Happy New Year!

First, to my family and friends; also,

The new 112^th Congress of the United States convening in January,

John Boehner, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives,

Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House, now House Minority Leader,

John Lewis, Congressman from the Fifth Georgia District in Atlanta,

Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the Senate,

President Barack Obama,

Vice President Joseph Biden, and

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State.

The 111^th Congress successfully addressed and passed, over obstinate opposition, more desperately needed, controversial legislation than any other Congress since the 89th when voter rights legislation passed in the 1960s!

I hope the 112^th is inspired by the 111^th example to do as well or better, and that new members, including Republicans and their Speaker, John Boehner, will help the nation weather its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

My Cousin Kathleen, focused on other issues, didn’t like the emphasis in my “Taming the Borrowing Beast” blog on the fact that, "The last time the United States operated on balanced budgets. . .was during the Democratic Administration of President Clinton." In reply, my “Nation Becoming A Dysfunctional Family” blog described election feuding over divisive issues that avoid government “addiction to irresponsible credit expansion during the last forty years...

“We are a marvelously diverse and contentious country of many shapes, sizes, colors, races, religions and sexual orientations. We're a nation of immigrants from every corner of the earth; a miniature United Nations of people live on every city block and small town. Our family mirrors our country, every bit as diverse and very contentious. . . . We have married people from many distant lands. These differences make life exciting and interesting; but there are times when we have to put them aside; now is such a time.

“The answer is not to avoid discussing our differences—as if this were possible— — but in remembering the law of love that holds our disputatious family together.

“Your Father, Kathleen, as you know so well, was talented in keeping . . . rhetoric in bounds with humor. Other members of our clan share this gift. That's why no one, whatever their cultural roots, wants to miss one of our family parties.

I have but one concrete suggestion to Republicans in the 112^th Congress:

Prove that I am wrong in claiming that little if any job stimulus will flow from the billions in tax breaks you recently won in the 111^th Congress for your wealthiest patrons and the corporations they own and control. It’s not hard:

A. Persuade your patrons to stop hoarding their enormous cash reserves such as I describe in my “Hatching a Brand New Beast” blog;

B. Persuade your patrons to spend or invest their cash reserves and tax breaks like Warren Buffet, in new enterprises that will create jobs, instead of “safe” aging enterprises approaching the down side of their secular trend curve;

C. Persuade your patrons and the state governments they dominate to stop firing, start hiring and begin serving their constituents’ needs;

D. Persuade your patrons and the media they control to stop trashing on efforts to accomplish these things and those who advocate them, like George Soros;

E. If your patrons do these things they’ll make a lot of money, avoid a class war, and like themselves better.

photo credit: flickr, rkramer62