Class warfare. Socialism. Communism. Liberal. Democrat Party. Socialized medicine.
It's the language of the Right. They're the words that come out of the mouths of every Fox News pundit and Republican talking head.
When Kanye West said, "George Bush doesn't like black people", the first thing that struck me was that it was a commentary on racism, both real and perceived, at the handling of Katrina.
But the more I thought about it, the more it was an indictment of the entire system. How it undermines the efforts of millions of good people---regardless of their race.
Now, whenever you point out these things, Republicans jump on you.
It doesn't matter how many numbers you throw at them---the number of uninsured, the number of roads and bridges that are near collapse, the homeless, the near-homeless, the addicts, the gangs.
It wouldn't matter if you took your Republican opponent to the worst parts of any major industrialized city in America and show them how run-down things are. The people working really, really hard but not quite making it.
It wouldn't matter if you took your Republican opponent to the small towns---the blue collar towns, and showed them how run-down things are. The people working really, really hard but not quite making it.
It wouldn't matter if you took your Republican opponent to the REALLY small towns, the farm towns. And they saw a lot of the same problems.
We have to identify the problem.
Private industry is unequipped in many cases to handle these problems, and I understand that.
But in most cases, they just aren't interested.
That's a shame because the God that Conservatives favor calls us to care for our fellow man.
But go beyond that. In the coldest, most heartless sense of the word, these people are customers.
If thy had the security of knowing they were safe, they had a steady job, fair pay, good benefits---they would be contributing to society. They would be buying goods and services from the very Conservatives that have ignored them since the dawn of time.
Tax cuts, spending cuts, anachronistic military spending, subsidies for big business, deregulation, union-busting
Every idea from Reagan and Bush. Good or bad, right or wrong, they aren't SOLVING THE PROBLEMS.
The most charitable wealthy individuals and companies in America aren't saying to a million Americans, "I will help you get health insurance." They didn't say that under Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, or Obama.
Private Industry must be compelled to tackle as many of these crises as possible. If you're turning a multi-million dollar profit, you MUST re-invest in America. That's not optional
Where private industry cannot act, the federal and state governments must be aggressive.
And the net result is not Marxism, or Socialism, or Big Government Liberalism, or any other ism except Capitalism.
Americans will have money to spend and confidence to spend it. Americans will have the ability to invent and create and build---and the drive to implement their dreams.
---CORRECTION--- George Bush doesn't "care" about Black people, according to Kanye West. I misremembered and misquoted. I sincerely apologize to both Kanye and George.
George Bush likes everyone. He just did a damndably poor job taking care of all of us.