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!