Friends and Comrades... the gauntlet has been thrown. It has taking me awhile to see, but Mr. Santelli's rant on CNBC has awakened me to how bad things really are. When I first saw the his clip I just felt a rage swell inside me. It was a feeling I only got once in eight years of Bush and that was right after Katrina. I couldn't understand though why I was so enraged and I talked to a good friend of mine and he said, "it enrages you because it strikes at the heart of the problem." I thought about it and he is right! This rant does strike at the very core of the sickness engulfing our country.
There is a real sickness that is overtaking this country and it goes well beyond just economics. There are those, like us, that believe that progress comes from the bottom up. The "other side" doesn't believe this, they believe progress come from the top down. You can see this in their economics and in their politics.
This worries me severely. Our "revolution" on Nov. 4th was a peaceful one and a Democratic one. It encompassed all the things that have made America a great nation. But sadly the right wing seems intend now on "Counter-Revolution" which strikes at the very heart of Fascistic ideology. I know some people here don't like that word tossed around, but it is there and we would be fools to ignore it.
Mr. Santelli's rant strikes at the very core of hate and fear by the Right Wing. They are a wounded animal. Hungry, tired and bleeding, but they are desperate. I truly believe they are willing to try ANYTHING.
My friend wrote me an email that encompassed this quite well. I wish I had written it myself. I have his permission to publish it so here it is...
Seriously, man, strawman arguments, bifurcation, Red scare tactics, . . . nothing's changed, whether they're screaming or not screaming. Fuck 'em. I find it truly fascinating how these corporatists are able to comprehend collective security for white collar America (i.e. trickle down, free market) but never for blue collar America.
Let's say you own a Restaurant, Rick. You make $250 an hour. The managers who work under you make $20 an hour. All the other employees, cooks, servers, register operators, janitorial cleaners, earn $4.50 and hour. Things go well at first; you get plenty of customers. But, after a while, employees start quitting. Then, more and more quit each day. You see, Rick, at $4.50 an hour, no matter how long they work, it's just not enough money for them to maintain a standard of living and take care of their families. Ah, but fuck it! Lazy bastards! You'll cut corners, right? So, you lay people off, you spend less on buying the food that's prepared, you start buying lesser quality brand names of produce and condiments, and you even start hiring illegal immigrants. Are you still with me Mr. Santelli? It's not enough. The food sucks. The place gets dirty (rats and bugs). Worst of all, people don't show up nearly as much as they used to. Fast forward a few more months. You're out of buisness and in debt. Time for bankruptcy, Rick. Time for bankruptcy.
Let's now go back in time, Rick, and do a do-over. You take a pay-cut of $50 an hour. Imagine if you will, Rick, if your employees made $9 an hour, hell, maybe a little more. Imagine if they had the proper incentive to stay working at your work-place. They'd even be able to support their own families. Buisness is good, even though you're a little less rich. The place is kept clean and sanitary. You spend so that you get to keep that produce that makes the food taste oh so good. You even have the place fixed up a little, so customers will actually like being there. Over the next few months, buisness not only remains steady, but actually increases. The restaurant gets it's name in the paper. Attendance booms. Raises are given. You now make $320 and hour.
You see, Rick, this time, you understood there is a collective connection between employer and employees that not only goes from the top down, but also from the bottom up. Rick, you spent more money in order to make more money. I know, It's a radical concept. Obviously, our country is this restaurant. The boss and managers are our politicians and C.E.O.'s. The employees are our many laborers. The food is our resources and exports. The floors, the tables, chairs, windows, etc. is our infrastructure. In order to save this great nation we have to wisely spend more money in order to make more money, and no, Sir, we who believe in this concept are not Marxist Socialists, Commies, or even Cubans. If we were, we would have all the profits divided up equally between boss, managers, and employees. No. We are Capitalists . . . the smart kind . . . Democrats.
Oh, and one last thing, Mr. Santelli. MAY YOU MERRILY GO FUCK YOURSELF YOU DEGENERATE CORPORATE PARASITE.
the end. No Pasaran!