The pictures are of angry protesters, sick and tired of being abused by those in power. It is a stark message to those who rule. We are here, we are now in your house, and we are not leaving until we are treated with dignity and respect. The images are not from Tunisia, not from Egypt, not from Bahrain but from the Capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin.
In the fervor that has overcome Republican politicians to show that each can outdo the other at this game of slash and burn, both State and Federal representatives make declarations of war on the lower and middle classes. There is virtually nothing that some legislator somewhere won't say or do to demonstrate that he or she is willing to make the "difficult choices". What that inevitably means is a fixed determination, in the middle of the worst economic crisis that most of us have ever witnessed, to take benefits away from those most in need.
The fact remains that this is undoubtedly the absolute worst way to get our financial engine moving again. But the horror is not in the lack of comprehension of the financial consequences of these lawmakers fiats. It is their total lack of compassion for the plight of those they would attack that makes what they would do so depressingly wrong.
Let those who are aggrieved arise, as the many in various regions of the Middle East have now done. Let them fill the Capitol buildings in the many states where the new Republican order threatens to make bad into worse. Let them come to Washington to demonstrate that they are not willing to allow attacks on them to move forward. Let them advise those who would do harm to them that the "difficult choice" is not a direct path over the downtrodden. Let them say that with their new found power, the Republicans must now understand that there is a responsibility to protect and preserve the benefits of all the citizens of this country, not merely the few who line the Republican pockets.
2 comments:
What, you think that Republicans have any social conscience ? What is amazing, is that many people who are affected most by GOP cuts, are just the ones who need the social services, and who think of themselves as members of the GOP. But they don't know that until they need them. Medicare is not free. We pay in monthly fees for coverage. It is the best system, very inexpensive to run [less that a third as compared to private plans].
To my thinking, it is shocking that the GOP have no social conscience, unless it is tax deductible. And even then they don't want any progressive program.
I am so often amazed by people who argue against their own interests. It seems that such a large portion of the population doesn't have the capacity, or refuses to take the time, to understand the ramifications of what those in power propose to do. You wonder how much dumbing down has to be done before those who are "confused" will understand that 1 plus 1 does not actually equal 4.
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