Diary below the hop
Then later on:
and yes he is my personal senator.
;-)
He is right that everyone wants Congress and the White House to work together, but....he is also right that:
It is not gonna happen.
No matter how hard you wish that they will all sit around the campfire and sing songs one side has a pail of water, and they are going to douse the fire.
It is class war.
No matter how much you hope it isn't the facts of the matter are not going to change.
The 10 step plan
1]Tax cuts for the rich.
They are going to happen maybe even with the olive branch of a two to three year extension, we all know where that is going ....now don't we?
2] Longer working life
They will extend the number of years everyone has to work for at best the same level of social security at best and probably...see3
3] Social Security
The one part of our system not in debt, but for how long. Well if the Republicans have their wish and have it privatized until the next bust cycle. This is the holy grail for the money men of Wall St, it would be the biggest feeding frenzy of all time. You think the bonuses are obscene now, just you wait.
4] Health Care Reforms.
Now with the private insurance mandates that makes life so much easier all you have to do are a couple of tweaks in the legislation and hey presto it Christmas day in the health care industry. Why even bother to try rolling back the reforms?
5] Medicare cut backs
The renting and throwing of deficit reduction ashes on their heads will continue, they will howl like a soothsayer at the market...but..but we can't afford it..it needs better management. How about we privatize it as well...hmmm...you know how well the market works now don't you?
6] Education cuts
Increase class room size to reduce costs thus ensuring the poorest get the worst start in life, thus maintaining the advantages of being part of the elite. Keep the people dumb enough to keep believing in the smoke and mirrors. Its positively Straussian, and no the neocons have not gone away they are being patient once again.
7] Cuts in Government Services.
These will only affect those services that people rely on to make their lives more sustainable, the services that keep them from going under. The next item on the agenda will be a recruitment freeze and will be justified as necessary since the economy didn't recover as 'foreseen' after the pay freeze.
8] Unemployment benefits
In the name of saving the nation they will bury it, rock on the 1920's and a great depression. Hell we might even get a labor force that compete on wages with Vietnam....aint that sweet? No need to worry about illegal aliens taking our jobs then....now is there?
9] Increased surveillance
Ah that dear old war on terror coupled with the war on drugs, the Patriot Acts, the Homeland Security Act, FISA 2008 etc etc etc. As we can see with the new TSA guidelines and the constant barrage of fear they are not going to be repealed anytime soon. In fact I believe more restrictive legislation will come into being if we don't fight back.
10] The Military Industrial Complex
The sacred cow of right thinking Americans, our last claim to the exceptionalism some believe is our right. If you think this is going to be cut you have another thing coming. Perhaps the running budget may be massaged, but the emergency funding and the use of contractors to do our dirty work will only increase...don't you know we are at war with the world?
.
.
Sure there might be a few carrots along the way, but the way of the elite is very clear.......they want it all.
Anyone remember Climate Change?
ha.
.