GRAVETTE — What’s wrong with our government? That’s the question bantered around in every convesation these days. The boobtube boys (and gals) have a field day with it ad nausium. Not only is every one of them an expert, but they bring in every other so-called expert to dig and grovel and analyze until no one, including themselves, have any idea of what is wrong.

Let me shed a little light on the subject. I know, after you read this you’ll say I joined the rest of the crowd. Maybe that’s what’s wrong. There ain’t no norms no more!

We’re living in a different coffee society. That’s right. Coffee. Let me explain.

Remember those family cookouts on the gravelbars when you could smell the bacon cooking; hear the sizzle as freshly-peeled potaoes were plopped into the cast iron; the smell of fresh-brewing coffee?

Wasn’t there always those steaming cups of coffee that cleared the windpipes, scalded the tongue, that really woke you up as the coffee grounds gritted between your teeth?

Today? Moms and pops are running in every direction, taking little Johnny or Susie to those absolutely ecessary extracurricular activities; the ones that add to the fanily budgets; that too often require both mom and pop to work; that require multiple vehicles to accomodate the family traffic flow.

But back to coffee. Remember dad boiling the coffee in a stew pan or maybe a coffee can. And then one day he brought out a percolator that gurgled and jumped. Talk about progress.

Today? The coffee maker plugs into the cigarette lighter or is battery powered; the bacon is pre-cooked; the potatoes pre-shredded and frozen. And little Johnny must not go into that polluted water.

So what do we have in government today? Too often a bunch of gurgling perks that engage our lawmakers and society as a whole. That’s an oversimplification, I know, but you know what I mean.

The answer? Get rid of the perks. Get back to the coffee can society that brews strong boiled values where you know what you’re getting.

Eliminate all the trash that goes into most bills that complicate finding the answers that are needed while they create new problems. Get back to old-time creekbank values from top to bottom; from state houses to homes.

Maybe then Amereica will begin to smell fresh-brewed again. A few grounds can bring us back to reality.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 02/24/2010