It’s curious to see this in action. It sets my mind to thinking about children. They crave parental structure and discipline, but often won’t admit to it. And when it is imposed they might scream bloody murder, but who would seriously argue that they aren’t thankful afterward?

Secretly, we want someone in the legislative branch to say “the buck stops here,” and impose the necessary hardship on us. The problem is that most politicians can’t see past the ‘screaming bloody murder’ part of the relationship. Or, in the case of the present occupant, he’s more undisciplined than the people he purports to lead. So the discipline will have to come from the outside, from impersonal events that care not a whit for our feelings. Or for our well-being for that matter.