“When Is Enough, Enough?”

I like to think that I am a reasonably well informed person. I pay attention to what is happening in this country on all of the major news fronts. I regularly patronize major news personalities and news programs. But, when I pause and look around me and talk to people face to face, my impression of what is really going on in this country is vastly different.

I see a burgeoning lower class that is, more and more, dependent on charitable organizations just to feed their families, the bill of fare largely meager and limited in nutritional value. But I, also, see vast numbers of people who seem totally impervious to the magnitude of the suffering and pain that exists all around them. It is rather like, “as long as I have my needs met, screw you!” We demonize the poor and revere the rich and famous. Where are the values of kinship and concern within that group?

I see a population that has sunk so low into the perverse pleasures of hedonism and materialism that they appear to have no souls. Where is their outrage at what is being done to this country and all those who have worked to make this a “land of the free,” and a “land of equal opportunity” for the benefit of everyone? Rather, I am met with an endemic complacency and indifference the likes of which I would never have dreamed possible in this great country.

Why are we so indifferent and so calloused? Are we afraid of all the manifestations of power and influence we see around us? Fear manifests itself in many ways. One can be terrorized, but people can also be gripped by a fear that they will be deprived of all the creature comforts and pleasures they have become accustomed to, but cannot bring themselves to the point of seriously considering that there are more noble pursuits in life that serve a greater good.

There is no secret about the growing disparity between the “haves” and the “have not’s.” It is all around us. We are bombarded with news about how that disparity is growing. The rich ARE getting richer. The rich are squirreling away their vast fortunes in off shore banks, openly and with no shame. Every action of our government favors anything they might do to enhance their wealth, all the while sticking it to those who have the least.

Where did the naïveté come from that convinced us that a bunch of radical bible thumpers would better serve the people of this country than the corrupt politicians who have no constituency, save themselves and those who enable them to plunder the resources of the people while they are in office? Where else can this bunch of motley bastards go, work half time, enjoy the riches and perks of the elite of this country, and brandish the flag in our faces at every turn without the slightest shame? Who among us are the bigger fools?

Why have we given a free pass to the President who, since his first term, has consistently pandered to the wealthy elite and business interests of this country at the expense of working people? Why has he gotten away with appointing scions of business and industry to government posts that are, ostensibly, there to serve all of us, equally? Why have his chief advisors all hailed from the ranks of that same bunch? Why does he covet secrecy when he is cooking up deals that will put more money in their pockets and further reduce those who work for a living to greater poverty and deprivation? Why has he managed to pull off “deals” that were supposed to have been conceived for the common good, but have only served to enhance the wealth of the providers at greater cost to the consumers? Has anyone been paying attention? Do any of those aggrieved by his actions really care?

What happened to negotiated drug prices by the government in order to protect the interests of the people, but it is now the drug companies that have flourished in the wake of that promise?

What happened to the single-payer option that was supposed to level the playing field between the cost to healthcare consumers and the insatiable appetite for more money among the entire field of health care providers? Instead, we got “Obamacare that will, ultimately, prove to be just another scam that will demand greater and greater amounts of money and from whom? The consumers, who else? And for whom? The providers, who else? Let’s have another toast to the Chameleon in the White House based on a wide-spread and continued false belief that he is the chief advocate for the common people.

What happened to the Presidential promise to revisit the entire issue of free trade agreements because, ostensibly, the ones in place had failed to protect the interests of the American worker? Rather, he has only expanded the scope and numbers of such agreements for the benefit of international business interests, and at whose expense? The working Americans, who else?

Who does the great champion of the working people of this country look to for advice and counsel on economic and social issues? The best economic and public minds in the world residing right here in the USA? Not a chance. To the largest and most powerful corporations in the country, who else?

Why has this government, in all its branches, managed to so completely abandon the welfare of the people and so blatantly catered to the wealthiest and most self-serving interests among us? Why are regulatory agencies so starved for funding in order to police the inherent greed of business interests and preserve the health and welfare of the people of this country?

It absolutely boggles the human mind that the vast majority of the population of this country is so enamored of power, money and prestige that they cannot see that we have one political party in power --- and that is the Plutocratic Party of the United States. There isn’t one within the environs in and around Washington, D.C. that isn’t so compromised that it would be a stretch to even remotely believe they are representatives of the people in a democratic system of government.

Why do only the Democratic and Republican Parties have an exclusive grip on what in reality is an exclusive two-political party in this country? Why do we allow them to completely ignore the basic tenets of what is commonly known as “conflicts of interest” and lace their pockets with ill-gotten gains in terms of money, privilege and power, and to do so with complete abandon? Are we so numbed by their largesse at our expense as to actually believe they give one hoot in hell about any of us? Get real, people! They aren’t doing a damned thing for us. It is all about them and those who own their dark and tarnished souls.

As for the wide-eyed “Progressives,” I would suggest they get real and re-name themselves for what they really are – “Regressive.” Call your hero in the White House what you want but, a reality check quickly reveals him for what he is – an Elitist Democrat of the worst kind. And, I might add, that mind set permeates every aspect of those elected and appointed to government positions and the majority of the agencies ostensibly created to serve the governed, not those who govern.

This country needs a new and viable political party. It needs to be based on the virtues of honesty, integrity and service, and firmly rooted in the tenets of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Those who serve government must clearly understand that their primary purpose is to serve the people first by cleaning up the mess in Washington, D.C., and fostering the growth of a new political party within each state.

I cannot believe there are not a few wealthy individuals who share the concern and have the wisdom to contribute funds, properly accounted for on a regular basis, to such an endeavor without them having their egos involved in any direct control, enmeshed with the purpose and work of the party. An arms length relationship to the party and a clearly defined conflict of interest policy should be the order of the day. Surely, given the number of blue-ribbon universities and colleges in this country, a group of economists, political scientists and constitutional scholars could be brought together to create and get a political party off the ground within a reasonable period of time. A point of departure might be by having conversations with Rocky Anderson, Buddy Roemer and the leadership of the Green Party.

We should, also, find out why there have been no organized marches on Washington and other environs, led by the leadership of various labor unions and activist groups. Where is the Occupy Wall Street movement? Why are people not “mad as hell,” and why aren’t they manifesting their grievances by engaging in peaceful demonstrations and civil disobedience? Are they afraid that law enforcement agencies are too firmly in the pockets of the power structure so as to leave them hanging out? If so, let that be an issue.

I was a student at the University of California at Berkeley during the student revolt by Mario Savio and his following. I can attest to the fact that protest efforts by well organized and determined activists work. But, it takes a “fire in the belly” by dedicated agents of change and the idealism of youth. Martin Luther King became a legend because he believed in that power. Who is to say anyone can’t do the same with conviction, dedication, decency and a genuine will to remake this country into what it was intended to be?

How much more do the basic citizens of this country have to take before they say “Enough is enough?” If not now, when?

Cowboy Bob
aka The Sagebrush Philosopher
May 3, 2013