Coming home to Virginia after some R&R in Maine and Canada, Purple confronted a tall stack of newspapers describing the government's efforts to deal with the economic crisis our nation faces. But what embroiled Congress and the Administration - raising the Federal Debt Ceiling - has little to do with improving the nation's finances. It is only a symptom of the underlying illness.

The Debt Ceiling needed to be raised to allow the nation to pay for spending already approved by Congress. Since revenues (taxes and fees), also determined by Congress, have been inadequate to cover that spending, added borrowing was required. The amount needed would push the nation's accumulated debt above the existing limit by August 2nd. Raising the ceiling, routinely done for many years, has no impact on future spending and revenues; those are determined by actions of the Congress and the President. But not raising the ceiling would force the nation to default on its fiscal obligations to creditors, miss social security payments to citizens, and create turmoil in financial markets.

Unfortunately, right wing zealots in Congress saw the Debt Ceiling Issue as a way to force immediate spending cuts in programs they don't like, threatening to hold the ceiling at its current levels until their demands were met. No consideration was given to which cuts would be least harmful to the struggling economy, and no revenue increases to help offset the deficit could be considered. Some observers likened this "take no prisoners" approach to extortion, believing with some logic that the Administration would cave as the nation could not allow a default. Others saw it as partisan positioning for the 2012 elections.

The last minute August 2nd "compromise" only kicks the problem down the road. Over 10 years, starting on October 1st, 2011, spending cuts of $917 billion are called for. In addition, a select panel of Congress members, six from each party, is charged with providing a plan for further reducing the deficit by $1.5 – 1.8 trillion over that period. This plan would be submitted to Congress for an up-or-down vote, no amendments allowed. Failure to submit and approve such a plan would trigger massive cuts in Defense and Medicare spending, "poison pill" provisions presumably sufficiently toxic to each party to ensure that some plan is forthcoming.

After wondering why he didn't stay in Canada, where it's cooler, the fishing is good, and fiscal problems are comparatively small, Purple's reaction is to blame both sides: the Republicans for threatening to damage the nation if they can't get their way, and the Democrats for a poor job of explaining what was at stake and what should be done.

Yes, America has a major deficit problem. We have lived beyond our means for several years, especially during 2001-2008, a period involving two costly wars (one unnecessary), a new prescription drug entitlement, and two massive tax cuts favoring the affluent, followed by an unregulated speculative real estate bubble, bank failures, a stock market crash, and unacceptable 10% unemployment. Almost every politically unaligned expert who has studied the resulting chaos believes that we must both cut costs, especially in health care entitlements, and raise revenues through a combination of removing tax deductions and adjusting rates.

That will be politically difficult. Powerful interests will defend tax code provisions and spending programs that benefit them. And government has other huge unaddressed problems, including unemployment, climate change and immigration.

But government is elected to enact policies that are in America's overall interest; our future depends on it. Based on the recent squabble, Purple is unsure whether the current two Parties, as they now operate, are capable of doing so. We may be coming to a period where America needs to give deep thought to how it is being governed. He hopes fervently that the current Congress and Administration will prove those fears unfounded.