Friday, April 8, 2011

It's the Culture Wars, Stupid!

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist


Republican Congressmen and Senators - and Fox News - have been bloviating for months about the need to reduce spending, and they have been putting forth all kinds of things that they say need to be eliminated or cut back.  First they went after National Public Radio's minuscule federal dollars, then they zeroed in on Planned Parenthood -which is also a mere drip in the bucket of national spending.  Now, they are even talking about phasing out Medicare - and social security is also in their gun sights.  Anything, in fact, that appears to benefit the under-privileged is being targeted by the GOP as something that can and should be cut.

But NPR and Planned Parenthood are just little dollars.

The really big money flows into things like our never-ending wars in the Middle East, subsidies for the oil and gas industry, and tax breaks for America's biggest corporations  and richest citizens - and Republicans view those dollars as sacrosanct - necessary to produce a strong economy.  And even though trickle-down economics has been disproven more times more times than John Boehner has crawled into a tanning bed, they still rant and roar about what a grand job-creator it is - a BIG lie!  Giving money to the fat cats and war profiteers doesn't do squat for the people hurting in this rotten economy.   In fact, it is those insane policies that caused this rotten economy.

Now it turns out that the current budget battle isn't really about the money - something that most of us have known all along.  It is about imposing cultural changes on America.  Boehner said today that the Republicans won't support a budget compromise unless it defunds Planned Parenthood - a lifesaver to poor women.  He also wants riders approved to the budget bill that will defund National Public Radio (NPR) and put serious restrictions on the powers of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Republicans seem to have a natural aversion to protecting the environment - in fact, some openly say that we don't need to worry about saving the planet because Jesus will be here any day.  When he gets here, I hope he raptures those rat-bastards to Hades and lets the rest of us get things back to a more heavenly state.

When it comes to any type of government operation, the budget is what makes the monkey run.  The political philosophies of those in power get enshrined in the plans for how the money is to be spent.  The budget is also a damned easy place from which to legislate - if you don't like Planned Parenthood, don't try to defund it through honest legislation which could then be discussed publicly, voted on, and perhaps vetoed.  It is much easier to try and get what you want by attaching it to the budget bill as a rider - and then daring the President to veto the entire bill over a few draconian items.

The group of old white men who want to break Planned Parenthood and allow unsafe environmental practices may meet their match with President Obama.  I'm thinking he may just have the cajones to call their bluff!

Veto, Barack, veto!

"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members."   Mahatma Ghandi


1 comment:

Xobekim said...

Wealth doesn't trickle down. Greed congests the flow of wealth at the very top.

If you're not sure of what it is that is trickling down please consult your plumber for an explanation.