Done Deal

Despite the inspiring return of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to Washington to cast her vote in favor of not sending our nation into further economic ruin, yesterday was a relatively sad and humbling day in America. Although you heard words like “unity” and “compromise,” in truth there was very little of either. In fact, only the impending panic of a horrific head-on collision in this ridiculous game of chicken our lawmakers have been playing with our lives and future caused them to draft a deal that no one is happy with.

The impact of the cuts in the final deal are yet to be fully determined, but almost everyone except the terminally clueless (Tea Party anyone?) believe that the brunt of the cuts will affect the poor, the elderly and the helpless, while the wealthy have been left completely unscathed. It might make sense to those who lack any sense of compassion or humanity to take money from those who are either incapable or have little opportunity to create additional income, but I find it repugnant. Who are we if we do not help those who cannot help themselves?

I hear the word “capitalism” thrown around as if it is synonymous with all things good and Godly, while anything that suggests a “shared burden” is labeled as a traitorous attempt at “socialism” or “communism.” People have become so twisted by the concept of “capitalism” and the “American Dream” that they have lost all concern for others…or the reality of the world they live in.

We bemoan the unemployment rate and place the blame on the President, but somehow we reward the very folks who closed factories and shipped jobs overseas to increase their bottom line. We make cuts to Medicare and Social Security, while turning a blind eye to corporations who quietly funnel millions of untaxed dollars into offshore accounts.

I think many people believe “I got mine, you get yours.” That’s fine for an all you can eat buffet, but that’s not the world we live in. It has sadly become acceptable, and even applauded, for people to ascend the financial mountain over the broken bodies and spirits of others. It’s survival of the fittest…or the right place at the right time…and self preservation (through financial gain) is all that matters.

Even stupider (at least, I think this might be their justification), many people vote for the people who protect the rich and turn their back on the poor and elderly, because they somehow think “One day, that will be me!” Yes, we all have our own American Dream, even if there is not a glimmer of it on the horizon. Dreams and aspirations aren’t a bad thing. But they can’t be so all consuming or self-serving that they affect others.

People play the Lottery and enter contests. They imagine a long, lost uncle leaving them a small fortune in his will. It’s not through any conceivable level of personal competence or inventiveness that they might achieve financial success…but somehow, they believe it will miraculously fall upon them. They are sure of it. And when it happens, they don’t want to be taxed and they don’t want to pay for any free-loading “entitled” people.

If you are sincerely concerned with reducing our national debt, do some actual reading. Don’t get your stats and information from the unfair and completely unbalanced viewing of Fox News. You might not like what you learn about who increased the debt and who has reduced it in the last thirty years. You might consider Bill Clinton as only that guy who lied and cheated on his wife, but he brought down the debt that Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. drove up. He did it by raising taxes…not by cutting services to those in need.

When did our debt problem explode again? When George W. Bush reduced taxes to the lowest point in decades and spent like he had several hundred geese that lay golden eggs in the basement of the White House.

You can blame Obama for many things, and deservedly so, but the financial problems we are having started and blossomed during the eight years of George W. Bush. What you can blame Obama for, as I do, is the fact that he has not changed our course from those disastrous decisions. He has given lip service to it, but he has not used the power of his position effectively to balance out the economic needs of our nation. Until that is done…and more revenue is brought in by eliminating the Bush Tax Cuts and Corporate loopholes…we are only going to go deeper in debt and continue placing more burden and pain on those who can least afford it.