If public opinion polls in the past six months are to be believed, my fellow Americans seem to have lost their way. They have seemingly been bamboozled by agitators on the right. They are panicked by the loss of their homes and jobs, confused by a war over which they have no control and cast adrift by a president who hesitates to attack the financial interests that are destroying the middle class.
The battleground is clear. The Democrats -- the party of "now" -- contain too many wimps willing to succumb to the Republicans -- the party of "no." Moreover, too many well-intentioned citizens across the country, described as independents, seem ready to hand over control of the country to the devils on Wall Street and the corporate-industrial complex, who are eroding the nation's destiny and self-confidence.
These villains would, of course, deny it. But in pursuit of profits, they are waging class warfare by hoarding their cash and shipping jobs abroad, all the while financing their mouthpieces on Capitol Hill and blaming Barack Obama for not coping with the unemployment crisis. At the same time, they have yet to propose a solution of their own for a nagging problem that brings back reminders of the Great Depression. According to the Los Angeles Times, "evidence is growing that companies are moving more jobs than ever to China and other countries -- a trend that could exacerbate efforts to bring down the nation's stubbornly high unemployment rate." The latest Commerce Department data shows that "employment at the foreign subsidiaries and affiliates of U.S. multi-national firms grew by 729,000 in two years to U.S. 11.9 million."
"Over that same period, domestic employment by such firms slipped by 500,000 jobs." John Boehner, who looks like he suffers from a perennial case of ulcers and excessive visits to a tanning parlor, is leading the charge of his pale-faced Republicans. The dour Congressman from Ohio, is doing little but complain about the Obama administration while he pockets the loot delivered by dozens of lobbyists in Washington. The idea of Boehner as the next leader of the House of Representatives in the upcoming election is something for serious-minded folks from his district to think about when they go to the polls next month.
It's time for the president to stop playing Mr. Nice Guy. To the train, Barack, to the train! Lay down the gauntlet like Harry Truman did in 1948. Take a high-speed train across the country and stop at as many cities and towns as possible from now until Election Day, challenging Boehner and his do-nothing friends in Congress to tell the nation precisely what they are going to do to put America back to work. Obama might begin by challenging American companies to "bring back the jobs" from overseas for the next decade until we get our economic problems resolved. That will help convince many people who supported his election the last time around that their votes were not in vain.
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back in power so:
1. They can deregulate more --- like they did for Wall Street and the oil companies
(years of deregulation and lax enforcement helped get us into this mess)
the legacy of G.W. Bush
2. They can give tax cuts to the wealthy --- don't get trickled on
if you live paycheck to paycheck
(these won't contribute to the deficit -- or so say Republicans --what a bunch of hypocrites)
3. They can cut social programs like social security and medicare
(these will contribute to the deficit --- say Republicans )
4. They can support the oil, coal and nuclear industries and slow down any
meaningful development of an alternative fuels industry.
I guess the spill in the Gulf was a small set back to their plans --- spill....baby....spill....
I guess the mining disaster in which miners lost there lives was a small setback.
I guess the little problem of all the nuclear waste that has been sitting around
for 50 years and needs to be stored FOREVER is a small setback.
Bush and the boys ran the country into a ditch and on the way out threw the keys
to the next guy and said "I hope you fail".
What a bunch of self centered losers.
Democrats need to speak up and not be drowned out by the spin doctors of the right
If my pocket calculator does not fail me these are 445 mill. people. Plus there are oil, nat. gas, (I almost forgot COAL) and about every metal in the periodic table. Not to forget a gigantic production capacity
The enlarged European Union has about 100 mill people more and far fewer natural resources.
America has failed miserably to capitalize on NAFTA, instead it went out to strangulate it.
With these facts in mind it should be possible to get most of the 11.9 mill. jobs back. Requires some bold and unconventional thinking however.
I would like to remind readers that there are practically no high-speed trains in this country. From Wikipedia on high-speed rail in the US: "High-speed rail in the United States currently consists of one rail line described by the US Department of Transportation as a high-speed line." So he can go from Boston to Washington and then he's marooned. Just one more example of our inadequate infrastructure.
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/205/391/27_Signs_That_The_Standard_Of_Living_For_Americas_Middle_Class_Is_Dropping_Like_A_Rock.html
So it appears to be in America these days.
I'm not making the old argument that there is no difference between the parties. There isn't much, mind you, but there is a clear difference.
I'm suggesting that, for much of America, there is no real thought in the electoral process. It's simply that they are unhappy and afraid, so this time they are going to vote for "red" instead of "blue." Just as, last time, they were unhappy and afraid so they voted for "blue" instead of "red." They are clearly not considering anything other than "other."
That the republicans got us into this mess barely even crosses the radar screen. The republicans are simply the opposite of who is in power now and so they will get the votes for "change." It's as simple (and frightening) as that.
WE WON'T GO BACK; WE'LL DO IT AGAIN IN 2010