I don’t know about you, but as I look ahead to the midterm elections, I am overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness.
When I reflect on the political cesspool we call “government” in Washington, D.C., it is so apparent that any virtues associated with its collective endeavors have long since vanished. There is no honor, no decency and nothing within their power that could even remotely foster a sense of anything short of shame. They are a grotesque lot, at the very least.
The Supreme Court has decided that legislating is a legitimate endeavor worthy of the highest court in the land, no longer limited to their role in interpreting the law and ascertaining the intent of the law. They were successful in 2000 when they stole the election on behalf of George W. Bush, cloaking their evil scheme in the black robes of righteousness. Having gotten away with that, they gave it another go when they ruled in favor of Citizens United, literally giving away the foundations of our democracy, without the slightest pangs of conscience, to domestic and, yes, foreign corporations.
Congress, of course, is a joke. The Senate, with its imperious aura of superiority over all other deliberative bodies in government, projects a false notion of wisdom and fairness, all the while having elevated thievery to a new art form. Squatters rights is a given in that House. Their system of so-called “rules” that undermine the remotest notion of rule by the majority is a devious ploy that only serves political ambitions, rather than the interests of the people. Their obstructionist games since 2008 would be humorous, were it not for the untold damage it has done to this country and the millions of people who suffer the agonies of the damned because of their unabashed corruption and calloused inaction.
The House, being on a short leash of 2-year terms in office, knows full well they can be thrown to the wolves in a twinkling and quickly lose any hoped for opportunities they may harbor to lace their pockets at the expense of those who elected them to office. Those who dare to stand on principle and advocate for the American people are summarily marginalized or demonized. Despite their best efforts to legislate for the American people in the last couple of years, the Senate has managed to stymie those efforts by freezing any progress on their efforts. Is this government as it was intended to be?
Then, of course, there is our resident Community Organizer and his administration at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Lofty speeches and the adroitness with which he speaks out of both sides of his mouth are nothing short of spectacular. Ideals that are quickly translated into giving away the store in favor of dirty politics is now commonplace. However, the style of decision-making by consensus is never more than a pathetic compromise, at best. Contrary to what we have a right to expect in the White House, which is a real leader that exercises decision-making on what he genuinely believes is in the best interests of the people, we get backroom deals that serve no one except those who stand to benefit most.
Special and vested interests have become the owners of government. They permeate virtually every facet of what is supposed to be a system that serves every American seeking a fair and just government, with liberty and justice for all.
With this introduction, I began to wonder, “How in the world did we get to this wasteland of a free society from the ideals of the Founding Fathers?” In order to get from a set of ideals dedicated to freedom and fairness, how did we arrive at where we are today? It could not have been possible without a lot of deception, dishonesty and manipulation, all wrapped in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and, of course, supported by the Supreme Court. I decided to probe a bit and was more than a little surprised at what I found.
I discovered that oligarchs are nothing new to the scene. The preponderance of those who founded this nation was themselves, affluent members of the gentry of their day.
Thirty-five were lawyers or had benefited from legal training. Some had become judges. That speaks volumes, but I will leave the reader to draw his/her own conclusions about that august fraternity.
Thirteen were businessmen, merchants or shippers, which could well have been oligarchs of their day.
Six were major land speculators. Speculator? Investor? I see little or no difference with those who have followed them to the modern day.
Eleven speculated in securities on a large scale. Sound familiar?
Twelve owned or managed slave-oriented plantations or large farms. I cannot help but wonder if they too, relied on a pool of cheap labor (slaves) the procurement and suppression of which was supported by an enabling and complicit government.
Only two were small farmers who, surely, must have been closet socialists.
I could not help but wonder if they really were the democratic idealists of their time, or were they laying the foundation for what we were destined to become? Wealth, power and privilege seem to have the same genesis, regardless of the time in which it was spawned. They have the unique ability to consistently rationalize their suppression of the human condition so that it emerges as a manifestation of the highest ideals, most of which could be attributed to Mother Theresa herself!
Throughout recorded history, it can be safely said that royal lineage, wealth, privilege and power have greased the gears of human misery. Nothing has changed. The Third Reich rose to power with the full support of wealthy German industrialists, and a willing and compliant political and military establishment, all touched by the hand of God Himself. The persecution of every minority imaginable was merely the price of purity in ideology and empire. Not just from the blood, tears and lives of their Jewish victims, but gypsies, homosexuals, members of the clergy, etc., as well. Has anything really changed or is it just a matter of degree?
True respect is never conferred. It is always earned for the price of what we call “character.”
I cannot help but wonder what new insights might emerge were a group of graduate students, from appropriate academic disciplines, given the opportunity to develop a PERT Chart on the evolution of our system of government from its inception to the present day. Could they identify significant events in that history which might shed some light on where we went wrong, and what led us to the present-day catastrophe? If all that brought us to this point was within the limits of the law, then I think there would be just cause for questioning their so-called wisdom. Could those same students produce a map of what it would take to get us back on track and restore integrity to our government? Could the social, economic and political nightmare staring us in the face have been averted had better minds prevailed?
I have always placed great stock in the press as the vanguard of the people. I, also, believe that it was crystal clear that the Founding Fathers intended to foster and protect a free press that would serve as our watchdog on government. However, except for a few courageous and staunch holdouts that are literally begging for money in order to survive, the mainstream news media and the thousands of what we euphemistically refer to as “journalists” have become more a part of the problem than the solution. Can you imagine the cadre of all those sycophantic purveyors of news, who rub elbows with the rich and famous in New York, Georgetown, Beverly Hills, etc., giving up their prestigious positions, multi-million dollar salaries and opulent lifestyles in order to champion the needs and interests of the common people of this country and the democracy they trust to serve them? Get serious. Real journalists are a vanishing breed.
Sadly, the fertile soil in which the seeds of true democracy once germinated, then took root and flourished, has become an arid plain to be exploited by the scions of big business and the unbridled greed that is endemic to our entire political and economic structure.
The faculties of natural curiosity, critical thinking and genuine discourse seem to have died with the advent of our addiction to materialism, hedonism, electronic toys and the inherent belief that “fun” is a basic human fight. We are no longer one people but, rather, a collection of vested interests pursuing our own individual and group agendas at the expense of the common good. Despite laws that may be on the books, those who don’t agree with those laws don’t bother with seeking redress through the judicial or legislative process but, instead, deliberately break those laws because they simply don’t agree with them. Is that consistent with the democratic process and an orderly society? Is that consistent with original intent?
We are devoid of any real desire to be fully informed about the salient issues of the day. Our faculties for remaining vigilant against the forces that seek to destroy us have become atrophied. We are much too willing to believe without questioning. We are ripe for buying into that which is the most expedient and the least controversial. Beyond that, it is too much effort. There are more “fun” things to do with our time. We are suckers for every type of deception skillfully practiced by the opinion makers in advertising, entertainment and the “news” media that seem to intensify in numbers and crescendo leading up to national elections. We believe, not in what is, but in what we deem truth to be. It doesn’t get much more hazardous to a civil society than that. As has been aptly observed, “The world exists, not as it is, but as we perceive it to be.”
We are a nation of people that emulates the trappings of power, influence and affluence. It is as if we vicariously transport ourselves into their world of opulent splendor, insatiable appetites and all the decadence that goes with it. We are awed by fame, fortune and privilege. We allow and accept all they have and flaunt, while remaining silent as they disparage the very institutions that serve and protect our common interests and the values that champion the cause of middle class Americans. Labor unions, a fair wage for all those who labor, the right to a decent standard of living, a college education for our children, access to health care and the comfort of knowing we can retire without the fear of living out our declining years in abject poverty are all made to appear as unclean and subversive. Let us not lose sight of the fact that all that enables the rich and powerful to live as they do comes at the expense of those who labor in their service. History bears that out, and still does.
I rather suspect more luxury cars, more homes than one can afford, and more designer clothes have been purchased to impress others than to meet the needs of those who covet them. What is wrong with being proud of whom and what we are? What is wrong with fighting for what is right and just because we have earned it? Surely, the working people of this country are legitimately entitled to the rewards that flow from their many contributions to our broader society.
I believe it is possible to change an idea or a belief system, but how do you change the fundamental values upon which an entire society rests? Does it take another horror on the same scale as those of the myriad brutal dictatorships that have existed throughout recorded history?
We live in perilous times. My biggest fear, come election day, is that we will unwittingly succumb to all the lies and deception to which we have been subjected and, instead of ensuring honesty, integrity and diligence in our government, we will end up opting for the tyranny of vast wealth and power, believing it is, instead, the only way to our salvation.
Then the curtain will slowly descend, the lights will dim and we will sink further into the abyss of a darkness of our own making, the attendant hopelessness and an even more uncertain future.
Surely, we deserve better.
Cowboy Bob
October 13, 2010
When I reflect on the political cesspool we call “government” in Washington, D.C., it is so apparent that any virtues associated with its collective endeavors have long since vanished. There is no honor, no decency and nothing within their power that could even remotely foster a sense of anything short of shame. They are a grotesque lot, at the very least.
The Supreme Court has decided that legislating is a legitimate endeavor worthy of the highest court in the land, no longer limited to their role in interpreting the law and ascertaining the intent of the law. They were successful in 2000 when they stole the election on behalf of George W. Bush, cloaking their evil scheme in the black robes of righteousness. Having gotten away with that, they gave it another go when they ruled in favor of Citizens United, literally giving away the foundations of our democracy, without the slightest pangs of conscience, to domestic and, yes, foreign corporations.
Congress, of course, is a joke. The Senate, with its imperious aura of superiority over all other deliberative bodies in government, projects a false notion of wisdom and fairness, all the while having elevated thievery to a new art form. Squatters rights is a given in that House. Their system of so-called “rules” that undermine the remotest notion of rule by the majority is a devious ploy that only serves political ambitions, rather than the interests of the people. Their obstructionist games since 2008 would be humorous, were it not for the untold damage it has done to this country and the millions of people who suffer the agonies of the damned because of their unabashed corruption and calloused inaction.
The House, being on a short leash of 2-year terms in office, knows full well they can be thrown to the wolves in a twinkling and quickly lose any hoped for opportunities they may harbor to lace their pockets at the expense of those who elected them to office. Those who dare to stand on principle and advocate for the American people are summarily marginalized or demonized. Despite their best efforts to legislate for the American people in the last couple of years, the Senate has managed to stymie those efforts by freezing any progress on their efforts. Is this government as it was intended to be?
Then, of course, there is our resident Community Organizer and his administration at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Lofty speeches and the adroitness with which he speaks out of both sides of his mouth are nothing short of spectacular. Ideals that are quickly translated into giving away the store in favor of dirty politics is now commonplace. However, the style of decision-making by consensus is never more than a pathetic compromise, at best. Contrary to what we have a right to expect in the White House, which is a real leader that exercises decision-making on what he genuinely believes is in the best interests of the people, we get backroom deals that serve no one except those who stand to benefit most.
Special and vested interests have become the owners of government. They permeate virtually every facet of what is supposed to be a system that serves every American seeking a fair and just government, with liberty and justice for all.
With this introduction, I began to wonder, “How in the world did we get to this wasteland of a free society from the ideals of the Founding Fathers?” In order to get from a set of ideals dedicated to freedom and fairness, how did we arrive at where we are today? It could not have been possible without a lot of deception, dishonesty and manipulation, all wrapped in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and, of course, supported by the Supreme Court. I decided to probe a bit and was more than a little surprised at what I found.
I discovered that oligarchs are nothing new to the scene. The preponderance of those who founded this nation was themselves, affluent members of the gentry of their day.
Thirty-five were lawyers or had benefited from legal training. Some had become judges. That speaks volumes, but I will leave the reader to draw his/her own conclusions about that august fraternity.
Thirteen were businessmen, merchants or shippers, which could well have been oligarchs of their day.
Six were major land speculators. Speculator? Investor? I see little or no difference with those who have followed them to the modern day.
Eleven speculated in securities on a large scale. Sound familiar?
Twelve owned or managed slave-oriented plantations or large farms. I cannot help but wonder if they too, relied on a pool of cheap labor (slaves) the procurement and suppression of which was supported by an enabling and complicit government.
Only two were small farmers who, surely, must have been closet socialists.
I could not help but wonder if they really were the democratic idealists of their time, or were they laying the foundation for what we were destined to become? Wealth, power and privilege seem to have the same genesis, regardless of the time in which it was spawned. They have the unique ability to consistently rationalize their suppression of the human condition so that it emerges as a manifestation of the highest ideals, most of which could be attributed to Mother Theresa herself!
Throughout recorded history, it can be safely said that royal lineage, wealth, privilege and power have greased the gears of human misery. Nothing has changed. The Third Reich rose to power with the full support of wealthy German industrialists, and a willing and compliant political and military establishment, all touched by the hand of God Himself. The persecution of every minority imaginable was merely the price of purity in ideology and empire. Not just from the blood, tears and lives of their Jewish victims, but gypsies, homosexuals, members of the clergy, etc., as well. Has anything really changed or is it just a matter of degree?
True respect is never conferred. It is always earned for the price of what we call “character.”
I cannot help but wonder what new insights might emerge were a group of graduate students, from appropriate academic disciplines, given the opportunity to develop a PERT Chart on the evolution of our system of government from its inception to the present day. Could they identify significant events in that history which might shed some light on where we went wrong, and what led us to the present-day catastrophe? If all that brought us to this point was within the limits of the law, then I think there would be just cause for questioning their so-called wisdom. Could those same students produce a map of what it would take to get us back on track and restore integrity to our government? Could the social, economic and political nightmare staring us in the face have been averted had better minds prevailed?
I have always placed great stock in the press as the vanguard of the people. I, also, believe that it was crystal clear that the Founding Fathers intended to foster and protect a free press that would serve as our watchdog on government. However, except for a few courageous and staunch holdouts that are literally begging for money in order to survive, the mainstream news media and the thousands of what we euphemistically refer to as “journalists” have become more a part of the problem than the solution. Can you imagine the cadre of all those sycophantic purveyors of news, who rub elbows with the rich and famous in New York, Georgetown, Beverly Hills, etc., giving up their prestigious positions, multi-million dollar salaries and opulent lifestyles in order to champion the needs and interests of the common people of this country and the democracy they trust to serve them? Get serious. Real journalists are a vanishing breed.
Sadly, the fertile soil in which the seeds of true democracy once germinated, then took root and flourished, has become an arid plain to be exploited by the scions of big business and the unbridled greed that is endemic to our entire political and economic structure.
The faculties of natural curiosity, critical thinking and genuine discourse seem to have died with the advent of our addiction to materialism, hedonism, electronic toys and the inherent belief that “fun” is a basic human fight. We are no longer one people but, rather, a collection of vested interests pursuing our own individual and group agendas at the expense of the common good. Despite laws that may be on the books, those who don’t agree with those laws don’t bother with seeking redress through the judicial or legislative process but, instead, deliberately break those laws because they simply don’t agree with them. Is that consistent with the democratic process and an orderly society? Is that consistent with original intent?
We are devoid of any real desire to be fully informed about the salient issues of the day. Our faculties for remaining vigilant against the forces that seek to destroy us have become atrophied. We are much too willing to believe without questioning. We are ripe for buying into that which is the most expedient and the least controversial. Beyond that, it is too much effort. There are more “fun” things to do with our time. We are suckers for every type of deception skillfully practiced by the opinion makers in advertising, entertainment and the “news” media that seem to intensify in numbers and crescendo leading up to national elections. We believe, not in what is, but in what we deem truth to be. It doesn’t get much more hazardous to a civil society than that. As has been aptly observed, “The world exists, not as it is, but as we perceive it to be.”
We are a nation of people that emulates the trappings of power, influence and affluence. It is as if we vicariously transport ourselves into their world of opulent splendor, insatiable appetites and all the decadence that goes with it. We are awed by fame, fortune and privilege. We allow and accept all they have and flaunt, while remaining silent as they disparage the very institutions that serve and protect our common interests and the values that champion the cause of middle class Americans. Labor unions, a fair wage for all those who labor, the right to a decent standard of living, a college education for our children, access to health care and the comfort of knowing we can retire without the fear of living out our declining years in abject poverty are all made to appear as unclean and subversive. Let us not lose sight of the fact that all that enables the rich and powerful to live as they do comes at the expense of those who labor in their service. History bears that out, and still does.
I rather suspect more luxury cars, more homes than one can afford, and more designer clothes have been purchased to impress others than to meet the needs of those who covet them. What is wrong with being proud of whom and what we are? What is wrong with fighting for what is right and just because we have earned it? Surely, the working people of this country are legitimately entitled to the rewards that flow from their many contributions to our broader society.
I believe it is possible to change an idea or a belief system, but how do you change the fundamental values upon which an entire society rests? Does it take another horror on the same scale as those of the myriad brutal dictatorships that have existed throughout recorded history?
We live in perilous times. My biggest fear, come election day, is that we will unwittingly succumb to all the lies and deception to which we have been subjected and, instead of ensuring honesty, integrity and diligence in our government, we will end up opting for the tyranny of vast wealth and power, believing it is, instead, the only way to our salvation.
Then the curtain will slowly descend, the lights will dim and we will sink further into the abyss of a darkness of our own making, the attendant hopelessness and an even more uncertain future.
Surely, we deserve better.
Cowboy Bob
October 13, 2010
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