http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=4404913562235&set=a.2515221761121.2145148.1270506240&type=3&theater
Thank you, Jon Borgeson, for sharing the visual above. I am not surprised by the necessity of Romney to call on the great follower of Ann Rand (famed writer and philosopher that considers the employed to be parasites), Paul Ryan. It certainly will create a fevered pitch for the next few months regarding how to address Federal actions on the economy. This political union of Romney and Ryan creates the extreme visual of the wealth versus those of us who might someday need access to a federal safety net.
Unfortunately, for Americans, with Republicans refusing to create a balanced plan to support Americans to stimulate the struggling economy - it is unlikely that Congress or the Federal Government can find the political will to create the appropriate policies any time soon to create the one thing that grows an economy - DEMAND. The failure of creating a successful and repetitive strategy for Americans was to fulfill a Republican pledge in the first month of Obama's presidency to keep hime to a one term US President. Sadly, in my mind, this whole hearted focus of destroying any hope for hope and change created extensive harm to the American people that will last decades, in lost productivity, lessened savings, and impacted retirement accounts.
Without policies that create some level of certainty at the federal level, along with leadership on the focused financial goals and supported features from the federal government, no significant change will occur. Corporations will continue to sit on trillions of dollars of assets and working American will continue to deleverage their debt as they can. This malaise will continue until DEMAND grows stronger in our economy. Even the Federal Reserve has gone to Congress several times begging in Fed speak to start to create significant partnering with what the Federal Reserve has been doing for four years.
Obama's attempts to create DEMAND policies over the last four years have been numerous yet except for the initial stimulus pakage, no other large package of action could successfully pass the Party of No. I hope everyone understands that Tax Cuts will not create DEMAND only SPENDING will.
Romney advocates tax cuts for everyone, but especially for the wealthy. Yet, the wealthy will not increase their spending proportionately to grow the economy. Those who get the greatest benefit do not significantly represent a large enough percentage of Americans to impact SPENDING. Their impacts may be seen in investments, but again, that will not provide as much DEMAND. The tax cuts advocated would merely improve the small minorities personal wealth even more substantially. (Note: since 1986, the top wealth class has seen a reduction of 65% of their tax rate. Great lobbyists and their professional services.)
Now, Paul Ryan continues to work for major revisions on Medicare and Social Security that will greatly (and negatively) impact those in our country least able to absorb the economic abandonment. I can only hope non-profits are capable of addressing the major cuts that would be seen to the poor and the middle class safety nets. I doubt that with a full implementation of the Ryan plan would be anything less than cataclysmic.
So, for those who are tired or feel threatened by the "Hopes and Change" of the last four years because you saw that many of those promises have not been fulfilled, I have a comment. Grow up. It is not surprising that when great change is required, great opposition will arise to impede any progress. In a time of instant gratification, the US Congress was not created to inspire those wishing immediacy.
I urge those who voted for Obama four years ago to consider the many changes that have occured. Consider the elimination of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Consider health care, which while not resolved, has taken an immense architectural leap forward, and many additional improvements will be necessary. These are significant changes in the political and social environments.
For those who didn't vote for Obama, which I am one, I am forced to consider the choices. You, too, may want to consider the alternatives. Two parties will not get enough signficant support to be the US President. (For those of you who are curious, I voted for the leader of a third party rather than condone the maddening behavior and choices of McCain/Palin or the political behavior of the Obama team during their race to the White House.) And, the Republican party clearly would like to actively implement actions that would return to years of discrimination against Gays and Lesbians. The Republican Party is clearly supportive of reducing the health care options for women from the full access they enjoy at this moment. And, they are clearly focused on repealing the PPACA or Obamacare, the single most important piece of health care architecture to be passed in over 30 years, allowing a strategic process with benefits for everyone to have access to insurance, care, and which allows for future cost cutting strategies to be considered.
The Republican Party is clear in their focus on taxation and fiscal strategy. It is a strategy of reducing taxes on those who earn over $250,000 annually while balancing that deficit created by reducing the safety net costs to the federal budget, thus leaving those who are least able to organize, fight, or have access to financial reserves fighting for what is left.
An America based on scarcity is not an American Dream I care to dream. My dream of America is one where everyone has a chance and those who are most successful continue to contribute significantly so that more Americans can reach their most potential. I work hard every day. I care for people every day. I want an American Dream where college education does not greatly impact the financial future of families, yet that education positively impacts the future of the nation. I can tell you that over the last four years, I am tired of the debate that ultimately has ended up with those with the most resources gaining more resources while those with the least resources, find less. I would like a different conversation. One where everyone worried about those with less. And, those with the most, considered fair ways to participate in the process of lifting those less fortunate rather than significant ways to limit their participation or financial liability.
Obama has done his level best as President to help America recover, no thanks to the almost economically lethargic actions of Republicans in Congress. Obama continues to work to create a more inclusive America. He, and Hillary Clinton, have done an admirable job for four years on the foreign relations front. And, considering the shambles Bush left it in, it is nearly a miracle.
There have been mistakes. There will always be mistakes. But, after viewing the values of a political party that chose at the beginning of the last four years to pursue political values of complete opposition, to the point of shutting down the entire economic viability of the government, to assure the ruination of a sitting President. Well, I cannot condone that type of behavior.
In addition to that behavior, the very behavior to vote 33 times to repeal PPACA after the majority of the same leaders participated in the initial stonewalling and debate of that legislation and its passage, is repulsive. The values of these legislative leaders of the Republican Party have shocked me to the core. Rather than value all Americans and create a path of compromise that would create benefits for all, the values of this last two-year Congress has been a path of power to the majority, at the cost to all Americans.
And, that, to me, is simply unacceptable.
We are all Americans. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, right now, the U.S. has a sitting president. And, his last name is Obama. Did I elect him. No. Do I recognize him as my president, yes.
The last two years was a fiasco of values and failed leadership clearly focused at frustrating the American people, to deny them benefits and priviledges that they should have expected to receive. This policy of "no" along with continued stonewalling on addressing real economic stimulus to the economy, is the transparent, but clearly secret strategy of the minority political party to move Americans to support the party of No.
Obama, with all American political leaders, should have set party politics aside the last two years. Clearly, both sides were hightly political and biased. Obama, many times, reached across the aisle. Republicans soundly rejected his offers, his solutions, his leadership.
Yet, I am here, writing this blog, to encourage a complete rejection of all US Congressional Republicans in office due to their irresponsible behavior during the debt limit crisis, their myopic focus on the next presidential race, and their complete lack of concern for the American people and doing the most important part of that work. If I was not so careful, I would suggest that charges of treason be drawn against every one of those who agreed to this consistent and focused policy of No to oppose so completely the work of Government because of the sitting President.
I had hoped that the Republicans would turn from their divisive ways and I would be able to consider an alternative to Obama. I had hoped that Republicans would allow for diversity in our communities. I had hoped that America would be the America Reagan spoke of, rather than an America that McCarthy created. Romney can't even be transparent and share his extensive tax returns, either because we are not smart enough to understand them, or he simply wants to keep secrets. And, when a candidate is already this secretive, well, I can see another Watergate happening on his watch, with his need for secrets and control.
Obama is the only credible choice in the coming election for diversity, community, education, social safety nets, and to be honest, even defense.
No comments:
Post a Comment