The End Of A Decade:

One decade is ending and another is about to begin. In the nineteen sixties there was a book entitled the Crucial Decade by Eric F. Goldman. The focus of this book was the Cold War and the bipartisan support for the policy of containing the Soviet Union. It was this bipartisan support that provided the continuity of our opposition to the Soviet threat and won the Cold War. I will say to you that the decade now dawning is another crucial decade because the one now ending is a decade of crises. The new decade is crucial not just in regard to the threat posed by terrorists but also in regard to our financial health and our where with all to carry on the fight against those terrorists. Military strength without financial strength cannot be sustained, which is why the Soviet Union collapsed. Our financial weakness will very likely result in our collapse unless we correct it.

In the decade now ending we took a hard turn to the right and wound up in a ditch. The Bush administration gave huge tax breaks to the wealthiest people in the nation, thereby turning a Federal surplus into a huge deficit. He got us involved in two wars, one of which was totally unnecessary and a drain on our diminishing resources. His anti-regulation philosophy contributed greatly to AIG becoming too large to fail, and allowed the risky behavior of our financial institutions that nearly resulted in another great depression. One of the very few things President Bush did right was to listen to the economists and propose a stimulus bill to keep the economy from totally collapsing. Even though we were in the midst of a Presidential election campaign the Democratic Party acted responsibly and provided bipartisan support for that bill. Ironically, John McCain refused to support the stimulus bill, and most of the Republican Party openly opposed it. Their refusal to support the stimulus bill was a failure to grasp the reality of the situation. They simply refused to accept the fact that their enrich the rich, small government, anti-regulation philosophy had failed as surly as it had failed in nineteen twenty-nine.

This failure has made the Republicans desperate and dangerous. They continue to pound the anti-government drum. They are denying that there is a problem the government must take steps to solve. They insist that still more tax cuts for large corporations and the wealthy are all that is needed. They are doing this in spite of the fact that median family income dropped from $63,099 in the year two thousand to $61,521 in the year two thousand and nine. Furthermore, top executives are still receiving obscene compensation even when their companies are failing, and unemployment is teetering at ten percent. The Republican Party has gone beyond the traditional role of the loyal opposition. They are using the filibuster in the senate to block any meaningful reforms. If our businesses are going to compete with foreign companies, we must do something to control the cost of the health insurance they provide to their employees. If we are going to prevent another economic meltdown, we must pass regulations that will prevent Wall Street and AIG from indulging in the risky behavior that caused this meltdown. If we are going to solve the unemployment problem we must provide some incentives for increasing production and hiring more workers.

The Republican Party has made a bipartisan effort impossible. Their use of the filibuster is a cynical attempt to make the Obama Administration fail regardless of how much that might damage the country. They are doing this while serving the special interests that provide them with campaign funds. They are hoping that the failure to get anything meaningful passed over their obstruction and the millions of dollars they collect from the insurance companies, drug companies, and other special interests will allow them to regain power. If they succeed, it will be at your expense. The elections of two thousand and ten are the starting point of this crucial decade. They will decide whether we move forward or whether we sink deeper into a Republican recession that will hinder our ability to provide for ourselves and protect ourselves. The ultimate decision is yours. If you want a government that represents your interests, you must put forth the effort to take your government back. If you cannot campaign, contribute money. Above all, make sure that you vote for Democrats who are loyal to their party and its agenda.