Sunday, December 11, 2011

"Of the People, By the People, For the People"

The quote is from Republican President Abraham Lincoln, again. I believe Lincoln was stating that here in America, our government, which governs our people, was created by the people themselves with the interests of the people at heart, rather then by a hereditary, aristocratic class; and that our government operated to serve the needs and overall good of the people, and not serve, exclusively, the interests of a select few that accrued great wealth in our country.

If you put this notion in historical context, during the time of the American Civil War, he was contrasting the social system of the blue states with the quasi-aristocratic, slave holding social system of the gray states. Further implied in this statement is the notion that the social system of the gray states represented a threat to self government.

Though the clear cut borders are gone, due to technological changes that have occurred since the American Civil War, the battle lines are clear. Tea Party Republican policy is designed to restore American to a social system that is remarkable similar to the social system of the gray states during the American Civil War. There is overwhelming data to support this thought,  from the suppression of voting rights and union busting, to the outright destruction of economic and social justice, et al.

Without a viable government- that does more than merely defend our borders- our system of self governance cannot survive. In the last decade plus, our government of the people, by the people, and for the people, has served our people, in one way or another. Currently, where labor laws are ignored, where predatory lending and business practices are common occurrences, and in a world where free market manipulations abound as well, many Americans must use government programs to survive. Some time ago Fox News cited that 1 in 5 Americans receive food stamps. And the implication was that the recipients were joyful about it.

By strengthening economic equality within our system, and by shared sacrifice including a progressive tax code, our economy and our country can get going again. By having the super rich and corporations, that have and continue to benefit from our country, pay their fair share, we can create jobs and maintain the middle class. Then maybe fewer Americans will require food stamps.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Good Spirits of the Universe Save the Day

It appears that there will be no compromise as the Super Committee, comprised of Republicans and Democrats, was unable to reach an agreement. And because there was no compromise, there will be a compromise, of sorts. What is going to happen is that tax rates will be restored to their preBush levels. Though the increase will have a more profound effect on the working poor and middle class, than those at the top, it is a step in the right direction. The lack of compromise will also trigger massive spending cuts. Again these cuts will impact the working class more than the wealthy. But the massive cuts in defense spending, which most insiders acknowledge will not impact our security, will wound the Republican base.

Since Bush, the Republicans have been utilizing the rights and freedoms of our democracy to gain wealth and power, and are attempting to disable those rights and freedoms for the majority. Despite the tactics, our country is a democracy, and by definition, "will not perish from the earth", regardless of what tactics the Republicans employ.