I woke up this morning, grabbed a cup of coffee and turned the TV on to the news. Naturally what I got was a commercial but I'm used to that happening and waited, with the sound muted, until a head with moving lips replaced the guy offering to help me settle my tax bill with the IRS.
The "news" was presented by a couple of cutie pie youngsters giggling back and forth about how distracting it was that Michele Bachmann was looking into the wrong camera during her reply to the president's State of the Union Address. What the devil? This is news??????? The little darlings spent a good two minutes on the piece and not once was mention made of her views nor were any of her statements discussed.
Ya think there was anything else more improtant than where her eyes were aimed that could have been reported in that two minutes? Does it even matter what it was that did not get reported while these vapid, well groomed script readers preened in front of each other and the cameras? We'll never know because all we get on the news these days is entertainment. There is no news, only pretty people reading fluff so all the good worker bees can keep pretending there is no problem.
How can we ever wake up and deal with the way things are? Everything that touches us is a narcotic. All our efforts are spent just to keep our bodies warm and fed. We're too tired and drugged to deal with problems. And boy do we have a problem.
We should be able to manage it because there is only one problem. The common guy has lost the war. That's it. That's the problem. Since 1980 the amount of power, control and wealth allotted to the top 1% of the population has grown to the point that the guy in the street has no means to control his destiny. The wealthy now control the politicians, the media, our children's education and our lives. Their money decides election results. Their money determines what we see and what we are told on TV. Their money keeps their taxes low and ours disproportionately higher. Their money washes our stench off them as they jet to Davos to determine our fate. Their money keeps us in line. The rules are made to protect them and their money from us. We are expected to abide by those rules and they are allowed to flaunt them. Now don't jump in and tell me how wrong I am because you have a million bucks - or ten million bucks and you are a really nice guy. That's chump change to be spent on a whim to the folks I'm referring to. If that's all you have you're one of us.
Leona Helmsley's "Taxes are for the little people" is indicative of the mindset of the rich. Tax evasion by the wealthy and by our high ranking and elected officials is rampant and dismissed by a rap on the wrists. "Hold still there, Timmy, you need a really hard rap on the wrist. There ya go, now go ahead and continue running the Treasury Department." I can't wait for Rudolf Elmer's juicy tidbits to hit the airwaves. Of course nothing will happen to punish the guilty.
If you or I were to engage in such utter disregard for the law, what do you imagine the outcome would be? Frankly, I'm disgusted with the platitudes our fearless leader spewed in his State of The Union speech. "We're the best, keep working your butts off, don't worry that your neighbor lost his home, we're gonna fix it if you work harder for less, blah blah blah blah blah" I call BS.
We need a Franklin, Jefferson or Adams to step up to the plate. It can't happen fast enough. But, ya know, I think it's already too late.
Forrest- I didn't watch the State of the Union address because it is always BS!!!!! I just get
ReplyDeleteangry every time I watch Obama.
'Evening, Pam. Ya know, this is about so much more than Obamommysboy. He's just a paid actor, a shill, selling the big boys program. They figured they'd be able to convince at least 51% of the voters he was The Man and they did. But ya know what? It didn't matter 'cause the other guy, McCain, has been in their back pockets since before 1989. Can you say "Keating 5"? Heads they win, tails we lose.
ReplyDeleteGood morning - you are so right!!! I hope it's not too late but that looks doubtful too. Glad you and Carolyn are enjoying your new home,
ReplyDeleteForrest, we will live to see things change. We may or may not like the change, but it will happen. Because when something can't go on forever -- it won't.
ReplyDeleteBack in the '30s, the political system responded, finally, to the problems of the people by allowing to be elected a man -- and a congress -- that would address those problems.
If the political system had not allowed the right people to take office, things might be very different today. There were many social change movements in those days -- some idealistic, some practical, some sinister. If people lost faith in the government, they would have gained strength. Who knows what might have happened?
If the political system doesn't change to address our problems, people will look outside the system for solutions. My best hope would be a movement with mass support that would attempt to elect its people into the Congress and White House. Who would have the numbers and will to do it despite having no cooperation from the established political parties or corporate moneymen.
Boomer, I hope you're correct. I am above all a husband, and then believer in the idea that used to be America. If we are to draw parallels to what happened in the 30's we can look to our college students, Communists, Socialists, and labor unions (who also spoke for the unemployed) to lead the way. I am encouraged that they have much better communication, and therefore the ability to co-ordinate their activities, than we had at our disposal in the 60's. Witness the use of twitter, texting and assemblage of flash mobs in the Arab States going on as I write this. I pray for their success, in both the Arab States and in this country.You have presented me with an opportunity to refresh my knowledge of activism. I thank you and will do further study of a very interesting time.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that, Forrest. And don't forget Huey Long, for good or ill.
ReplyDeleteOne scary dude. I was born in Alabama and am no stranger to the Kingfish. My fear is a French solution ala 1789. My hope is your hope.
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