Community | December 12, 2011 | 25 comments

LET REPUBLICANS HAVE IT ALL !

source: http://themoderatevoice.com/122958/let-republicans-have-it-all/

Image
kennymotown
I found this post that truly epitomizes the state of our country! The writer has some brilliant ideas but I think he left out what I have been thinking. If we let the current system of power have it all, the sooner we can have that Revolution Thomas Jefferson suggested 200 years late! Please read this fine example of a frustrated American, it's rather long but I couldn't put it down.

POSTED BY MARC PASCAL IN AT TMV, BUSINESS, ECONOMY, LAW, POLITICS, SOCIETY, WAR.
SEP 20TH, 2011 | 7 RESPONSES


WE DIDN’T LEARN ANYTHING FROM PRIOR REPUBLICAN POLICIES BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH

Perhaps Republicans have been correct in asserting that the eight years of President George W. Bushz didn’t go far enough in enacting conservative policies. The current Republican presidential candidates argue that the nation must take all their proposals to their logical conclusions in order for them to properly work. No more half measures, we should go all the way to the policy extremes advocated by conservatives and Tea-Party members.

For the past 30 years the conservative worldview has dominated the political and economic discussions in the United States. Many times the facts have been ignored or trumped by ideology. But from time to time during this same time period, Progressives and Democrats have thwarted the full implementation of many conservative policies so we really haven’t adequately unleashed the sociopathic and psychopathic Ayn Rand tendencies of our private sector.

Even though the U.S. is the 4th most populous nation on earth, and the 4th largest in territory, conservatives argue we need a central government no larger than that of a nation one-tenth as large in population and area. We could return to a pre-Civil War early 19th Century Federal Government before the industrial revolution, or we could emulate such current national governments as Chad, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Sudan and the Central Africa Republic.

Republicans make an exception to permit massive federal expenditures in the areas of national defense, internal spying for security, endless foreign wars for oil security, and wasteful global military overreach. We have to maintain a war budget larger than all other nations combined with annual spending greater than the total of our 50 state governments.

WHAT WE DIDN’T DO

The US never privatized Social Security and handed the trillions of dollars of payroll taxes over to the thieves on Wall Street. Perhaps those funds might have been invested in risky securities backed by subprime mortgages, or in highly speculative Internet initial public offerings, or in Greek Bonds. Then the only retirement savings for tens of millions of Americans after the recent housing and financial crashes would likely have been lost completely. But far greater Wall Street investigations, prosecutions, and punishments, plus enacting strict financial reforms might have been the result instead of the massive denial, cover-up and effective legalization of fraud, deceit and greed that has occurred. Alternatively, we would likely still be ignoring our utterly broken and corrupt financial sector because Wall Street owns both parties in Congress.

Despite constant claims that all U.S. taxes are too high, we did not drop federal income taxes down to zero for carried interest, capital gains, rents, royalties, and dividends, so as to further increase massive income inequalities in the United States. We have ensured for almost a decade that the top marginal income tax rate on earned income is the lowest it has been in 60 years. All the many tax deductions, credits, and special exclusions remain in place principally for the benefit of the top 10 to 20% of all wage earners. Perhaps if we just exempted our wealthiest citizens from all taxes, something might trickle down to Americans, or be invested in China or India, or more illegal aliens might find secure long-term domestic and gardening jobs in high net worth neighborhoods.

Furthermore the U.S. has yet to completely criminalize abortion, ban all contraceptives, and operate as if human life began at conception. We cannot even agree upon the division of responsibility between government and the private sector with respect to providing healthcare to all or some of our citizens after they are born until they die for various reasons. We probably need to clearly identify what constitutes protected human life in a pluralistic society apart from the many conflicting religious definitions. Alternatively, we could permit fundamentalist Christians and the Roman Catholic Church to write some of our laws.

DOING NOTHING IS THE ONLY OPTION NOW

The American political system has become so polarized, ideologically extreme, ossified, paralyzed, and corrupt that it cannot address any public issues. At best complete inaction results in continuing the bankrupt status quo. Such a policy ignores the fact the rest of the planet has no interest in waiting for the U.S. We’re falling farther behind our global competitors on so many fronts that we might never be able catch up.

There is little evidence over the past 30 years that any significant progressive, liberal or Democratic policies have been or could have be enacted in Washington DC or in most state capitals. Most of the U.S. electorate doesn’t understand these ideas, are suspicious or afraid of them, and they are not willing to pursue them regardless of their objective merits. As long as more than half of the population is not suffering extreme financial, employment, health, housing, economic and social distress, the status quo is adequate for most people even though it is on a steady trajectory towards complete collapse. Unfortunately any toxic mix of domestic and international factors (unknown unknowns such as black swans) can easily collapse the status quo and sadly the U.S. has no plan “B.”

For the rest of the article go to the link provided:
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Politics,   Green,   US Politics,   24 more
  2. tags:
  3.     
    |

25 comments // LET REPUBLICANS HAVE IT ALL !

  • spoon
    • +1
      spoon  

    • I understand what this guy is saying, but here's the biggest problem with his theory. When Republicans had complete control of both houses of Congress, the Presidency and the Supreme Court... they didn't do any of these things either. I've often commented that if a Republican President was doing the exact same things Barack Obama is doing with his power, progressives would be thoroughly appalled and fighting against him (with very few exceptions) every step of the way (and rightfully so). The sad truth is there was almost no change accomplished when Democrats were given enough power to effectively do what we so desperatley need done. That fact should tell us a very chilling tale.

    • 5 months ago
  • BozHogan
    • +2
      BozHogan  

    • An interesting, even tempting thought. But it wouldn't work. Think of all those who would be hurt and how badly, while we waited for the backlash. In the meantime, the Republicans would have time to finish dismantling the public education system, allowing them to keep most of us too stupid to know we were getting hosed. The solution is to see that it's our own fault for not screaming louder and making the masses hear the message and recognize the damage. The lax attitude progressives had in the last election allowed Americans to forget after only 2 short years, who got us in this mess in the first place. We need to shout the truth from the mountain tops until the population finally hears it. The current Occupy movement, if it can get organized, is the first sign of that happening. That's what will work, and that's what has FoxNews so scared of OWS.

      We need to raise the level of consciousness in this country, not let the Republicans lower it. But it was an entertaining thought, and a fun read.

    • 5 months ago
  • kennymotown
    • +1
      kennymotown  
    • BozHogan:

      Thanks for checking it out, I agree about how we should handle it. I kind of was hoping it was the writer being tongue in check, and a reality check of just how far we need to push back!

    • 5 months ago
  • alexandrek
  • kennymotown
  • artemis6
  • CollegiateMind
    • +4
      CollegiateMind  

    • I think we're seeing the slow, methodical 'waking up' of hard-working citizens (and those who Want to work). It starts with OWS and can build. Keep the fire burning!
      We should All prepare ourselves for the big revolt, (it needs to be world-wide) and it can't come a day too soon. Thanks for another important post, kennymotown!

    • 6 months ago
  • kennymotown
  • Wyley_Wombat
    • +3
      Wyley_Wombat  

    • Actually Kenny I was reminded of the last 2 verses of Scots Wha' Hae' by Robert Burns.... English translation below:

      "By oppression’s woes and pains,
      By your sons in servile chains,
      We will drain our dearest veins
      But they shall be free!

      Lay the proud usurpers low!
      Tyrants fall in every foe!
      Liberty is in every blow!
      Let us do or die!"

      I've no plans to go quietly

    • 6 months ago
  • kennymotown
  • Argon18
    • +8
      Argon18  
    • Image

    • That's the "cutting your nose off to spite your face" and "treating a hangnail with an ax" strategy that causes more damage than the cure. Is it worth the cost?

      Isn't it more effective to hold them accountable for their crimes, then let them make the damge from them even worse? Moving money away from TBTF banks into credit unions makes a lot more sense than letting them gamble away more of it.

      So one way to stand up and help would be to participate and spread the message

      http://www.zazzle.com/we_rise_in_support_tshirt-235192086860517194

      "From Below We Rise To Support The 99%" for the accountability and opportunities that the Occupy movement is trying to bring because "WE are in this together"

      I figured I could do my part and use my skills at graphic design to make T-shirts available so that the people who wore them would spread the message farther to the people that saw them and that could help get more support to bring about a change in the system

      http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/07/1043170/-Accountability-Join-me-on-live...@-8pm

      "We are not mad at wealth. We are not mad at people who are successful. We want everyone to prosper together. But to be more accurate it is the wealthiest 0.1% who have rigged the system in their favor. They buy politicians, they corrupt the system of our democracy and then legislate in their own favor, often against the public's interest. Occupy Wall Street protesters love our country, and we are here to fix it.

      The word accountability should be on the tip of the tongue of every patriot who believes in the rule of law. We can not have a social contract without accountability (and the constitution IS a contract, so is every economic activity, when you think about it).

      There must be accountability both for the governed and the governors.

      Law makers must be not be above the law. We can not have a President with 84 ethics violations, nor can we have a President who tortures and commits war crimes, nor can we have a President who summarily executes people without trial.

      We can not have functioning economy if the largest actors within the system police themselves. The profit motive will forbid ethical behavior in the name of the greatest profit. The market will not police itself, neither will corrupted politicians dependent on corporate campaign donations to fund their re-elections police the marketplace, they have been bribed to do otherwise.

      At the end of the day, without accountability there is no justice, and if there is no justice there can be no peace. The debacle in Iraq and the ungovernable landscape of Afghanistan are testimonies to that fact.

      We must demand accountability under the rule of law for those people who have broken it. If a corporation like Bank of America is a person than it should be held to the same standards be held to that a person would be held to if a person broke the law. A person can not bribe the police officer on his beat, and neither should a corporation be allowed to bribe the regulators, the law makers and law enforcers on their beat. These truths I hold to be self evident."

    • 6 months ago
  • nardo1224
  • rerushg
  • Anonmaly
    • +2
      Anonmaly  

    • Agreed, boycott the system... They want their monopoly money and their cheap Chinese goods, all the debt it incurs, let them have it... Ah but, see many on the LEFT, I mean DEMOCRATS are the of the same ilk....

      Drop out of the rat race and learn to live as humans did for thousands of years before industry replaced humanity....

    • 6 months ago
  • gardener52
  • kennymotown
  • rerushg
    • +2
      rerushg  

    • Good get Kenny. I don't quite get the graphic though. I don't use Fedora (Debian here) but gut feel is that nobody in the Linux community wants to be associated with Mr. Pascal's BS.

      Uhhhh. Whew. This article presents the "where do I start?" problem. There's just so much propagandist wrongheadedness here. Indeed, I suspect that the author himself doesn't actually believe all this (tongue-in-cheek maybe?). He just starts with gut idealogy rooted in frustration and fear and wants it all to be over somehow: "Just give 'em what they want." Clearly we Progressives are screwing up his otherwise perfectly ordered existence. Too bad.

      Three points:
      1. The "didn't go far enough" argument is precisely the excuse offered by Friedman when Chile failed. Likewise the Russia experiment after the fall of CCCP. Bush (et.al.) are Friedmanites. Read the book: Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine". For those who consider themselves progressives and haven't read it, you must have missed the memo. It's required... book reports on Kenny's desk by the end of the month. (Hey, dude, you started this. :))
      2. Yes, we are the 4th highest national population (I thought 3rd) in the world and an awesome market of CONSUMERS relying heavily on external resources. If we had to get by on just what we've got, we'd tank by sundown. Correction: The 1% (probably more like 5%) would tank by sundown; the rest of us would figure it out and cope with it. It's what we do. Reality is that we are a nation of 300 million in a world of 7,000 million. It's gonna get lonesome pretty soon if we persist in pissing everybody off. I trust that Mr. Pascal and his kids are prepared to defend their turf against 20:1 odds when the pissed-off hit our beaches.
      3. Mr. Pascal seems to suggest that there is a "grand plan" and we should just let it happen. In all the available material, including the Wikileaks material, there is no evidence of anything other than overt military and economic world domination by whatever means possible. Constitutional democracies require conversation and debate over policies like that. If, as Pascal suggests, we abandon that requirement in the interest of maintaining peace and tranquility in his herb garden, we will have lost, given away, a right that we will play hell getting back.... if ever.

    • 6 months ago
  • wolfess
    • +2
      wolfess  
    • rerushg:

      we will have lost, given away, a right that we will play hell getting back.... if ever.

      We are already far too close for my comfort to that place; and the truth from my perspective is that even if I have to fight to my death I will do that b/c the alternative is completely outside my willingness to accept. I'd rather die standing than live on my knees.

      Pwr 2 the 99%! Dismember the 1% and their political WHORES!

    • 6 months ago
  • Wyley_Wombat
  • kennymotown
  • Kelly_Balthrop
    • +2
      Kelly_Balthrop  

    • The revolution will come in one of several forms depending on what happens around the world:

      1. Europe collapses bringing the rest of the word down with it. Civilization and governments collapse as the people starve to death and revolt (70% probability)

      2. Europe collapses and the US is thrown into another recession, but not a collapse. Obama loses due to the worsening economy. Republicans take office and begin strengthening the transition to Oligarchy that stared 30 years ago. After the middle class is destroyed, and most Americans are living in abject poverty. Homelessness has reached epidemic proportions. The revolt does not start for another 10 years when life in America is so unbearable that people prefer to die resisting to a life of misery. (20% probability)

      3. Europe continues to slide into a deep recession. America follows with another mild recession. Obama is reelected for another 4 years. However, we still have a Republican controlled House, so little is done to help the middle class. Things do not get better, but at least they do not get worse. The revolt will be delayed until the next Republican President completes the destruction of the US economy. The time until revolt becomes fuzzy at this point; perhaps 10 to 20 years. (9.9% probability)

      4. A new technology goes commercial that gives us abundant energy and permits and rapid recovery from the European decline, and also permits the economy to go into overdrive and produce the revenue to pay down the debt. The world returns to business as usual. The Oligarchs remain in power, but there is enough surplus wealth from cheap energy that even the middle class is seeing a few gains. This fantasy land scenario will last until the next bubble bursts in the Capitalist system (and you know it will.)

      There are a lot of variables to the #4 scenario, but I can’t imagine it continuing for more than 50 to 100 years before the ecological degradation leads to the extinction of our species and probably 99% of all life on Earth. There probably won’t be anyone left to revolt, or for sure there won’t be any government left to revolt against. (.1% probability)

    • 6 months ago
  • kennymotown
  • CreditFigaro
    • +2
      CreditFigaro  

    • The problem with this is the huge toll of human suffering that must be endured. I'd rather just fix the problems.

      We can get another super majority in congress, every time republicans get some power, they abuse it. People wise up over time.

    • 6 months ago
  • kennymotown
  • kennymotown
    • +4
      kennymotown  

    • When the Revolution comes, and the slaves or their kids have finally woke up, it will have been way too late for most of us alive today.

      The Media, all forms of it are owned and operated by the Corporations. So it's just a matter of time when all Liberal talk will be eliminated, with trolls on places like current. Is it any wonder we have too many that have too much to even imagine what it's like for the lower classes (That are growing) so maybe we can let greed continue till they themselves realize they too have been played like the chumps they are. Hell lets continue the collapse, by eliminating the 7% of people who are unions, and will start with the school janitors unions like Newt has suggested. Why fight big money, it's a losing scenario we can not win! We've got to have 80 or 90% poverty to really get mad I guess, cause I can't explain why anyone in their right mind would even listen to a right wing talker, let alone watch FOX news. At least during this period of time a few of us cared enough to try!

    • 6 months ago
more from Community:
from the community

top videos