The dust is settling on last night’s political blood bath much as it does on a desert sunset. All seems somewhat quiet and serene as a prelude to our elected leadership limping to the end of their current terms of office. We have, once again, reminded the world of the unexplainable fact that, between the 49th Parallel and the Rio Grande there exists that mysterious phenomenon whereby there are, indeed, more horses asses than there are horses. We have shown how laughable the “wealthiest and most powerful” country in the world really is when it comes down to the serious business of governing. People actually believe the charade, and the avalanche of distortions and untruths to which we have been subjected in the waning weeks of the rush to power.
One could almost have memorized the script as each of the winners and losers kissed their spouse, held up their children for public adoration and thanked an endless array of loyal supporters for their genius and dedication. Absent was any open acknowledgement and appreciation for the obscene amounts of money poured into their coffers by the battery of vested interests that are preparing to claim their pound of flesh from the victors.
We could almost have been lulled into believing that this lot really represented a transformation of character and new blood that will clean up the cesspool of humanity to whom we repeatedly entrust our dollars and our lives as each of the old moves out and the new moves in. Such is the folly of our system and the burning desire to convince ourselves that the truth of it all really isn’t that bad. All we have to do is become angry, throw the bastards out and everything will, once again, be copasetic. Don’t bother me with details. Don’t confuse me with facts. Above all, don’t ask me to go through the rigors of routing out the truth of what we face to the collective peril, not only of our nation but, indeed, the world.
We don’t seem to care all that much about the fact that our democracy has been hijacked by the highest court in the land. We don’t seem all that concerned about the wholesale plunder that continues, unabated, by the scions of Wall Street, the international corporations, the military/industrial complex and all those who are complicit in the rape of what was once a great nation.
We scream to the heavens about the massive amount of our national debt, but take in stride any mention of socking it to the super rich by allowing their obscene tax breaks to expire at the end of their ten-year life span. Doesn’t that seem a bit oxymoronic ?
Ben Bernanke continues to quietly dole out the largesse of the Federal Reserve to those who only want more for little to nothing, and need less. All of the backroom deals struck between the White House, the Senate, lobbyists and those they represent remain unchallenged. We pay and they play. Not a bad deal for them. Meanwhile, people struggle to survive without jobs and compete for space under bridges and overpasses. Our infrastructure continues to deteriorate, but the ads for luxury cars and opulent diversions multiply.
Does anyone really believe there is going to be any meaningful and sweeping changes by the cadre of screaming maniacs streaming into the hallowed halls of the Capitol under the banner of the Tea Party? Simple solutions and trite slogans do not solve complex problems. Never have and never will.
I hold out little hope that our system of government, and the gigantic and numerous parasites that feed off it can be routed out. Do we really think we can cleanse ourselves of the complicity we share in all that we have allowed to grow and fester? Can we restore integrity to government institutions, which we have every right to expect will be squeaky clean and above reproach? The sheer size and complexity of the dragon defies any success in doing so. The monster is bigger, richer and stronger than any legion of shining knights on white horses we may have at our disposal.
My focus, like that of so many, has been on the excesses of a system of government and vested interests. But, actually, the focus should be on us and what we are willing to tolerate. The fundamental flaw is not in Washington, D.C., New York and the like. Rather it is in our collective lack of real character and the will to do anything to restore integrity and honesty to institutions created to serve us. We are no longer shocked by anything. We are no longer one people, under God, with liberty and justice for all. Instead, we are a collection of individuals, each with his/her own agenda, the common good be damned. We don’t give one hoot in hell about anyone else so long as our insatiable appetites can be fed from a system of cheap goods and temporal pleasures that flow from a cornucopia of human misery and deprivation. At the end of the day, we really don’t stand for much of anything. The essential ingredients of human decency have become the stuff of nostalgia and naiveté from days long past. Today, all that counts is me; the human condition, the environment and the planet be damned.
How many honest servants do we have in the halls of Congress, the Senate, the White House, the Supreme Court and the myriad institutions they rest on? How many of them proudly and diligently labor in service to the people they profess to serve? How interested are we in cleaning up their mess and holding them to account? But, even more telling, is how many of us really care?
John Boehner’s attempt at a contrived display of emotion last night brought tears as big as horse turds to my eyes. He and those who refer to him as “my good friend” are all alike. Come January 2011, the flowery words and trite phrases will have faded, and we will be expected to bend over and grab our ankles in unison. True to form, we will dutifully comply without so much as a whimper.
The rich will get richer. The poor will get poorer. Eventually, the parasite will consume its host, and we will be just another great civilization consigned to the ages. Time is not on our side.
Cowboy Bob
November 3, 2010
One could almost have memorized the script as each of the winners and losers kissed their spouse, held up their children for public adoration and thanked an endless array of loyal supporters for their genius and dedication. Absent was any open acknowledgement and appreciation for the obscene amounts of money poured into their coffers by the battery of vested interests that are preparing to claim their pound of flesh from the victors.
We could almost have been lulled into believing that this lot really represented a transformation of character and new blood that will clean up the cesspool of humanity to whom we repeatedly entrust our dollars and our lives as each of the old moves out and the new moves in. Such is the folly of our system and the burning desire to convince ourselves that the truth of it all really isn’t that bad. All we have to do is become angry, throw the bastards out and everything will, once again, be copasetic. Don’t bother me with details. Don’t confuse me with facts. Above all, don’t ask me to go through the rigors of routing out the truth of what we face to the collective peril, not only of our nation but, indeed, the world.
We don’t seem to care all that much about the fact that our democracy has been hijacked by the highest court in the land. We don’t seem all that concerned about the wholesale plunder that continues, unabated, by the scions of Wall Street, the international corporations, the military/industrial complex and all those who are complicit in the rape of what was once a great nation.
We scream to the heavens about the massive amount of our national debt, but take in stride any mention of socking it to the super rich by allowing their obscene tax breaks to expire at the end of their ten-year life span. Doesn’t that seem a bit oxymoronic ?
Ben Bernanke continues to quietly dole out the largesse of the Federal Reserve to those who only want more for little to nothing, and need less. All of the backroom deals struck between the White House, the Senate, lobbyists and those they represent remain unchallenged. We pay and they play. Not a bad deal for them. Meanwhile, people struggle to survive without jobs and compete for space under bridges and overpasses. Our infrastructure continues to deteriorate, but the ads for luxury cars and opulent diversions multiply.
Does anyone really believe there is going to be any meaningful and sweeping changes by the cadre of screaming maniacs streaming into the hallowed halls of the Capitol under the banner of the Tea Party? Simple solutions and trite slogans do not solve complex problems. Never have and never will.
I hold out little hope that our system of government, and the gigantic and numerous parasites that feed off it can be routed out. Do we really think we can cleanse ourselves of the complicity we share in all that we have allowed to grow and fester? Can we restore integrity to government institutions, which we have every right to expect will be squeaky clean and above reproach? The sheer size and complexity of the dragon defies any success in doing so. The monster is bigger, richer and stronger than any legion of shining knights on white horses we may have at our disposal.
My focus, like that of so many, has been on the excesses of a system of government and vested interests. But, actually, the focus should be on us and what we are willing to tolerate. The fundamental flaw is not in Washington, D.C., New York and the like. Rather it is in our collective lack of real character and the will to do anything to restore integrity and honesty to institutions created to serve us. We are no longer shocked by anything. We are no longer one people, under God, with liberty and justice for all. Instead, we are a collection of individuals, each with his/her own agenda, the common good be damned. We don’t give one hoot in hell about anyone else so long as our insatiable appetites can be fed from a system of cheap goods and temporal pleasures that flow from a cornucopia of human misery and deprivation. At the end of the day, we really don’t stand for much of anything. The essential ingredients of human decency have become the stuff of nostalgia and naiveté from days long past. Today, all that counts is me; the human condition, the environment and the planet be damned.
How many honest servants do we have in the halls of Congress, the Senate, the White House, the Supreme Court and the myriad institutions they rest on? How many of them proudly and diligently labor in service to the people they profess to serve? How interested are we in cleaning up their mess and holding them to account? But, even more telling, is how many of us really care?
John Boehner’s attempt at a contrived display of emotion last night brought tears as big as horse turds to my eyes. He and those who refer to him as “my good friend” are all alike. Come January 2011, the flowery words and trite phrases will have faded, and we will be expected to bend over and grab our ankles in unison. True to form, we will dutifully comply without so much as a whimper.
The rich will get richer. The poor will get poorer. Eventually, the parasite will consume its host, and we will be just another great civilization consigned to the ages. Time is not on our side.
Cowboy Bob
November 3, 2010
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