The U.S. Economy: "Watchful Waiting" over our Political Non-function: No Fig Leaf Big Enough to Cover the Shame

...that includes the huge plants from back in the dinosaur days,
when individual leaves were many feet across. I have every
expectation that, early in 2014, this same pandering, posturing,
preening, politicking absent the facts will reoccur, the popular
public-speaking mechanism so favored by the right and left,
elected and not-elected alike.

But the average American, and many investors, are watching
with weary, jaundiced eyes; witness the upsurge in tech stocks and
the S & P, yet the DJIA, home to most non-expert investors, did
NOT similarly so surge. The week ended (10/18/'13) with less than
30 points gained on Friday by the Dow Jones, which makes me
think of the economy as still parked in the intensive care ward,
while we "watchfully wait".  (--Just what exactly are we waiting
FOR?? --A majority of legislators willing to legislate for the
common good, that is, for rich and poor alike (excepting vicious
billionaire brothers Koch and company?)

                          [hack, cough, cough....]

Beware the tipping point, if we don't:

--stop million/billion pork-barrel projects (yes, they still exist,
   Sen. Mitch McConnell just received one);
--streamline wasteful program duplications;
--eliminate tax loopholes for super rich individuals and
   corporations;
--find a way to sanely, humanely create a more graduated,
   multi-level tax structure;
--fix our aged bridges, roads and rails
   (witness Minneapolis' deadly, major bridge failure).

The world would call us Deadbeat America, our "Exceptionalism"
mocked openly over land, sea and air, here, there, everywhere.
Merely mocking us isn't the worst of our future shock, as what
other nations think practically, tangibly, matters, despite denying,
decrying, ignorant voices to the contrary.

Watchful waiting will not heal our economy; no fig leaf
exists to salve our pride. Only intelligent, honest effort
works, what has ever worked. Let's get going!