God and Country

Hold your bible in front of you and wrap yourself in the flag; as long as the booze and the money are out of sight you will be all right. This political advice is even older than the statement about patriotism being the last refuge of scoundrels.

Whose Jesus do those politicians claim to represent? Is it the Jesus of the Puritans who came to America to escape persecution by the Church of England? Is it the Jesus of all Protestants who split off from the Catholic Church? Is it the Jesus of Catholics who the Protestant majority in this country did not consider Christians for centuries? The demagogues are acting as though they want a theocracy rather than a secular democracy that protects the rights of those who hold divergent views. Obviously the freedom of religion guaranteed by the first amendment of our Constitution was difficult to make a reality even for fellow Christians. This fact is strong evidence supporting the adage that if anyone’s rights are trampled everyone’s rights are in peril. We either have freedom of religion or we do not.

Whose America do those politicians claim they are defending? Is it the America of Standard Oil of New Jersey, U.S. Steel and J.P. Morgan, or is it the America of the majority of the citizens who had the reasonable belief that in order for competition to produce quality goods at affordable prices we had to prevent the monopolies that crushed competition? Is it the America of Andrew Carnegie and other industrialists who exploited their worker, or is it the America of the workers who had to form unions and fight for a living wage? To put it in more modern terms is it the America of the corporations who are exporting our jobs and driving down our wages, or is it the America of people who depend on those jobs and are eager to produce the products that provide them with their livelihood?

The short answer is that it is the America of all of its citizens and all of the people going through the process of becoming citizens regardless of race, creed, ethnicity or gender. It is the nation of the majority who select our leaders and our policies. It is also the nation of the minorities and competing ideas. It is the nation of grand principles and wise laws that protect the free speech of the dissenters so that people holding a minority view can become the majority.

During the administration of George W. Bush I said that I considered myself to be a moderate, and that I only appeared to be a liberal because the country had swung so far to the right. The Republican Party has now swung so far to the right that here is no room for moderates. According to the demagogues anyone who embraces the pragmatic rationality and broad principles that have made our country so great are now liberals. The demagogues wrap themselves in the flag and scream about God as though America and virtue belonged only to them. From whom do they wish to take America back? Do they wish to take America away from all the ethnic, racial, and religious minorities who collectively form a powerful voting block? Do they wish to take America away from anyone who disagrees with them in any way?

The demagogues are divisive rather than inclusive. They appeal to emotions rather than reason, therein lies the problem. Living wages and opportunities to advance are good for everyone. If one group is paid lower wages than another for the same work, the people commanding the higher wages are at a disadvantage in finding gainful employment and the wages paid sink to the lower level. If one or two companies command the market place for a particular product those companies do not just set the price for the product they also set the price for the labor they hire unless there is a labor union to prevent that. Fair competition and living wages benefit everyone except the companies trying to gain an unfair advantage. So why do the Republicans oppose any regulations that would prevent unfair competition, and why do they oppose all labor unions? Loans that would let small businesses expand and hire more people are good for everyone except for the large corporations that might face more competition. So why are the Republicans opposing a bill that would provide those loans even though they once favored such a bill? Green industries would lesson our dependence on fossil fuels from other countries and would also produce jobs. Those green industries would be good for everyone except the oil companies and coal companies. So why are the Republicans opposing attempts to stimulate green industries? Unemployment insurance stabilizes the market place during times of high unemployment. Everyone benefits from that stabilization unless they consider the United States market expendable. So why did the Republicans oppose the extension of unemployment benefits? Affordable health care helps to provide healthy workers. Healthy workers benefit everyone except for the people who are profiting from the broken health care system and the people who see a world wide supply of labor that makes workers in this country expendable. So way did the Republicans oppose health care reform?

The scapegoating and demagoguery of the Republican Party is a cynical attempt to keep you from asking the questions I just posed. Do not let your misery in this economy make you join the people that can be fooled all of the time. Do not fall prey to the demagogues. You deserve to be represented by politicians who represent your interests. The Democratic Party may not be doing everything you want done, but it is the only party that is trying to get this economy moving again. The Republican Party is offering nothing but divisive demagoguery and the same incompetent policies that created this mess in the first place!

Newt Gingrich

For the life of me I cannot understand why people describe Newt Gingrich as an intellectual or a historian. If he is an intellectual and/or a historian he is also a liar and the worst sort of demagogue. He says America should not allow Muslims to build mosques in this country as long as Saudi Arabia discriminates against Christians. Anyone who is educated and rational knows that the reason why we must allow the followers of Islam to build places of worship in this country is because the first amendment of our constitution guaranties the freedom of religion. What any other country does is irrelevant. We are a nation of laws, and our constitution is our constitution. No real American would ever violate our laws or renounce the principles on which those laws are based because of what some other nation does!

Not being content to spew forth this absurdity about violating the first amendment in order to protect our freedom, Mr. Gingrich wanders even farther into the insane world of right wing paranoia. He actually said he would pass a constitutional amendment making it illegal to replace our constitution with sharia law. It is difficult to imagine a statement more ignorant than that. Anyone who graduated from high school knows there is already a vast body of law to prevent the establishment of sharia law in this country. That body of law is called the Constitution, and among the laws that prevent the establishment of sharia law is the very same first amendment Mr. Gingrich wants us to violate. We cannot have a law guaranteeing the freedom of religion and not have a law guaranteeing the freedom of religion. We either have that freedom or we do not. Whipping up irrational fears about imaginary threats to our constitution actually threatens the body of law Mr. Gingrich so disingenuously claims he is trying to defend. In this case it threatens one of the most fundamental freedoms our constitution guarantees. What Mr. Gingrich is advocating is like burning down your cabin to protect it from a forest fire. To say that his logic is flawed would be an understatement.

The greatest threat to our constitution and the freedom it guarantees is not Islam; rather it is demagogues like Newt Gingrich who would have us violate the rights set forth in our constitution. The fact that he is considered a prominent member of the Republican Party is yet another example of how intellectually bankrupt that party has become. There is no depth to which he and other members of that party will not stoop in order to exploit the ignorance and irrational fears of what they consider to be the base of their party. This is a very dangerous thing for them to do. When beliefs and irrational fears cause us to ignore facts and reject rational thought all we are left with is rage. Need I remind you that beliefs, irrational fears, and rage are what drive the very terrorists we are trying to defeat?

The America I know and love is a tolerant nation that wants to know the facts and places a high value on reason. It is a nation of hard working people who embrace the lofty principles that are stated in our declaration of independence and are codified in our constitution. It is a beacon of freedom that became the most prosperous nation on earth. It is a shining example for all people who long to be free. We must renounce the demagogues who would make it anything less than that.

Sounding the Alarm

Let me tell you what is at stake in this election. I ask you now to think back to the very recent past. I ask you to remember when then Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, literally shut down our government. I ask you to remember when the Republican Party impeached President Clinton and tried to throw him out of office. This is the toxic political atmosphere created by the Republican Party. It is an atmosphere that has become worse rather than better over time. What is at stake in the upcoming elections is the economic health of this nation and the real wages you work so hard to obtain. What is also at stake in the upcoming elections is the political process itself; it is accepting the will of the majority; it is the traditional ability to compromise. We place a trust in our leaders to work together for the good of this country. The Republican Party violated that trust when Newt Gingrich shut down the government. They violated that trust again when they impeached Bill Clinton. They are violating that trust now!

They are using the Senate rules to thwart the ability of our government to deal with this recession. They stubbornly oppose an extension of unemployment benefits as well as the bill that would make loans available to small businesses so that those businesses can expand and hire more people. They oppose any public works programs that would provide temporary employment, improve our infrastructure, and stimulate the economy. They cynically cite their concern over the federal deficit for opposing those things while opposing the lapse of the tax cuts for the wealthy that helped cause that deficit. They did everything they could to oppose the passage of regulations designed to prevent the irresponsible behavior that nearly caused another depression. They even oppose raising the liability limits on oil companies for the spills caused by those companies. They also sided with the insurance companies over health care reform and continue to tell outrageous lies about that legislation.

If you do not think the Republican Party will try to use the Congressional subpoena to trump up some charges they can use to impeach President Obama, you are sadly mistaken. The only thing preventing them from doing that now is the fact they do not have a majority in the house or the senate. The elections in November could change that. If you think I am overstating the danger of an attempt to impeach President Obama just think about the outrageous signs carried by the tea partiers, consider the fact that Republican politicians frequently call him a socialist who is trying to destroy this nation, consider the birther movement challenging Mr. Obama’s citizenship, consider what the Republicans did to Bill Clinton. The masters of the Republican Party, the wealthy and the powerful, will stop at nothing to increase their wealth and their power. The will of the majority and the finality of elections mean nothing to them. The only thing that can prevent them from further perverting our political system is your vote. If you do not vote this November you are turning the matter over to older, wealthy, white Americans who always vote for Republicans.

There has always come a time when the American people have said enough. There has always come a time when they have fought back. Now must be one of those times! A President elected by the majority must be allowed to remain in office and carry out the duties of his office. The people poisoning the politics of this nation in order to serve their greedy masters must be struck down. The weapon provided to you by our Constitution is your vote. Use that weapon and use it well. The economy of this nation and the survival its precious political traditions depend on your vote!

The New Robber Barons

The more I listen to the leaders of the Republican Party, such as Congressperson Boehner and Senator McConnell, the more I realize that the Republicans are still trying to sell us what George W. Bush has already inflicted on us. Under George W. Bush we regressed to a time before Franklin Roosevelt’s reforms and regulations gave us the most stable stock market and prosperous economy any industrial nation has ever achieved. We have even regressed to a point before Theodore Roosevelt fought the trusts that had a strangle hold on our economy. What emerged from this regression are the new robber barons. The sub prime loan debacle, the creation of complex derivatives, and the “shitty deals” Goldman Sachs foisted off on unsuspecting investors were not unlike the watered down stock of worthless companies that the robber barons unloaded on unsuspecting investors. Furthermore, we are seeing the power and wealth of this nation becoming more and more concentrated into the hands of fewer and fewer companies and individuals.

This concentration of wealth and power is social Darwinism rather than capitalism. It does not matter whether you call Social Darwinism the trickle down theory or supply side economics the result is the same. The powerful and greedy few wind up with great fortunes while everyone else struggles just to survive. It is a recipe for disaster. It is what prompted Karl Marx to write Dos Capital. Even President Grant knew he could not let Gould and Fisk corner the gold market, and Teddy Roosevelt knew he could not let Standard Oil corner the oil market and the products made from petroleum. The whole concept behind the free enterprise system is that there will be competition rather than monopolies that hold our economy hostage while exploiting the consumer. What our economy and every economy must have are regulations that prevent monopolies and that prevent any company from becoming too important for us to allow that company to fail. Furthermore, we must have regulations that force companies and brokers to act ethically so that potential investors will not be afraid to buy securities.

So why did the Republicans oppose the modest regulations the Democrats just enacted? Why do they still oppose any regulations at all? It is not too difficult to figure out. They have been bought by the modern robber barons and by the companies that are trying to become monopolies. This is not to say that those same interests cannot also buy Democrats, but it is a more difficult task because of labor unions. The first reason the Republicans rail against labor unions is because labor unions force employers to share a greater share of the profits with their employees. The second and perhaps even more important reason the Republicans rail against labor unions is because labor unions support the candidates of the Democratic Party. Some have cynically but not inaccurately called the political clout of business interests and labor unions a balance of greed. This balance is a good thing because it keeps both of those interests in check. Unfortunately the number of labor unions that still have any political clout is rapidly dwindling.

The most frequent thing the Republican say about any government regulation or program is that it is socialistic. What they want us to forget is that every successful modern democracy, even ours, have an economy comprised of a combination of free enterprise and socialistic regulations and programs. Transportation was so important to our growing economy that the building of railroads was subsidized by land grants from the federal government. Our modern limited access highways were built completely with federal funds. Utilities were so important and expensive to start up that monopolies were allowed but the Public Utilities Commission was established to help control the rates those monopolies could charge. All of those things are socialistic, as are social security, medicare, unemployment insurance, public education and the postal service.

Not surprisingly the Republican Party has generally favored the brand of socialism that dumps money into private companies, which I suppose is why they placed the postal service into the hands of a private company that has to make a profit, thereby guaranteeing that the postal rates would rise faster than they would have if the government was still providing that service. Given their usual position in regard to private businesses, the Republican Party’s opposition to the bill that would make loans available to small businesses so that those businesses can expand and provide more jobs is a glaring inconsistency. This inconsistency only becomes understandable when we acknowledge the fact that those small businesses do not put enough money into the campaign coffers of the Republican Party. In other words, the Republicans consider those small companies and the jobs they could provide to be expendable. Their strategy is to sacrifice those businesses in order to say that the Democrats cannot get this country back to work. It is truly amazing that the Republicans are able to do this with a straight face, knowing full well that they are ones who are stifling the ability of businesses to provide jobs.

The Republican Party, like its powerful and wealthy masters, is motivated by greed and a quest for power. It is not the once proud party whose members placed a limit on what they would do to serve their wealthy and powerful masters or what they would do to regain power. The Republican Party is now the party of the modern robber barons and the bloated entities that nearly sent us into another great depression. It is also the party of Joe McCarthy, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and the Fox disinformation factory. It is a very bad and destructive joke. Hopefully the middle class will realize that joke is on them and will respond appropriately!