Mark Cuban, American entrepreneur and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, recently unloaded on DC politicians for their failed attempts at tackling the nation’s fiscal crisis.
“Why do we allow our elected officials to do the same things over and over again. You know the definition of insanity? Doing the same things over and over expecting a different result. We as a country are absolutely insane for thinking that another committee of politicians is going to be able to do anything different from what they have done before,” Cuban said in a post on “blog maverick,” his official online outlet.
Cuban blasted the series of presidential and congressional committees instituted for improving the country’s fiscal situation. Concerning the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which President Obama instituted in 2010, he blamed officials in charge for not being able come to a solid agreement on remedying the nation’s financial problems.
Regarding the debt ceiling debate that recently took place in July, Cuban accused politicians of procrastinating, postulating, and posturing. Their real concern, he said, was to protect their reelection hopes. In turn, he took aim at their pawning this issue off to another committee, namely, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (otherwise known as the famed Supercommittee).
“Eight months later knowing that the Debt Ceiling needed to be expanded and knowing the economy sucked and the future looked cloudy because of huge federal debt and problematic tax and spending policies[,] The President created a committee composed of 12 individuals, all of whom were politicians.”
Cuban is yet another recent prominent businessman to come out against the way politicians undertake solutions in solving the nation’s problems. Earlier this week, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz came out to boldly suggest boycotting both political parties by depriving them of political contributions. Unlike Schultz, however, Cuban stopped short of calling for a boycott of sorts of the two major parties, stating that he wasn’t calling for new politicians. Instead, he suggested a fiscal committee made up of non-politicians.
“Politicians are what they are, politicians. I don’t want politicians running my business or trying to solve the economic woes of this country. They got us into this mess, I don’t expect them to understand even a little bit how to get us out.”
Mark Cuban certainly highlights an issue that resonates with a lot of disenchanted voters. With more prominent figures like Mr. Cuban and Mr. Schultz giving a voice to millions of voters, the Independent movement is poised to grow even stronger.