I read an interesting article the other day about the election in November and how it will change the face of Congress.

Republicans seem to think they have a good chance of regaining control of the House of Representatives and possibly even the Senate.

Democrats feel that voters will think Democrats have been working since taking office in 2009 while Republicans have denied legislation instead of working. Leaders of the Democratic Party think any loss of seats in Congress will be minimal.

Both parties see the glass as being half full.

Unfortunately for members of Congress, they do not elect themselves and many voters see the glass as half empty.

What the two parties need to realize is the glass is not half full and it’s not half empty — it is just too dang big and it is Congress’ fault.

The glass represents reality. The fluid inside represents the hopes of the American people.

Congress does not seem to realize that they are not fixing problems — they are only offering temporary solutions.

Bailing out banks will temporarily help an institution’s bottom line, but if it continues to make loans to people with really bad credit the cycle repeats itself.

Offering tax credits to people will get them some money, but if those people continue to use poor spending and saving habits they will need more tax credits in the future.

Members of Congress seem more intent on keeping people happy now and delaying the hard decisions for another time. It is as if keeping the illusion of having hope is better than actually instilling hope in Americans.

The more Congress does this, the higher the top of the glass rises above the fluid inside.

Congress needs to find solutions to the problems. If a bank needs to fail so that other banks see the business model needs to change, so be it.

If people continue to spend more than they earn and build a massive mound of credit card debt, let them declare bankruptcy.

People learn more from failure than from somebody following them around and constantly getting them out of trouble. When people battle back from the brink of hopelessness they realize they are capable of great things.

After the Civil War the country struggled for a while before hitting an economic boom. The Great Depression cost millions of Americans their home, but the decades that followed produced another economic boom and propelled the United State to global superpower status.

America thrives on adversity, but Congress is determined to try to prevent the slightest feeling of discomfort.

Do the members of Congress do this because they are more worried about keeping their jobs than they are about doing what is best for the country in the long run?

If members of Congress continue to offer temporary fixes instead of finding real solutions the glass that is too dang big will shatter and the hopes of Americans will wash away forever.