BY WILLIAM C. HENRY Nietzsche said, “We do not place especial value on the possession of a virtue until we notice its total absence in our opponent.” Oh how I’ve come to revere such virtues as honesty, integrity and fairness since the debt/deficit reduction talks commenced! And, it’s that very reverence that now leads me to wonder what nature of maleficence courses through the veins of a political party/movement that descries patriotism in the destruction of a nation for the sake of affording more wealth to its already wealthiest.
What’s equally befuddling is why they would choose to adopt such a wealthfare stance in light of the fact that most of them—just like the rest of us—will, in the long run, be the ones who’ll suffer most from a continuing allocation of such preferential treatment for the super-rich. I’m afraid I’ve got some really bad news for most of you Tea Partiers. The vast majority of you aren’t now, nor will you ever become, members of that hoped-for high-enders club. Oh, you may be enjoying a little rub-off for now, but trust me, you ain’t gonna be gettin’ any A-list invites once the show shifts from Washington to West Palm. You’re set decoration, folks. You’re destined for the dump when the final curtain descends.
Make no mistake my friends, this isn’t just a skirmish over avarice and greed, this is a full-blown war over the preservation of democracy. And, unfortunately, if you’re a supporter of basic fairness and equality, your front lines are showing signs of fatigue. Some of your generals are reaching for the white towels. That’s the Obama/Democrat side. On the other hand, if you find a plutocracy more attuned to your intentions, you’re gaining ground. That’s the Tea Party/Republican side. The former believes that everything should be on the table, but is wavering. The latter says it will accept only that which doesn’t disfavor the wealthy and the military establishment, and isn’t going to budge.
Believe me, this is one time you can say that money truly IS the root of all evil. And right now those with the most gold appear to be willing to sell their nation down the river to hold on to every last gram of it. Who would have thought that ANY American political party or movement could become so self-serving and greedy as to chuck an entire nation aside rather than share in a solution for its survival. It’s sociopathy on a grand scale. Hyperbole aside, folks, there has perhaps never been a more decisive time in the history of the republic. No less than the very existence of the American middle class is at stake.
Keep in mind that the bad guys here are part of the same cabal that got us into this mess to begin with. Three (let us not forget that TRILLION dollar anathema known as the War On Drugs) unnecessary and unpaid-for wars, eight years (2000-2008) of out-of-control spending, a prescription drug plan which the Republican party prohibited from negotiating prices, unconscionable tax breaks for the wealthy, and the most egregious financial fraud ever perpetrated on the American people. These fiascoes, and these ALONE, got us to this point. NOT social security, NOT medicare or medicaid. Social welfare spending had NOTHING to do with it! PERIOD!
In the past it seems we were always able to reach a compromise on the most serious matters effecting our national well being. Our leaders weighed all options and pretty much ended up doing what was best for the most. Sure, there were some smoke-filled back rooms, black hats, and a few ideological detours along the way, but rarely if ever was there the depth of animus and obvious injustice that we see displayed in the halls of Congress today. We have become that most inevitable of all third world outcomes, a country of haves and have-nots, and half the leadership seems not to give a shit. A country where half the leadership prizes power and privilege over ethics and evenhandedness. A country where half the leadership prizes the corporation over the common man, and no longer cares who knows it. One thing’s for certain: a small disparate portion of a once nearly (sorry, I simply can’t bring myself to overlook some its ingrained shortcomings) great Republican party has its ENTIRE leadership so cowed that it’s willing to toss a potentially great nation into the trash in order to uphold a disgustingly preferential pander-to-their-basest-instincts campaign pledge.
Edmund Burke’s words were never truer than at this very moment when he said, “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” So what’s it going to be America? Are you going to let a bunch of Tea Party treasonists offer you up as a sacrifice to selfishness and greed? Are you going to forfeit and burn, or are you going to stamp out the fire?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Fed up early stage septuagenarian who has actually been most of there and done most of that. Born and raised in the picturesque Pocono Mountains. Quite well educated. Very lucky to have been born into a well-schooled and somewhat prosperous family. Long divorced. One beautiful, brilliant daughter. Two far above average grandsons. Semi-retired (how does anyone manage to do it completely these days?) and fully-tired of bullshit. Uncle of the Editor-In-Chief.
1,680 = The number of Americans killed in action in Afghanistan
11,191 = The number of Americans wounded in Afghanistan.
0 = To date the number of financial industry kingpins indicted for having committed the most massive FRAUD in American history.
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