Recently, I feel transported back to the Clinton impeachment. You remember: a married man who received oral pleasure from someone other than his wife was caught lying about it to the Senate. At the time, America couldn't figure out whether the infidelity itself or the lying was worse; either way, the Republic was certainly doomed! Strange then that Hillary has exchanged Senator for Secretary and Bill has proven the most civic-minded former President since Jimmy Carter. (Love 'em or hate 'em as individuals, you've got to give it up for Habitat for Humanity and The Clinton Foundation.)

What brings this to mind is the rage surrounding Barack Obama. From conservatives and centrists (with jobs), we hear that Obama is a thinly veiled socialist who is dragging a liberty-loving country into the clutches of socialism. Illegal immigrants run wild - murdering, pillaging and occasionally picking strawberries. The unemployed lollygag on public assistance, paid for by hardworking Americans. Meanwhile, taxes are choking the country to death. (Never mind that the tax burden under the mighty Reagan was a good deal higher than it is now.)

Equally, the left despises the President but for totally different reasons. Obama has failed to deliver on health care, gay marriage, immigration, the repeal of don't ask / don't tell, reducing unemployment and the ending of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After eight years of Bush-Cheney, there was supposed to be real change, not pragmatic centrism.

The one thing that both sides seem to agree upon is that Barack Obama is clearly not up to the job. Every day, it seems that someone has a new angle on how our President is failing to save or is actively destroying America. There's virtually no regard for the fact that he's chief executive - not a king - and that we have two other branches of federal government.

I'm not saying that the President is perfect, but truly, I can't think of a person who would be doing any better at the moment. And apparently, no one else can either. I've been conducting an experiment over the past couple of days. Every time someone expresses their disappointment, I ask them to name the ideal man/woman who they would install today. Off the bat, no one has proven capable of identifying anyone. True, I've gotten a few, feeble McCain's (eventually) but a dumbfounded stare is the common response.

So let's give the guy a break. Barak may not be the perfect guy for the job but no one else is either.

LOS ANGELES — The region famous for jilting the street car to take up a love affair with the automobile is trying to rekindle its long ago romance with commuter rail.

If successful, the novel plan to borrow billions from the federal government, led by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, would result in the largest transit expansion project in the nation.

Los Angeles County voters agreed two years ago to pay a half-cent sales tax over the next 30 years to extend train and rapid bus lines, projects that would routinely require federal assistance.

But the mayor, who sits on a county transportation board, wants a loan instead of Washington handouts to get the projects built in a decade rather than 30 years. He contends it would save money in the long run, result in more construction jobs and less traffic and pollution.

If the approach works, it could set a precedent for cities and states across the country considering major rail and road improvements.

"We can't wait because traffic is unbelievable and the environmental problem is too severe," said Denny Zane, who is building a coalition of business, labor and environmental groups pushing for the plan. "The need for jobs and economic development is also very severe."

In the first half of the 20th century the Los Angeles region boasted an extensive system of streetcars and high-speed electric railways including the famed Red Cars. After World War II, Southern California began abandoning those systems in favor of personal automobiles and freeways, leaving mass transit to buses.

Now, with gridlock commonplace, the focus is back on high-capacity transit systems – light rail, interurban heavy rail, dedicated busways – to catch up with the transportation demands of millions of people.

But with federal and state transportation funds dwindling due to a reduction in gas tax revenue, experts say the time is right to test innovative ideas in transportation financing.

"The national government should help cities that are helping themselves and take advantage of these bold plans to transform how these places operate and function," said Robert Puentes, a fellow at the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program.

Under the so-called 30/10 initiative, the sales tax would generate about $5.8 billion over the next 10 years to pay for a dozen projects.

Local transportation officials said another $8.8 billion is needed to pay for the estimated $14.6 billion total cost. By using the future sales tax revenue as collateral for long-term bonds and a low-interest federal loan, the county Metropolitan Transportation Authority could put these projects on the fast track. The county would repay the federal loan over 20 years with proceeds from the sales tax.

The projects include a long-awaited subway extension to the economically vibrant west side of Los Angeles (a plan often called the Subway to the Sea), a regional connector linking three rail lines in the downtown core, plus light rail extensions reaching Los Angeles International Airport and communities to the south and east. In all, completion of these projects would add 78 miles of rail and bus-only lanes to the current, 102-mile system and 77 million annual transit boardings to the MTA's current 445 million.

Because there is no existing federal funding program for the grand scale of projects Los Angeles County wants to get going at once, officials are seeking a combination of loans, grants and bonds that would require congressional approval.

The effort is picking up some momentum.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a June letter that the 30/10 model "has the potential to transform the way we invest in transportation projects across the nation." In another nod to the plan, the Federal Transit Administration agreed to evaluate the Subway to the Sea for federal funding in its entirety instead of in three segments, giving the project an edge when it competes for grants from the agency.

"It's a good and healthy indicator of government support for the project," said Raffi Haig Hamparian, government relations manager at the MTA.

The region has had past successes in getting federal investments in massive transportation projects. The effort to obtain a $400 million federal loan for a $2.4 billion dedicated railway linking the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles with transcontinental railyards laid the groundworks for a 1998 federal credit program for significant transportation projects.

One transportation expert said the decision to incur debt over 30 years comes with inherent risks.

"Cost overruns will cost us more than we estimate now, and give us a certain amount of financial risks in the future," said Martin Wachs of the Rand Corp. think tank.

However, he said the benefits of accelerating the projects outweigh the negatives.

Transit agencies struggling for a bigger share of federal and state funds are paying attention.

The Regional Transportation Authority of Chicago faces funding shortages that restrict spending on maintaining and upgrading the system to $2.7 billion over five years, said director Steve Schlickman. Chicago operates the nation's second largest transit system.

"Hopefully other metropolitan areas will wake up and realize that virtually every major city in this country is underinvesting in their infrastructure," Schlickman said. "We can't rely on the federal government, we have to rely on all levels of government."

Villaraigosa said his staff has had discussions with officials from Houston, Chicago, New York and other cities interested in the 30/10 model to build their transportation projects faster.

"There's a lot of national interest because everybody's going to Washington knocking on doors and nobody's answering," the mayor said. "They're realizing that the best way to get those doors open is to leverage the little federal money that there is with local money."

Wachs said there isn't enough money to go around for every city lining up for federal funds to improve transportation systems, but those that are willing to put up their own money should get priority.

"They should have first dibs because their voters have been willing to tax themselves to get these important programs started, the national government should notice that," he said.

Play is defined by researchers as an activity that encourages positive emotions and allows people to complete high-order relational goals, such as getting to know each other, learning about each other or engaging in a mutual interest together, at a higher rate than expected . Play is accompanied by smiling and laughter, and should also allow participants to control their onset and their offset in the activity. In other words, play is not forced, it encourages autonomy, spontaneity and creativity. Friends or couples who play together report feeling greater intimacy and closeness. And this sense of closeness develops at a faster rate than normal.Play bonds those who engage in it and helps to shake off tensions and aggressions that might interfere with work or relationships.

Grown ups forget to play. But play, it turns out, is just as important for adults as it is for children.
Adults spend too little time at play according to research, and would benefit greatly from spending more time at it. In the workplace, for example, "adult play helps to alleviate boredom, release tensions, prevent aggression, and create workgroup solidarity," says Norman C. H. Wong of the University of Hawaii . Play also facilitates organizational learning, creativity, community-building and cohesion, and overall, enhances adaptively and attentiveness.

Almost every species of animal engages in some form of play. Play helps all species, animal and human alike, to learn the adaptive behaviors that increase their chances of survival. Play performs two important functions.

• First, it allows both animals and humans a safe way in which to release aggressions.
  


• Second, it provides practice in behaviors that are typically associated with adulthood.

We all recognize child play, "you be the Mommy and I'll be the Daddy; now you be the teacher and I'll be your student." Children are constantly slipping in and out of roles, releasing pent-up frustrations, becoming, for a moment, the admonishing authority or the nurturing, all-knowing parent. This gives them a chance to gain some relief from the confines and frustrations of their child roles, and at the same time practice at more mature roles.

Adults need "role relief" and "role variety" just as much as children do. Spending time in a balanced palate of roles allows the self several forms of expression, guards against "role fatigue" and provides "role relief" as well as practice taking on new roles. Getting stuck in one role, say that of "mom" or "worker" can reduce our sense of spontaneity and aliveness according to J.L Moreno, father of of the role play therapy known as psychodrama. Moreno, who wished to be remembered as the doctor who brought laughter into psychiatry, felt that people who are happy in their lives, tend to play a variety of roles that allow for rest, relief and rejuvenation. This playing of a variety of roles according to Moreno increases spontaneity and creativity. If, as Socrates said, "the unexamined life is not worth living" Moreno's psychodramatist wife Zerka says that......... "the unlived life, is not worth examining!"

"I could care less if you love or hate me. I'm way past that. I'm asking that you respect me as a human being, anyway."

About a year and a half ago when I began treatment for my illness, my therapist at the time told me something. He explained that for me to get well we needed to fill my "recovery toolbox" and separate positives and negatives in my thinking so that when I returned to real life, I would be able to handle whatever life (or certain people in it) threw at me.

"A 'recovery toolbox?' this guy has to be cracked," I thought to myself. "He is the one who needs therapy, not me."

Now, when you look back on incidents in life, hindsight is always 20/20. I realize now (through a lot of hard work) that he was absolutely dead-on.

Recovery is not just about learning to eat in a healthy way, nor is it about certain numbers or tangible factors. Somewhere along the journey to recovery everyone will need to fill their "toolbox" with equipment that isn't just from a prescription bottle or from some dietitian's menu.

Is it possible to recover all on your own? Not even close. Is it essential to have supportive people around you? Absolutely. That's why when it comes to getting healthy, separating the "vultures" from the "sparrows" in your life is crucial in the battle of getting your life back on track.

Over the past several months, I have encountered both "vultures" and "sparrows" sporadically. Interestingly enough, at times it has been extremely difficult to distinguish one from the other. That is why it is so crucial to be in-tune with your emotions during the fight for your health and well-being. Fortunately, I think I have figured out how to use different negative experiences to my advantage and utilize the positive pieces I've encountered with the help of several support systems in my life.

I've been told hundreds of times over the course of my recovery, "Troy, you are a great person. Don't try so hard to please everyone. You are worth it." Well, it doesn't matter how many times you hear the same phrase. Until you internalize what is being said, it will never "stick" and you will find it difficult to move forward. Picture yourself in a foreign country trying to get directions. No matter how loudly you scream your request to a local citizen, if you aren't speaking their language, the message isn't going to get through.

I am fortunate enough to say that I have found several "sparrows" in recent weeks that have really helped me make progress. I am so thankful that those people and circumstances were put into my life. After all, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. They told me, "Troy, I sense your insecurity. Don't put yourself down in an attempt to be someone you're not. You're intelligent, intuitive and great just the way you are."

Now, I don't know if it had to do with how the message was delivered, if it was the individual or just a random "ah-ha" moment. But for some reason, that phrase, that encouragement and that "sparrow" in my life really helped things stick.

Does this mean that I am 100 percent all-better? Or that I am "cured" of all my struggles? Not quite. But it is very encouraging to know that some matters are moving in the right direction. After all, I'm not writing because I don't struggle or because I'm 'perfect' in recovery. The little things in life are sometimes the biggest motivational tools we have.

Too many of us have what I'd like to call "vultures," circling us in our daily lives. Not necessarily the flying selection, but the emotional, spiritual and sometimes human selection that keep meddling and disrupting how we feel about ourselves. They may come as doubts that keep re-surfacing, memories and pain of your past, confrontation, old sins or old hurts. Maybe some of the 'vultures' of your life have repeatedly spread a shadow, making you feel depressed, stuck and discouraged.

I hope these next few statements I've picked up from a few "sparrows" can enable you to ward off the enemy. It's true that "vultures" disappear when you remove the stuff they like to (no pun intended) feed on. When you get to the point where you can move to eliminate what they are circling for, perhaps freedom is only a few steps away? When you can undertake what's at root of your old fears, failures and hurts, know that those past struggles won't paralyze, surface or consume you any longer.

You may be asking, "But, Troy, how do I finally overcome negative internal dialogue or change what has happened to me?" I'm glad you asked.

Stop running from the hurts; instead, turn and face them. You draft 'sparrows' to be your support and help you beat whatever you are facing. Be determined to throw everything in your 'recovery toolbox' at the enemy and do whatever it takes to remove it. You bite the bullet, take the risk and seek help from your support team. Not only will they walk you through the difficult period, perhaps sometimes, they surprisingly understand where you are coming from. Ask anyone you trust to listen and don't be afraid to ask them for what you need. Vocalizing what you are feeling is pivotal in moving forward.

It is important to surround yourself with people who will encourage you in whatever situation you may be facing. Look for those who will offer you responsibility while you're learning to find balance. Find someone who will listen to what you are going through. A therapist, a dietitian, a friend, a spouse/partner, a family member or even your journal can be constructive in your fight for self discovery and recovery.

Everyone has the ability within themselves to recover, despite self-doubt and regardless of the circumstances. Everyone can improve their lives by eliminating the 'vultures' that lead them to think "I'm not enough."

Always keep your sights high and your worries low. Activate those awesome qualities you have been given and strengthen the tools you'll gain along the way. Remember, this is YOUR time to fill that "recovery toolbox" and build that supreme support structure that no one, no irrational thought nor any adversary, will ever be able to tear down.

This Emotional Life is a two-year campaign to foster awareness, connections and solutions around emotional wellness. Join our community at www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife.

"But it really happened."

I was in an adult-ed writer's group when I first heard this. I'd watched the woman speaking become tenser and grimmer as members of the group -- gently and with compassion -- suggested that the gruesome events on the page could be presented in a manner more conducive to engaging the reader.

She listened for only a few moments -- sadly, this group did not have a 'be silent while being critiqued' policy -- before unleashing, accusing the group of everything from indifference about sexual assault on children, to ignorance about how children really thought (this in response to our collective idea that 4-year-olds did not speak like 30-year-olds.) She shook as she lectured us on the horror of incest.

True that. Everything she said about her pain and suffering was true -- but it still didn't work on the page. My social services hat went on and I reacted to her effort at self-therapy on paper, attempting to bandage her up. Writing this way isn't always a bad thing, but it's not always good either -- for the writer or the reader.

Writer X didn't have the dramatic distance needed to make her story into fiction. Her devotion to her memories (as she remembered them) transformed her work into something uncomfortable to read, not because of discomfort with the subject matter (as she'd accused us) but because somehow her "facts" made for poor fiction.

Recently, in a moment of bravery, I looked back on my awful first attempt at a novel (where I'd mashed-up fact and fiction.) I analyzed it, curious to unearth the reasons my early work was a disaster. Reading through spread fingers in front of my face, I found that I'd worked too hard to make the me-disguised-as-a-character seem heroic, victimized, wry, adorable, etc, and the antagonists (usually ex-partners) appear as a worse or better version of who they really were. All this was done in service of revving up history, with a goal of making life unfold and then climax in the manner I'd always wanted. While perhaps good for my mental health, these goals didn't meet the mission of providing a quality experience for the reader.

Now I believe in only using the emotional truths and themes; 'it really happened' events are only used as stepping-stones to the drama of "what if." For instance, I blew up an event in my childhood, when my father attacked my mother, into a novel of a father killing his wife in front of his daughters.

Avoiding family facts while building a fictional world (orphanages, fathers in prison, foster families, medical school . . .) allowed me the freedom to present my point of view and side characters without feeling boxed in or constrained, whereas using autobiographical characters provokes my reticence. It also let me explore the theme of family loyalty in a far more dramatic and open fashion than using my own life would allow.

In my current work-in-progress, where infidelity ripples through many families and three generations, I again use emotional facts while avoiding real history. Invention frees me, while following real life freezes my fiction into a boring rigidity of event telling and avoidance (hey, my family's gonna read it!)

Even when using emotional truth, I will pick and choose what to delve into. I find that only the passion of something far enough away from my current circumstances gives me story-telling breathing room. For instance, I couldn't write about the new-love-sex-is-amazing and life-is-Technicolor period of early relationships while in the throes of that glitter-time, for fear of sounding like the blathering idiot one does become during this time.

Other bits of life, even emotional life, I can never explore (for fear of rendering truths that are not mine to expose) are those of my children or husband. It was impossible to borrow from my mother or father's lives until they were gone. My sister and I discussed how far I could and would go in my fiction.

I'd don't want to be in a face-off between loyalty to a reader and loyalty to my family, so I stick with the inner and outer world that belongs to me.

It's funny, readers so often wonder if "it really happened." They are sometimes determined to conflate the author and the writer. A friend recently told a story of going to a book club for her novel and being told with great surprise: "You look nothing like your character!"

It is true that many love writing their life into their novels and there is room for all in the big book tent. Each of us finds our own balance, but when I write, the scenes that truly transport me and send me soaring are the furthest things from real life, but not furthest from my imagination.

Everywhere you look, there are articles touting the benefits of rewriting yourself. There's hoards of evidence pointing to the notion that people lie online to get a little closer (or a little further, as it were).

The trouble is, feeling good in your own skin with the gaggle of media messages telling us all in not-so-subtle ways that we're not quite good enough is not so easy. Even for those of us with a decent self-concept to begin with are vulnerable to unhealthy messages about what everyone else wants. None of us can fit into each and every one of these opinion and marketing based concepts about perfection, so it's better to begin by getting into your body and into the sense of awe about what an incredible force of life and energy it is.

One of the first things to do is to accept every part of your flesh incarnation. In order to do this, you must quiet the mind of judgment. Forget that little voice saying "my thighs are too large" or "my breasts are not full enough" or "my gut is too big" or "chest not broad enough." So many variations on the same message that you cannot and never will be enough physically can make you run in the direction of falsity online or in relationships. Tending this primary space in order to overcome and love yourself can go lengths to improve your ability to be involved in more fulfilling and truthful exchanges.

Instead of allowing habituated lines to replay themselves even once more, try to step back and take an objective look at your least favorite bits. Observe. Breathe. Touch. Say thank you for doing your job to get me around everyday in this adventure called life. If not for my imperfect feet or my pudgier-than-I'd-like lower belly, I'd have no child, no vocation, no experiences. If not for the lessons learned abusing myself in an effort to fit into an image that didn't belong to me, I would not be able to love my body enough to enjoy another's.

So, begin now to free yourself of any impulses that name-call or compare yourself, your body to that of any other. You are perfect. You are unique. You deserve love. You can be seen, felt and loved nonetheless by someone equally as perfect and flawed as you are. We are all perfectly flawed to the right degree of imperfection so as to allow for the lessons necessary to make the maximum contributions to humanity, in order to fill the role we were destined to in the universe.

Sure, this may sound New Agey, but why, then is the instance of online dating falsity approaching soaring? We are looking for love in all the wrong ways. We must accept ourselves and reveal that authentic person to another in order to be loved. Lying is only a quick road to feel worse down the road; and it seems to me we're getting better at it.

This is a grave and unfortunate consequence of being able to distance ourselves even more so than before via the online space, to create a faux self as our ideal image of the perfect "me" would prefer to be. It is in keeping with our instant gratification based bad habit of implementing a quick-fix rather than doing the hard work of self-examination and healing that can really make our lives and the world a better place. To admit one's flaws and fears, to love one's body exactly as it is, to nourish and exercise both body and soul, these are the fabric of a life well-lived and ready to share. These are the steps to becoming the person you wish you were.

So, start now. Start loving yourself, one flaw at a time. We'll accept you just as you are. None of us are perfect either.

WASHINGTON — The recession was deeper than the government previously thought.

The Commerce Department, in revisions issued Friday, estimates the economy shrank 2.6 percent last year – the steepest drop since 1946. That's worse than the 2.4 percent decline originally estimated.

The economy's plunge underscores why the unemployment rate surged to 10.1 percent in October, a 26-year high.

The revisions in gross domestic product, or GDP, now show zero growth in 2008. That compares with a 0.4 percent gain previously estimated.The economy also grew less in 2007 (1.9 percent) than earlier thought (2.1 percent).

For all three years, consumers spent less and home builders cut more deeply than had been thought. Those factors help explain the downward revisions on the economy.

The revisions also show that struggling state and local governments cut spending more last year than previously thought. And they spent less in 2007 and 2008.

The economy slid into its worst recession since the Great Depression in late 2007. Many economists think the recession ended last summer, although a panel of academics that dates the start and end of recessions hasn't declared when this one ended. The panel usually does so well after the fact.

From the start of the recession in December 2007 until the April-to-June quarter of 2009, the economy sank 4.1 percent. That was deeper than the 3.7 percent decline previously estimated for the recession.

GDP is the broadest gauge of the economy's health. It measures the value of all goods and services – from machinery to manicures – produced in the United States.

The Commerce Department's latest revisions reach back to 2007. They're based on more complete data and on methodology thought to be more accurate.

This is the second installment of a two-part series running this week. To read the first essay, visit here.

I wrote Wednesday about how the actions of this Congress have hurt job creation in America. I said that the Washington area is doing well and has low unemployment while the rest of the nation is suffering.

Since then I have heard amazing stories about how the health-care law has affected employers as it makes keeping their own health-care plans more difficult. I have heard about how an IRS requirement buried in the health care bill is a ticking time-bomb nightmare for every business in America, as it mandates reporting of every $600 hotel, service, consultant and product purchase. Small businesses must capture and report information, including the employer identification numbers, from every seller of anything over $600.

I have spoken with business leaders of their lowered economic expectations due to the payroll taxes which kick in January 1, 2011, and the added uncertainty because new higher taxes are likely coming. I have learned that one Democrat-friendly pollster found that more than two of every three Americans do not want federal-government spending to create jobs. I have learned that in the Gallup 2010 Confidence in Institutions poll Congress ranked dead last out of the 16 institutions rated this year - behind both big business and organized labor. Only one in 10 Americans say they have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in Congress.

If the next Congress and the President want a pro-jobs and pro-business agenda, a few simple, no-cost changes make sense:

1. Repeal the $600 reporting requirement of every business in America. At least eliminate the employer identification number requirement and have it done electronically on a voluntary or test basis. Capture business revenue with more sophisticated means.

2. Lead by example. Congress should cut its staffing budget. The federal government should freeze government pay, end defined-benefit pensions and impose a hiring freeze. The President should set the tone by restricting some of the presidential perks such as entourage vacations.

3. Choose priorities and then budget. Every viable business has a strategy with priorities and a budget. Congress promises and funds everything, has no clear strategy, and amazingly this year doesn't even have a federal budget. Trillion dollar deficits are unacceptable and will poison our future. Congress should lower every appropriating Committee's budget by 10 percent and force decision making.

4. Freeze rulemaking and force regulators to consider the impact of each new rule on U.S. entrepreneurs, jobs, manufacturing and competitiveness - especially compared to overseas competitors not bound by the same rules.

5. Require all legislation and rules to have specified measurable time-specific goals and triggers which if not met will cause the legislation to sunset. Currently, costly government programs get put into motion without any follow-up as to whether they make sense years later. Meanwhile business and the economy pay a price for every new law and rule.

6. Pass the trade agreements. The Administration's recent and admirable goal of doubling exports in the next five years requires an aggressive pro-trade agenda. Passage of Colombia, Panama and Korea free trade agreements will create American jobs and spur exports. Leaders in the Administration must stop the lip service and push Congress to vote on the agreements. Every day Congress fails to pass these agreements means American businesses will suffer as our competitor nations finalize trade deals and realize high double-digit gains in exports.

7. Allow repatriation of U.S. headquartered companies' overseas profits to the U.S. without imposing a double tax. The United States stands alone in the developed world as imposing a second tax on its domestic businesses. This one decision alone will flow billions of dollars immediately into the U.S. economy stimulating further economic activity.

8. End the litigation tax. Every U.S. business struggles with huge costs imposed by the one million U.S. lawyers. We can no longer afford the business tax that lawyers put on our system. Simply going to a "loser-pays" system, adding litigation reform, and providing clear and reasonable laws would reduce the huge burden faced by U.S. businesses.

9. Stop demonizing business. American business competitors in China, Japan and Europe have the government working side by side with their native businesses. Although President Obama admirably meets privately with corporate leaders, he sets the tone by publicly bashing business. Many of his political appointees follow his lead and treat business as the enemy.

In my world of promoting small businesses and exports through trade shows, I see German Chancellor Angela Merkel help promote our German competition while we struggle to get our political leaders to help us host the 25,000 international guests who attend our Las Vegas trade show, International CES.

Businesses, not government, create jobs, and we don't need special tax breaks or bailouts. Just create a supportive environment!

10. Encourage innovation and support American's leading companies. Recognize that our national strength and best hope for the economy is our innovative industries in technology, the Internet, medicine, data, research, motion pictures, music and content creation. America is home to many of these leading companies, and as a matter of common sense, our government should be supporting rather than attacking them through pro-innovation policies.

Our nation and economy are in deep trouble. Recent positive earnings reports or modest stock market gains are deceptive, as we tend to compare them against the 2009 recession and come from expense cuts including lay-offs. Top-line revenue is well below 2007 peaks, and the 2011 outlook is challenging at best.

Our weakened economy is not due to a lack of creativity or entrepreneurial spirit of the American people. We are hurting from misguided government policies that have imposed disincentives to hire workers and impose huge costs on job creators. A strategy favoring job creation and innovation is essential .

We have to pivot quickly to make this the best of times for every American, not just for those of us lucky enough to be part of the Washington economy.

Gary Shapiro is the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association.

House Republicans late Thursday were able to corral enough votes to defeat a bill that would have provided up to $7.4 billion in aid to those sickened by toxins resulting from the 9/11 attacks.

In the process, they set off a host of fiery speeches and denunciations from their Democratic colleagues and produced a veritable YouTube moment from Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y), whose district includes many of the affected.

At the heart of the debate was a procedural maneuver made by Democrats to suspend the rules before consideration of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The move allowed leadership to block potential GOP amendments to the measure (there was worry that Republicans would attach something overtly partisan in hopes that it could pass on the otherwise widely-popular measure). It also meant that the party needed a two-thirds majority vote.

When the final tally was announced, there were 255 representatives for the measure, 159 against. The defeat of the bill, which would have provided free health care to those affected during the 9/11 rescue and recovery, likely means that the court system will have to settle compensation issues.

Weiner spoke right before the vote when it was clear that Republican lawmakers would stake their opposition on grounds of procedural concerns. But for the grace of the C-SPAN cameras, he managed to stay physically behind his lectern.

"The gentleman will sit!" he declared at one point, addressing, it is believed, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.). "The gentleman is correct in sitting!"