The excitement of Christmas and the presents that Santa Claus would bring best describes today's American politics. Each party is competing to win votes by providing the presents. The more the better.
As Rob Atkinson writes in The Korea Times, Democrats now promise free health care, free college education (and the elimination of all student loans), free childcare, discounted public transportation and housing, wage subsidies for tens of millions of workers, and tax credits if you have kids. But as the famous U.S. TV infomercial says, "but wait, there's more." If you order now, we will even cut your taxes as long as you don't make more than $400,000 a year. That is what the Senate and House $3.5 trillion spending bills promise.
Not to be outdone, the Republicans say that their Santa Claus is better. Instead of Uncle Santa Claus picking out which gifts you get (and not giving them to the naughty kids ― people who for one reason or another do not qualify for the programs), the Republican Santa simply stuffs your stocking full of cash ― in the form of tax cuts. It doesn't help that while both parties compete to be the better Santa Claus, most Americans are kids on Christmas morning. Few voters want a lump of coal in their stocking; they want either cash or overflowing presents.
At some future date, Santa will come down the chimney, bearing only coal for everyone's stocking, because there is no more money at the North Pole to make the presents.
