Stupid America

As our leaders sit down at the table once again to discuss how to make a further mess of our economy and our nation’s future, I have to ask, “Why are we so stupid?” I voted for Obama because I wanted a change from the type of government we had experienced under George W. Bush. I despised the war-mongering, protect big oil, pro-rich thinking that he and his cronies covered under a blanket of so-called “patriotism” after 9-11.


Now, under pressure from Republicans and the Tea Party, Obama is offering up Social Security and Medicare as potential debt reduction fodder, in hopes of getting them to allow tax rates to return to pre-Bush numbers. I had hoped for more from him. Just because the Republican leaders in Congress are blind to anything but their allegiance to the very wealthy in our nation, that doesn’t mean he needs to give up the poor and helpless to bring them to compromise.

Truth be told, the middle and lower class have been sacrificing for the last decade. When they talk about job loss; that is where the majority of the unemployed reside. Yearly increases in Social Security payments already fall far below inflation rates, so how much more is it possible to cut?

Last year, the CEO’s of the top 500 S &P publically traded companies saw their salary increase an average of 23%.  While the top 1% continues to climb, the majority of middle and lower income salaries have stayed generally stagnant (in relation to inflation rates) for decades.

The argument that the Republican lawmakers use to keep the lower taxes and loopholes for the rich is that it will create jobs. What no one is asking is, “Why have they not done it then?”

Bush put those tax cuts and loopholes in effect more than a decade ago. Why, any logical person must ask, have we not had job growth? Why, in fact, are we dealing with such high unemployment? The answer is simple: the premise of lowering taxes to increase jobs does not work in an atmosphere of greed.

If the super wealthy can continue to make high salaries and pay lower taxes, why would they need to increase employment? They have no incentive. It is much more lucrative for them to use the wealth they have to support and fund Republican candidates, Tea Party groups, and organizations like the American Chamber of Commerce. If they can outsource jobs to other countries that have cheaper labor (with no penalty) and continue to pay lower taxes, why wouldn’t they continue to do that?

Is it just me or would it make more sense to say “taxes are increasing (with no loopholes), but if you create X amount of jobs, you will get certain tax breaks.” It’s a bonus system that most of us in the working world deal with (if we get a bonus at all). Giving them the breaks without any requirements is just plain stupid. Only someone who has something to gain out of it would make a deal like that.

What angers me (and I am not using that word lightly) is that many of my Republican family and friends will crucify Obama for the Unemployment rate and his offer to cut Social Security and Medicare, when they continue to vote for the people who are causing these problems. We are not running an economy that I thought I was voting for with Obama. We are still running a George Bush economy because the Republicans and Tea Party have bullied and fear mongered their way through every decision. Obama has been weak in dealing with this, and that is his greatest failure.

I am angry at Obama for giving in to this form of deficit blackmail, but I am equally frustrated and disillusioned by the good people who can’t see that they consistently support people who do not have their best interests at heart. Why do you continue to vote for Republican candidates who demand cuts to the health care and Social Security checks of the elderly while insisting that the Billionaires who created much of our current economic woes should not pay their fair share?

Sadly, I think most Christians vote Republican based on “Pulpit” issues only. The Republican ticket is generally “anti-abortion” and “anti-gay marriage,” therefore it is assumed that they are “better” people. I’ve actually had people say that you can’t be a Christian if you don’t vote all Republican. Honestly, I don’t understand how a good Christian justifies that thinking. Jesus was about much more than these two topics (in fact, I don’t recall him ever mentioning them in the Bible). He was more about caring for people. He talked about love and not being judgmental. He would protect the weak and helpless. Money was not important to him. These are not qualities I would apply to our current Republican leadership.

(And one other thought that rattles around in my head;  Why would Republican politicians want to ban abortion or gay marriage?   They have had the opportunity to do so...for nearly six years of George W. Bush's presidency there was as Republican controlled Congress and a generally conservative Supreme Court...yet there was no major push to repeal Roe vs. Wade nor make a national mandate on gay marriage.  Maybe they didn't do anything because if they gave the Christian right what they wanted, they might start looking at other issues when they go to the voting booths).


I would love to get rid of all Political parties. There are major faults in both the Democratic and Republican parties, so anyone who holds total blind allegiance to either one is more than a little bit foolish. We’ve dug ourselves a pretty deep hole in this country. We’ve given power to people that either don’t have the capacity or don't have the willingness to do the right thing. The big question is, can we look past our political biases and misguided personal motivations to force our leaders to make wise choices for us all, not just those who give them campaign donations or promises to sit on a Board of Directors when they retire?