sick of politicians who bend the rules to enrich themselves and their friends with public money and self-dealing while claiming government is the problem. We placed our bets on change in November and are fervently hoping that the wind that blows the new leadership in will carry more than inspiring rhetoric and new faces.

The situation facing the incoming administration is grim going in--the economy is in the dumper, the Middle Eastern hydra keeps sprouting more heads, there are disturbing bankruptcies and shocking layoff announcements every day, and there is a lurking concern over whether the mega-billions committed to bailouts and stimulation of the economy will make any real difference. It's a pretty daunting start for a new administration, especially when there are so many other pressing problems and concerns--not to mention expectations for changes--that will have to be dealt with while others are shunted aside or deferred for lack of resources.

So how could one be optimistic in the face of all this? Admittedly, it's a challenge. I'm reminded of the perennially cheerful kid whose parents were so concerned that he was just too naive and not prepared for the realities of life that they filled his bedroom with horse manure to teach him a lesson. When the boy opened his bedroom door, he exclaimed: "This is great--with all this horse poop, there has to be a pony in here somewhere!"

Finding the pony may be the easiest part. In fact, optimism at this juncture may of necessity be a manifest act of faith that things will eventually work out. The insurgent feeling of golden opportunity that this bright young President-elect evokes will be tempered by the gravity of the moment. Mr. Obama is not even in office yet, and he is already imploring Congress to act quickly on his emergency economic proposals. While there is no question of the urgency of the problem, it would seem prudent for Congress to take a closer look at the details than they did last time around when Secretary Paulson said "trust me." Congress now regrets its haste. In fact, nobody really knows how the banks used their bailout billions, except there seems to be an uneasy sense that they haven't helped the folks who needed help. Before the nation's balance sheet is encumbered with another trillion bucks or so, we should expect Congress to at least ask the right questions. The saying, "once bitten, twice shy," applies, along with "haste makes waste."

We should be concerned about whether pushing gazillions through the bureaucratic pipes of government at such speed is even possible to do effectively. It takes thoughtful planning, sound budgeting and competent management to do any project. The prospect of trying to concurrently launch thousands of quickly-conceived and hastily implemented projects gives even the greenest bureaucrat dyspepsia. There is just so much technical and physical capacity for building infrastructure and other facilities. Just because the money is available there is no assurance that it will be spent well or wisely, or even that the expenditure was the best use of the funds. Spending that volume of money so fast is the equivalent of drinking from a fire hose.

Granted, there are wonderful parks and buildings and trails and bridges still in use today that were constructed by the WPA and CCC forces during the Great Depression. But there were also a lot of plain old "make work" projects. There must be appropriate oversight of the projects before, during and after they are built. And, let's remember that there are few projects that don't have to be operated and maintained after they are constructed. Those additional ongoing O&M costs will have to be taken into account, especially if the projects are to serve state and local governmental purposes. If I sound a bit grumpy, it's because it's all moving too fast and nobody's really prepared for it.

Obviously, we can't solve every problem at once, and the need to heal the sick economy is paramount. I predict a lot of frustration and anger from all the various parties who would rather use the money to solve their pet issue instead of taking a number.

The times are tough, and will get tougher. It will require patience, discipline and a large measure of willingness to subordinate partisan political interests to national needs if we are to get through this mess. In the meantime, like that optimistic kid, we will keep looking for the pony.

Charlie Crow

© January 8, 2009