Tuesday, January 28, 2014

“The Winds of Change are Upon Us”


What is the value of one American?  That varies from one individual to another and one moment to another in time.  It is whatever that one American’s vote is worth that puts just one person in office and in a position to exploit the system to his own advantage.  It just takes that one American to create what will, in turn, give unlimited power and privilege to that vote seeker which will put him in a position to claim all the spoils provided by the American taxpayer to a system of government that will promptly forget how he got there and lose sight of the fact that he is claiming the right to spend what has been entrusted to him as if all of it is a rightful entitlement to be disbursed as he may see fit, and at the expense of all those whose vote has been so freely given. 

I watch a lot of news programs about every conceivable aspect of what our government and all those who comprise that dubious manifestation of all those who profess to be doing something for us rather than to us.  They really do believe they are the anointed ones and Mr.& Mrs. America are nothing more than nameless and faceless conceptual creations that are there to do whatever they may deem their rightful prerogatives, any accountability to the benefactors be damned.  We, the American people, are nothing more than enablers to those who see the government and all its real benefactors as theirs to do with as they please.  You can bet that none of those who bothered to go to the polls will count for one scintilla of what public servants will do with the trust we have placed in them. 

Those who go to Washington, D.C. on the strength of our votes and our tax dollars have no shame at using what we have entrusted to them for their own personal ambitions, in whatever forms they may chose to take.  They almost appear to become intoxicated by their newfound membership in the club of the elite and powerful.  They will now rub shoulders with the 85 comprising the super rich who claim, with no shame whatsoever, an amount of money that is equal to that of the bottom 3.5 billion people in the entire world!  I would hazard a guess that it would be close to, if not impossible to identify any one of them who sees what they have taken with such abandon as anything to which they are not rightfully entitled, the source of their obscene wealth being totally irrelevant. 

While the common person, under penalty of law, gives their taxes to the government, ostensibly for myriad services that serve the common good, it is freely taken from them and re-channeled to the many vested interests who are the real benefactors of our government’s largesse to all those who grease the hands of those who do their bidding, more often than not at taxpayers expense. 

How did we come by a two-party system that, for all intents and purposes, is essentially the same?  They impoverish the bottom tiers of the population and pass their tax dollars to those in the form tax relief to the very rich, bailing out banks and financial institutions that have pillaged and plundered our nation’s economy.  They, in turn, pay less in taxes, engage in monopolistic practices and operate with fewer and fewer regulations there to protect the consumer public.  They operate in secret, make backroom deals and spy on us at will.  We, in turn, live in a flat-lined economy while the coffers of all the plutocrats simply bulge ever more with each passing handout from Uncle Sam.
 
Those we have elected to office, meanwhile, engage in ritual wailing and gnashing of their teeth because our national budget is out of control and we are overspending!  Alas, alack!  What misfortune faces us now?  Those of us who pay our taxes and live at the bottom of the food chain with barely enough to feed our families and pay our bills see what few social benefits we have evaporate right before our eyes.  Where has the unemployment insurance gone that was created to help those of lesser means to weather downturns in the economy?  Where have the food stamps gone that were put in place to help the least among us get through the tough times with barely enough to put food on the table for our children? 

What has happened to all those young people searching for a means to get into and graduate from college so they, in turn, just might have a shot at the American Dream by becoming a cut above all those living on a minimum wage?  Just ask any one of those aspiring professionals how much of a burden they are carrying and the constraints they live under for having taken the money from the government to finance their educations?  Is there any hope that their burden of debt will ever be paid off?  Then, just for the sake of watching the shock on their faces, ask those from the Ivy League Schools and environs sometimes frequented by the likes of Barack Obama how they managed to get through the system unscathed and financially sound?

Let’s face it, those who enjoy the most from all of those who have the least are the corrupt and compromised members of banking, law, hedge fund management, founders of successful companies, entertainers, senior managers and other scavengers who sit on the sidelines hoping, just hoping, one of the big boys will throw them a crumb once in a while in exchange for their loyalty and support. 

Call it what you will, but this country is owned by those of means and all those who serve them.  They are the wealthy, the privileged, the news media, the entertainment industry, the military services, the intelligence community, the military/industrial complex and all of those of lesser stature who routinely engage in feeding frenzies at the public trough.  Those who shape public opinion and appetites in their favor are the complete antithesis to anything resembling a democratic system.  It is a myth to think otherwise. 

Personally, I think the entire fable of how this country was founded is questionable.  How many of those so-called “Framers of the Constitution” were men of modest means?  How many of them lived in mansions on plantations and owned slaves?  How many of them lived on Elm Street and drove a one-horse carriage to the office every day?  How many of them worked by the sweat of their brow and supported a family living at the subsistence level?  How many of their philosophical progeny now work in the halls of government with the avowed purpose of limiting all forms of “democratic” behavior that has the potential to impede the continued exploitation of all that rightfully belongs to the American people?

Frankly, I see little difference between the “Conservatives” and the “Progressives.”  The former seems to have God on their side on every issue.  The latter seems to have an “enlightened and informed” view of society on every issue, as well.  The former operates from a base of divine enlightenment and the latter operates from their concept of what constitutes a perfect world.  Both groups seem to have plenty of money and privilege at their disposal.  It must be rather easy to leave all that behind and return to the comfortable surroundings to which each has become accustomed.  It is quite a different thing to take a stand and fight for what you know to be right and just.

At the end of the day we have Fox News to keep one side happy with the knowledge that they really are right all the time.  On the opposite side we have those who are secure in the knowledge their view of the world really is on the side of all those who are continually exploited by the system in one form or another.  If that doesn’t beg the question of having a multi-party system, I don’t know what does.  Both of what we have continually feed from the same troughs of corruption. 

We Americans, such as we are, always seem to be looking for something “different” to entertain us and to occupy our minds.  No sooner were the Christmas trees taken down and the liquor bottles put in the recycling bins than it was announced that Hillary Clinton was retaining one of the best political packs to launch her bid for the White House in 2016.  The euphoric exhortations from every corner of the Democratic Party, the White House, and the “progressive” community were deafening, almost to the point of hearing that she was about to be elected by acclimation.  This was just a reminder to saner minds that the entire spin machine was already in place to make sure she was the only viable Democratic candidate for President in 2016.  I don’t share that view. 

First of all, I perceive our two-party system as an accepted means of controlling the numbers of people seeking office and limiting their numbers to those who have already proven their prowess in how to play to the plutocrats that already own and control our system of government.  Their strategy is formulated and fostered by the club who seeks to further their own vested interests at the expense of the preponderance of Americans who will go to the polls and cast their votes in the next national election.

I don’t subscribe to the notion that the conduct and behavior of the Clintons in the White House, the Senate and the State Department are necessarily ancient history and should be forgotten, nor has the slate been wiped clean as their supporters would have us believe.  Bill Clinton’s conduct while President was reprehensible and he proved himself to be about as base and vulgar as one could imagine. 

From the tales that have circulated since she left the White House, Hillary could swear like a drunken sailor with the style and ease of a seasoned veteran.  She supported George W. Bush and Dick Cheney on going to war with Iraq and, frankly, I don’t think her performance beyond that has been particularly remarkable or impressive. 

The Clintons are what they are.  They are in it for the money, power and prestige.  It is a testament to their prowess and skill that they have managed to get as far as they have and to have burnished their image so an entire nation sees them as ready to mount the white horse and ride, triumphantly, back into the limelight.  They haven’t earned the renewed respect and admiration of the American people that is essential for such a quantum leap. 

We have the right to a couple in the White House that has the stature of the First Family.  Harry and Bess Truman may have been basic people, but they were honest, decent and down to earth.  Harry was a leader of principle and courage.  Bess was a dedicated and supportive wife.  That is more than I can say for the Clintons.

I, for one, believe we have had far too much testosterone in the White House for much too long.  Men posture too much and they are not always what we think they are.  Women, on the other hand, seem to be better listeners, studious and act on the basis of fact rather than supposition.  I think their time has come but we have better possibilities than Hillary Clinton.

Elizabeth Warren went to the White House and set herself to the task of creating a Department of Consumer Affairs, with the promise from Barack Obama that she would become the first Director of that endeavor.  However, typical of our resident chameleon at 1600 Pennsylvania, Barack Obama pulled the rug out from under that commitment and gave it to a man, about which little seemed to be known.  Senator Warren graciously accepted the decision and supported that effort during her remaining time in the White House. 

As soon as another opportunity arose that was compatible with her education, knowledge and experience, she set her sights on U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and won the office handily.  She has served with distinction, determination, strength, leadership and acumen.  She has garnered the admiration and respect of the country and those with whom she has served.  She has demonstrated a degree of honesty and resolve that few in the Halls of Government can duplicate.  She has all the attributes we need to clean up so much of what has been created by others who have gone before her in government.  She has consistently demonstrated courage and perseverance where others would have failed. 

Frankly, I do not believe we could find a better person to assume the mantle of the Presidency and to establish the precedent for a woman in the White House than Elizabeth Warren. 

My choice for a back-up would be U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota who has shown great promise for higher office by her intelligence, acumen, record of accomplishments and conduct during her time in office.

This country has suffered long and hard at the hands of a very corrupt government.  Moreover, President Obama has shown himself to be more a chameleon than a leader by his ability to talk out of both sides of his mouth and his complete adoration and accommodation of Bill and Hillary Clinton.  He has pandered to the rich and powerful plus the Republican power structure by his penchant for secrecy, Executive Orders and compromise at the expense of the Democratic Party and the multitudes who have suffered by his actions and which have adversely affected so many lives of those who could ill afford his folly. 

We need to demand a renewed sense of honesty, integrity and principled courage from our elected officials.  They all need to revisit their fundamental pledge and commitment to serve and defend the interests of the American people; not those of wealth, power and privilege, including the President, the Senate, the Congress, the Supreme Court and all the sundry departments and bureaus that have blossomed since the Founding Fathers affixed their signatures to the Constitution.  We, the people of this country, have had enough of being seduced by their rhetoric, their under-handed behavior, their thievery, their sense of entitlement and privilege.

The winds of change are upon us.  I see and hear it every day from people of all walks of life.  Their disdain is more than just a casual complaint.  Those of you who sit on high thinking you are putting one over on the people need to take stock of who and what you are, do your job and restore integrity and genuine service to the people of this country.


Cowboy Bob
January 28, 2014                

                                              

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