The season of sequester

As the federal budget sequestration takes effect, it's worth considering Rachel Maddow's insight into why Capitol Hill is so broken these days. When you have time, watch her full interview with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. It's good stuff.

"If you don't want government to work, then government not working proves your point."

Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Everyone who pays attention to politics knows this popular Republican talking point: government is ineffective; government can't help; government is bad; government renders us a bunch of lazy, hapless, dependent bums; and we need to get government out of our lives.

So when we elect Republicans to lead our country, we are, in essence, electing people who will do everything they can to prove to you that they were right about what they said about government. So when it comes time for their re-election, they can tell you that you need to vote for them again so they can continue to protect you against the big, bad, evil government they warned you about in the first place.

It's a vicious, toxic cycle that will ruin this country if it continues unabated.

Think about that long and hard as we stare down the latest political and economic crisis that never had to happen.