Sunday, November 14, 2010

Darkest Before the Dawn

People are imperfect creatures and life and politics are full of paradoxes.  In our society, many Americans are on a diet and many Americans are food insecure. According to 2009 statistics, approximately 60 million Americans are obese, and, at the same time 49 million Americans don't get enough to eat. Reactionaries want tax cuts for those with plenty and to cut benefits for those with not enough to eat.

Reactionaries believe our government should intervene in the lives of individuals and outlaw abortions and also stop the termination of terminally ill individuals who have no chance of recovery. The Bush administration failed in its attempt to use drug law to accomplish this this in Oregon in 2001, in the case Gonzales v. Oregon.

At the the same time they hold these "Christian views", Reactionaries are strong advocates for the death penalty. Bush was known in enlightened circles as the "hanging" governor.

In the recent midterm elections, we saw a Republican surge. Most Americans, still stultified by the effects of the Bush years, sought change again and elected some GOP and Tea Party candidates. In actuality we got a slightly different breed of dog with the same strain of rabies. We elected people who are hell-bent on enriching the wealthy and global corporations at the expense of the middle class.

Rand Paul, in his mystical, pseudo philosophical way is arguing that the average American owes his very existence to the rich and should make sacrifices and do everything to accommodate the rich and powerful. He stated that they buy things from us and give us jobs. Huh? I wonder if this is the same argument that some plantation owners used to placate slaves during the Antebellum South?

In Florida, Rick Scott is assembling a team of lobbyists and longtime insiders, many from former governor Jeb Bush, to help him govern. Same dog, same rabies.

What is truly insane is not the deception and politics, but the fact that the Conservative movement has metastasized into a movement whose agenda will destroy America. To put ambition, wealth and power above America and its people is both un-American and unchristian.

I think Democrats were worn-out from fighting with Republicans and the Reactionary media, by the midterm elections. Instead of accentuating their accomplishments and successes since 2008, they reverted to attacking their opponents.This did not prove to be a successful tactic when trying to win the votes of traumatized moderates and Conservative Democrats.

Finally, Sarah Palin told students that Pennsylvania's plan to limit the number of sweets allowed in classrooms is an example of the "nanny state run amok." Implicit in her statement is that it is their (the students') right, almost patriotic duty, to consume sweets and risk obesity and possibly become unhealthy citizens. If she truly cared about the future of America, instead of bringing cookies to class, she might suggest students read a book by one of her fellow conservative Republicans, Bill Bennett: The Book of Virtues.