This is a frame that I have been working on for some time.
I feel that Bush's political circus: Social Security destruction, Schiavo, Gay Marriage, activist judges, Asbestos lawsuits, and on and on, has got us so spread out and discombobulated that we are missing his great plan.
Privatization of everything. He plans to run us into such debt that we must sell off every bit of America. That is what this piece takes on.
It outlines a progressive understanding of the people's claim on what we call America, and attacks Bush and his privateers for trying to take that away from us.
Please read on and leave some thoughtful commentary afterwards.
This is the first speech I have ever written. Mike101 did a little rework on it.
America Belongs to Us
Good Morning.
It would be nice if I could stand up here and cheer for all of the
great things happening in America. It would be nice if I could tell you
that the future is bright and opportunity abounds. It would be nice if
I could say I have complete faith in our current leadership, and that
they will make America a better place for our children. That would be
nice; but that is not the truth.
I am afraid that we are sleepwalking into the final stages of our
wonderous and great experiment. For 40 of the past 70 years we had been
moving steadily forward in our progress towards a great society; a
society that offered all of us unbelievable opportunity and prosperity.
Opportunities for education abounded. Our entire country was given
electrical power and access to clean water. Highways and high quality
roads gave us the freedom to travel in a fashion that had never before
been known. Communication systems were set up for the American people,
first the telephone system, then the internet. Social safety nets were
weaved to protect us from the frailty of the human body and unforseen
accidents.
These are things that today we take for granted. For some reason we
can't seem to realize that these mundane things: electricity, roads,
public water systems, Social Security, accessible quality education;
these everyday things are probably the most valuable gifts we could
ever have been given.
Maybe part of the reason we take them for granted is that we didn't
have to get in line and pay for them. That they weren't visible
purchases. We just had roads and telephone lines. We just had public
schools, elecricity, water, and Social Security. It seems people don't
value what all of us have, those things that belong to all of us.
I say had, speaking in the past tense, because for the last 20
years, those wonderful gifts provided by the labor, the wealth, and the
patriotic sacrifice of generations of families, are being stolen right
in front of our eyes, in broad daylight. What is worse, many of us
cheer for those who are looting our country.
The looting I speak of is called privatization.
Privatization is now a fundamental tenet of another equally
misleading term, 'free trade', a term always accompanied by its human
shield, 'democracy'.
It's funny, those three wildly different concepts have been so fully
ingrained in our minds as being a single unit that it is nearly
impossible to think of their combination as theft, and as damaging to
America's prosperity.
If you stop and think for a moment though, it becomes painfully
clear that we have stepped off the path to fulfillment and prosperity
and are being attacked by powerful private interests who have created a
near monopoly on all that we see, hear, and know.
Taking public assets that were created by generations of our
families, things that belong to all of us, giving them to powerful
private interests, then forcing us to buy the benefits of those assets
back at market cost, is privatization. That doesn't sound like our
Democracy to me.
Privatized assets, valuable property that was created by us, and not
too long ago, belonged to us, is sold in an unregulated market, a
market where people have no say in the rules. That is not Democracy.
Free trade, once it is seperated from its human shield, democracy,
quickly starts to lose its appeal. Since we boarded the 'free trade'
bandwagon, what has happened to our manufacturing jobs? Do we even make
much of anything in this country anymore? Where does Ford make its
cars? Where is a Corvette made? Even Chrysler is now based in Germany.
If you can stand sad stories, just talk to some textile workers. We
just relaxed trade relations with China in textile manufacturing. Days
after the announcement, thousands of Americans lost their jobs. Those
Americans lost their jobs so powerful corporations could hire Chinese
kids to make t-shirts that we Americans can buy. That is free trade. A
race to the bottom.
President Bush talks about an 'Ownership Society'. He preaches on
and on about American prosperity, but his actions speak louder than his
words. "Privatize Social Security", he says. But he is forced to admit
that his solution does nothing to help.
"But it will be good for young people," he says,"they'll make more money."
What happens if the young person makes a mistake? What if the market
tanks? What if you get disabled at 35 years old? What will those
private accounts do for you then?
Social Security is not about money. It is about Americans protecting
Americans. In the twilight of our lives, or when family tragedy
strikes, Social Security is there, we are there, lending a helping
hand, helping fellow Americans.
Social Security belongs to us. President Bush needs to keep his privatizing hands off of it.
That is just the first step towards Bush's Private Society. We need
to realize what's going on and tell them: No, America belongs to us.
The Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge belongs to us, and it is
being fouled for a few barrels of oil, most of which will be sold to
China. What will be next, Yellowstone?
Our schools, our roads, our universities, our water supplies, all of these things belong to us.
What company is going to make the investments needed to keep your
streets usable? How much will that cost you? What company is going to
pay to bus 1200 kids to a public school with a reasonable class size?
What company would have made the investment to bring electricity to
rural towns?
Bush's private society promises just that, private ownership of
society's resources: private schools, private roads, private
universities, private water supplies. I wonder how accessible these
private goods and services will be? Will they be affordable? Who will
guarantee that the American people will be served?
Public ownership, fair access, and wise stewardship of our vital
resources insures every American's health, freedom, and quality of
life. Private ownership, restricted access, and privatization of our
resources places American's health, freedom, and quality of life in
jeopardy.
I hope you all remember where our opportunities and prosperity came
from. They came from Americans helping Americans, struggling shoulder
to shoulder, side by side, investing hard earned dollars in roads,
schools and technology. Those investments were made for all Americans.
For the prosperity of the people of this country, we can't let that
investment disappear.
Remember: America belongs to us.
Thank you.