Just when I thought we could not sink further into the mire,
an entirely new set of subhuman behavior rises from the cesspool of living
things to remind me of just how fragile we are as civilized people.
As if the concerted action by the Republicans in Congress to
impede approval of the Federal Budget, followed by their collective efforts to
refuse approval of the Debt Ceiling, we are greeted by their concerted action
to stick it to the poorest among us by cutting back on food stamps and reducing
the most impoverished within us to yet another low in their standard of living,
such as it is. Typical of some of our
most distinguished faux Democrats representing us in the White House, the
Congress and appointees to various commissions, there are backdoor
conversations going on relative to cutbacks in Social Security, Medicare and
Medicaid. All of this is justified by
the incestuous relationship between Republican demagogues and plutocratic
Democrats to effect further reductions in government spending, alleging there
is an increasing need to create more jobs and get people back to work. Clearly, a patent exaggeration that has no
basis in fact. Rather, it is precisely
what the Republicans advocate if you listen to their rhetoric. The tune and the lyrics have not
changed.
In case any or all of them may have forgotten, who among
them have been the greatest advocates and facilitators of free trade (i.e.,
Clinton, Obama, and their cadre of minions), enabling the plunder of the
nation’s financial resources by Wall Street (i.e., Rubin, Summers, Geithner), and corporate capitalists, all aided and abetted by a compliant news
media and a gluttonous corporate system totally out of control. Then, of course, there is the burgeoning military/industrial
complex. The irony of this ruse is that
it is they who have caused the plunder of our nation’s wealth that has caused
the precipitous drop in jobs and the soaring increase in the number of the
nation’s poor and underprivileged, all creating the increased demand on our
nation’s resources. Contrary to what we
are led to believe, it is not due to the the majority of Democrats. Rather, that result can be laid squarely at
the foot of the Republicans. And, not to
break a long tradition of dutiful compliance, mainstream America remains
indifferent and unmoved by what is going on around them. Complacency is so easy on a full stomach, a
good sleep in a warm bed and the solace of a regular and secure job.
The super rich see astronomical increases in their share
(not necessarily fair) of the nation’s wealth, all the while brazenly going to
the people’s government with beggars’ bowls in hand, seeking only a mild rebuke
for their criminal behavior instead of being called out and prosecuted for
their egregious assault on the public institutions of the American people. Any way one may choose to view their conduct,
they continue, with impunity, to claim ever greater proportions of the nations’
resources, all the while reducing the opportunities for a fair share of the
nation’s wealth accruing to the average citizen by shipping jobs overseas and
moving their fortunes into offshore banks.
Led by our first plutocratic President, William Jefferson Clinton, they
are the champions of free trade agreements that are negotiated and ratified in
secret which, in reality, usurp the proper authority of governments, and suck
the life-blood out of domestic commerce and industry to the lasting peril of
the disenfranchised and working people of this country. No
government should have the authority to negotiate and adopt free trade
agreements without prior approval from the voters in a general election. Otherwise, we are simply giving away our
national sovereignty and control of our economy to foreign governments. To me, that sounds terribly contrary to a
democratic, free and open society which we believe in and extol so eloquently.
I dare say few, if any, of those vile proponents have ever
known a hungry day in their lives. It is
time to introduce them to that facet of human existence which they have created,
but which they so vociferously deny and which they dismiss in such a cavalier
fashion.
If we had a real president rather than an obedient plutocrat,
he would have been on a soap box a long time ago, raising holy hell in
demanding a more equitable system so every American could reasonably expect a
fair share of the American Dream.
Instead, we got the Tea Party zealots and, if history repeats itself, we
could once again see more extreme measures advocated by their collective
ignorance residing in the House. We may
not see tattooed numbers on their arms, or incarceration in internment camps, or
wooden bowls from which to eat and into which they defecate, compounded by a standard
diet in order to feed the maximum number at the lowest possible cost to the
“taxpayers.” But, it happened at the
hands of the Third Reich and the mistaken notion that they were the “super race.” It happened before and with the schism that
exists between the “haves” and the “have-not's” in this country, I have no doubt
that it could happen again. All the
characteristics indigenous to the super-rich and the privileged today are
becoming more ominous. Until our better
angels rise to the occasion, I see their warped value systems as something to
be taken seriously. As was once so aptly
stated, “The evil that men do shall proffer so long as good men do nothing.” The silence of an indifferent majority among
us is deafening.
I have a particular disdain for the Tea Party and all that
it represents. There is not one
scintilla of real intellect among them.
They are incapable of original thought or reflective analysis about
anything. If anything, they seem to be
proud of their much coveted ignorance.
They live by the credo, “Tell me what I want to hear, not what I need to
know.” They spout “freedom” and
“scripture” as if they know what they are talking about. After all, God has imbued them with a zealous
need to spread the Divine word far and wide, and to subdue the “nonbelievers”
by whatever means is necessary. As for
scripture, given that the interpretation of those written works occurred over
several centuries, I rather doubt that any of them can be given any credence today. All they stand on is nothing more than a motley
collection of admonitions that serve their own personal and political
ambitions, honesty and integrity be damned.
They are a disgrace to politics (such as it is) and to basic human
decency, the meaning of which is probably totally alien to the majority of them,
as well.
The time has come for real statesmen and stateswomen to
stand up and be counted. There is a real
sense of urgency to opening the coffers of state and to dispel the growing
hunger and despair from the lives of all those good and decent people who only
want to survive with a modicum of respect, and an honest shot at the
opportunities and the legacy that used to be afforded to all the people of this
country. Is that too much to ask? I think not.
If we cannot bring change to the needy, we need let those
who are impeding that long over-due change feel the pressure of the population. The good among us have to stop
procrastinating, get serious about how grave our political system is and set themselves
to the task of changing the entire system for the better. Our “one-party” political system, rather
crudely divided between conservatives and liberals, no longer passes the means
test – for any of us.
I would be the first to admit that our entire system of
social, political and economic intercourse has been hopelessly corrupted by the
appetite brought on by out-of-control avarice and greed. However I, also, believe there are pockets of
people in our society who know the meaning of honesty, integrity and personal commitment
by virtue of their academic allegiances, who could be called on to serve the
better aspects of our society. They are
people who, in my estimation, are generally more influenced by and aligned with
the principles of their profession. They
are more likely to have the confidence of the people. They are not likely to be found among those
who own our government, which the majority seem to use as their personal slush
funds and party favors.
What we think of as “our” government has been co-opted by so
many vested interests that to even try and isolate what is and what is not a
legitimate part of that “elected” government would boggle the minds of the most
astute among us. We deserve better and
it is time we demanded better.
For those of you who are at the mercy of these villains who
claim respectability by their membership in government, stand your ground, be
proud of who and what you are, and don’t let the bastards get you down. You are not alone.
Cowboy Bob
November 4, 2013
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