Race for President Leaves Income Slump in Shadows - NYTimes.com

Race for President Leaves Income Slump in Shadows - NYTimes.com: "Many of the bedrock assumptions of American culture — about work, progress, fairness and optimism — are being shaken as successive generations worry about the prospect of declining living standards. No question, perhaps, is more central to the country’s global standing than whether the economy will perform better on that score in the future than it has in the recent past."

Some well-reasoned analysis in this piece, most of which I agree with. In the 'silly season' before elections politicians often deal with 'froth' in their campaigns because the underlying forces driving our fiscal mess and poor performing economy cannot be dealt with in a sound bite or 30 second ad.

The fundamental issue in the Presidential campaign is whether the government is the best solver of our economic and fiscal problems of whether the role of the private sector can best do it. I favor the private sector and I think more and more voters are coming around to that viewpoint because they see the trillion dollar deficits of TeamObama have produced poor results and unsustainable debt but little economic improvement.
Missing from the story is the corrosive effect of entitlements on America's fiscal health. Entitlements persuade people who have them not to lose them and to vote accordingly. (Entitlements do little to grow the economy except provide a source of consumer spending.) Politicians know this and too many pander to the recipients for their votes.

The fundamental problems in our economy have no quick fix, yet that's what too many voters unrealistically expect and that politicians over-promise with their 'make sure...' rhetoric.

The only way to improve incomes is to grow the pie (the economy) not redistribute it. Even if all the income of the super-rich was confiscated and applied to the deficits it would be a drop in the bucket.
It boils down to this: Which Presidential candidate and Congresspersons do voters trust to best set a course to solve the problems we face. Romney's proposals ring truer than Obama's.

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