-
Who bought the presidency?
- Who bought
the majority of Congress?
- Who is
taking final bids on the Supreme Court?
- Who is pulling their money of the USA using:
* tax cuts,
* offshoring,
* no bid contracts,
* sweetheart deals and
* influence peddling?
- Who is responsible for the Bush Administration, for every deadly result, for all fruit of the poisoned tree?
I blame the rich.
People say, `follow the money'. Every time I do, it leads me back to the rich. Call me an idiot but these are the facts as I see them.
Who are the rich? Not you, most likely. Me neither. Start with most of the Senate and work your way up to foreign prince. Osama bin Laden would be on the list somewhere near the top, above Bush I'm guessing. No doubt President Bush is gaining on him.
You might argue that not all rich people fund corruption, which seems reasonable. But why do the `good rich' seem to be so quiet and so few in number when the `bad rich' loot the Treasury?
(Click "There's More")
The Bush Administration, the Republican majority, corporate news media and the politely passive Democratic minority are complicit, to varying degrees, in the lying seminar that the United States has endured since George W. Bush was put into office by judicial coup.
A steady stream of cold mendacity, of deliberate lies to suborn the nation's Armed Services into a war for private profit has been met with cowed, continued silence. Lies about threats that led to the invasion and occupation of Iraq and the terrible cost in lives, limbs and treasure. Costs yet unpaid to veterans and their families.
Even a dunderhead can see the cascading result:
* unchallenged lies
* lead to more lies
* each discovered lie
* destroying trust
I think trust in government collapsed for a lot of voters during the Dubai Ports controversy. People watched President Bush `cheerlead' an effort to sell control of United States seaports to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates, a country which contributed two 9/11 hijackers. The President first threatened to veto congressional intervention stopping the deal, then `whiplashed' into a pathetic `lost homework' excuse, swearing that he didn't know nothing about the deal. All this in the same news cycle.
After threatening the veto, perhaps Bush realized what he had done; told the America people that he favored a business transaction over their protection. Bush sold the USA to the UAE on CNN. After Bush or his staff realized the magnitude of his betrayal, the President pretended he knew nothing about it. I can see the diminished capacity defense being developed. How will it play in the Haugue?
I expect lies and more lies from the Bush Administration. We'll hear the same lies repeated endlessly. Bush will go to the bunker saying:
* "Iraq had WMDs."
* "No one imagined the levees would fail."
* "I'll use my veto pen!"
I wonder if President Bush's associates will shred documents, zap files, misdirect investigators and frantically classify old and new scandals as top secret?
I hope the rich are satisfied. They have certainly cut their taxes. Some corporations have made a lot of government money without risk. Ask Haliburton to explain a no bid, cost plus contract. Ask FEMA to explain everything they have bought since Hurricane Katrina knocked a portion of the South out of the middle class. Ask what happened to nine billion dollars in cash sent to Iraq as walking around money.
Oil companies dictate energy policy. Credit card companies write the bankruptcy laws, at least the ones affecting little people. It's a grand time for conspicuous capitalism. The good news for the rich? The price is paid in other people's lives and money.
Costs will keep going down and profits up as jobs fly out of the country. Don't be surprised to see the pace accelerate. Everything must go! Imagine Rummy's pulse quickening at the thought of pharmaceutical research at ten cents on the dollar? Start shipping the labs to Mumbai! No job is safe with capitalism out of control.
I thought the rich lived in our world. I thought global warming would at least hurt their property values. I thought the rich would be affected by chemicals or radiation from a terrorist bomb. I thought they were human, like me.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe the bubble is real. Perhaps the *rich intend to develop "Superpowers" by giving large amounts of money to the Church of Scientology. Maybe the rich are immune from President Bush's past mistakes, like Katrina and Iraq, and can shield themselves from his future mistakes, like Iran. I wish the rest of America could be as lucky.
We, the People, will have to make our own luck. We know what we have to do.
* Protect the Constitution.
* Support progressive candidates, from the ground up.
* Vote and get other people to vote.
* Protect the ballot and fight voter suppression.
We have to win elections, then govern fairly and effectively.
And if any Democratic politicians care to get involved, they could start by following Russ Feingold's example, and John Conyers' example, and Louise Slaughter's example and John Murtha's example.
* They could confront the lies.
* They could bring ethics charges in the House and Senate.
* They could scream bloody murder for investigations and special prosecutors.
* They could support progressive candidates over Republican apologists.
* They could do their damn jobs and be thankful they have good medical coverage and a great retirement plan.
Will the real Democrats please stand up?