If you’ve learn nothing else in life about politics you must learn and retain this. “They know you’re stupid, because they made you stupid and will continue to treat you as so!”
Part 2
On the Columbia river, where highway 97 meets I84, the state of Washington has a state park. From this park you have a view of two major railroads and a river containing traffic comprised of barges moving the goods of an agrarian economy.
I know this from a vacation I recently took and a visit at this park. In addition to fishing, touring the local wineries and sitting at the campfire I was able to watch America’s commerce pass the park on a freeway, US highway, the Union Pacific railroad, the BNSF railroad and by barge on the Columbia.
As part of a two week excursion into the heart of right wing Washington state became an eye opening experience as to how America has been stupefied.
During my two day stay I counted the traffic on the railroads. 36 eastbound freights loaded with flat bed cars loaded with containers of manufactured goods. Rail cars with cut lumber, and steel. There were two east bound passenger trains, two west bound passenger trains and only 12 westbound freight trains.
The westbound freights were shorter than the eastbound ones. All the cars were empty, Box cars doors were open and flat beds void of content. I never saw a container heading to the port cities of the west coast.
Freight is an indication of a country’s prosperity. An indication of a middle class that can produce and purchase the goods of their country. We have neither.
But many Americans believe that free trade is the answer, the republicans live and breath it and claim that they will create jobs with free trade. Yet we have lost more manufacturing jobs in these last thirty years than new ones. The wealth and profits of a company went to foreign countries while our middle class became poorer.
But how? When? Where? Our country was founded on the people being prospers, enjoying equal justice, and not fearing starvation, lack of housing or facing object poverty. Oh really you say!
Yes, the intent of America is mapped out in our preamble. I’ve heard it referred to as a mission statement. Nonetheless it is intent. The republicans have over the last 30 years have worked on the premise that the preamble has no meaning, that it does nothing.
This is a big part of the stupidification of America. To change the intent of the constitution. The far right claims as a mission statement it is not a legal document so it has no bearing on the constitution. In reality it sets the tone of the country, the intent of the founders and what they stood for. That’s what a mission statement does for a company or corporation. That’s what a preamble does for the constitution.
Preamble
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
(From the web site USConstitution.net)
We could play games with the meanings of words, the fact stands our founding fathers intended that the people prospered, enjoyed justice, lived in peace, defended ourselves all while enjoying our liberty.
Free trade has destroyed that. The out sourcing of our jobs has done that. Allowing the wealthy and non natural persons the ability to influence our elections is doing that. Giving our national security to foreign powers solidifies it.
I started with a thesis on a vacation. A vacation I can afford because I’m still a member of the middle class. The middle class I enjoy is shrinking and with it the soul of America. Too often those people in “republican country” don’t understand the truth. Our educational system has so changed in what we are taught that they will not ask the question that looms from my observations.
Why were there no containers going west.