President Bush doesn't care about poor people. I'm sure that he does care about black people, inasmuch as they represent a voting block Karl says needs pacifiyin'. But I doubt that he thinks much about Black People except when utility dictates. Empathizing with the poor of any color in the United States requires an emotion the President is incapable of manufacturing.
When he contemplates issues concerning the poor in this country - lack of health care, drug addiction and crime - he is unable to think in terms other than those that define his privileged and callous upbringing. Health care probably conjures up images of his little sister Robin and the leukemia he couldn't protect her from. Maybe drug abuse elicits from him hazy recollections and sincere guilt about his wilder days. It could even extract some sympathy and maybe even a little prayer for Noelle in her continuing battle with crack and Xanax. But when it comes to crime, he probably only thinks about the white collar ones. W has never considered knocking off an Amoco for rent money. He has never ever considered selling drugs so that he can put the girls through college. And sure as hell he'd never consider looting for bread and baby formula. Not caring for black people is a more a symptom of his prep school past than it is an indicator of his racism. George Bush understands the symptoms of excess for the same reason that he can never understand the symptoms of destitution. For though the raw humanity of both types smell similar, they emanate from very different sources. Is President George W. Bush a racist? I don't know, but he seems to
dig Condi.
When it comes to the core issues, those issues that exemplify the ape in all of us, W is just not playing the same game. Not in the same ball park. Not on the same planet. He spent 4 years getting average grades in a world leader factory all the while indoctrinated with the belief that he was born to run the universe. This guy is the emperor in Gladiator. This guy is White Goodman in Dodgeball. He is now your president your protector and to some your prophet.
Folks, though some of you may disagree, all Americans are human. The catch is that those at the top don't really see it that way. So that I am not labeled a classist, I will clarify. It is amazingly difficult to define class even if you do it monetarily. With that in mind, I rely on this: There are those who know it's not working, those who think its working and those who get somebody else to worry about it. For "It" read "current economic system" for "Working" read an economics textbook. We all go to work, pay taxes, contribute, but to some that isn't good enough. Some feel as though they need to punish us for making them feel guilty about buying that pair of $3000 dollar shoes or skimping on the Humvee armor. Is that true? Wouldn't know, never been there. My point is that those who know the system is stacked in favor of frat boys and movie stars understand the need for policy to eliminate or to at least alleviate the symptoms of poverty. Those that have been born into affluence understand that people need to get a job and stop blaming the government. Hopefully some will begin to see the effects of their arrogance.