WSJ, 8.29 Hesitant Recovery Divides American In Two

Cari Tuna, Liz Rapport. and Julie Jargon have provided a realistic look at the current state of the American Economy in their article "Halting Economy Divides America in Two."

The time is long overdue for the administration to focus on getting serious about revitalizing our financial future. David Brook's recent article on "The Great Gradualist," although written in conjunction with a Kennedy retrospective, contained some nuggets of wisdom providing clues that might provide the way out of the woods. Brooks wrote in his August 27 article in the New York Times, "There is the craft of governance which depends less on academic intelligence than on contextual awareness of how to bring people together,,,The American Economy is flexible and productive. America's G.D.P. per capita is nearly 50% higher than that of France...American voters do not welcome proposals that centralize power and substantially reduce individual choice."

Gradualism through listening to the American people, noting their suggestions, prioritizing potential solutions is the answer to our drumming political monotone of recession. Some elected officials may well observe that making capital available to large financial institutions is the magma of American recovery. Yet I know that the small businesses of this nation have always led our way out of recession to recovery. It's time that Washington D.C. put main street first and make capital available immediately to the small firms, shops and enterprises that have made this country great. Frankly, there is only one American economy, and if it doesn't work for everyone it doesn't work for anyone in the long term.

If selected representatives within the Congress or this administration fail to heed the voter's input, and continue to ignore their advice, then changes need to be made in 2010 and 2012 at election time.

Dr. Phillips