21st century Renaissance
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President George Bush II addressed the American people today on TV. Unfortunately this was not communication, where he also listened to his subjects and answered a few questions, but just his Bushy imitation of issuing a Dictatorial or Royal edict.
In referring to the current breakdown in the financial system and the impending worldwide recession/depression, one of the things he said was, “We know what is wrong.”
Almost everything else this guy has ever told the American people was wrong, and this is too. Bozo Bush still doesn’t get it. Neither do most of his greed-driven advisers.
Bush and his fellow travelers have broken down the system of checks and balances that held together the American democracy. They have cancelled or impeded a vast number of laws and regulations which protected the American people from fraud and greed driven abuse. They even turned the word “deregulation” into something positive.
Deregulating building codes which prevent buildings from falling down, or the regulations which make buildings and baby clothing more fire resistant, or the regulations requiring fire exits, or the regulations against rape, theft and murder, or the regulations which make sure that bridges are built so that they do not fall down would not be seen as particularly wise. So why is it wise to deregulate the regulations which were implemented to make sure that people’s savings were protected from bank collapses, and their old age pensions were protected by the full faith and credit of the federal government?
These right wing fanatics like to talk about the shared values Americans have. One of these values says that Greed is Evil. The rich should carry a larger burden of helping out the people in need than the poor - this is called progressive taxation.
Instead these criminals took from the poor and gave to the rich.
Looking on the bright side maybe this is the beginning of the end to this unsuccessful experiment in unregulated capitalism. Greed driven, screw the poor capitalism.
Marxism and Communism have been shown to be ineffective. Now we are realizing that wild-west, unregulated Capitalism is just as bad.
Maybe this situation can be turned around to change the tax structure to make it much more progressive. We need to accept that free health care is a basic human right. When you call the police to report a break-in in progress at your house, or when your house catches on fire and you call the fire department they do not demand proof of insurance before they respond.
Look not too far back in American history and you will find that in fact these fire and police services were not free. Only those who could afford to pay for them received these protections. Health care falls in the exact same category.
So does the right to retire with financial security and dignity once one reaches about 60 or 65 years old.
And the right to breathe clean air and drink clean water. The right to have confidence that the human food supply is not contaminated with industrial chemicals or polluted with pesticides.
Bush and his greed-driven types don’t get this, but maybe enough other people do that what we are seeing now is the beginning of the 21st century Renaissance.
A bit over optimistic? Maybe. But maybe not too.
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