Yes…I am sure that by now we all have an opinion on the big story in Washington….the budget deficit……Repubs are outraged at the size of it….Dems are trying to justify it…and the rest of America does not give a sh*t…they want to WORK…
But there is more to the story than the media focuses on…..for 30 years this problem has been in the making and yet it could have been avoided somewhat…..but NO one had the guts to do anything, which is business as usual for the Congress….in a piece by David Sirota he writes:
For 30 years, Republicans and conservative Democrats have precluded factual debates about spending priorities. They’ve done this for three reasons: They seek to protect defense-industry campaign contributors; they fear an electoral backlash against cuts to mandatory programs like Social Security and Medicare; and they are afraid to antagonize the wealthy with pragmatic tax legislation to shore up these mandatory programs (for instance, they avoid bills that would apply Social Security taxes to all income – not just income below $106,000).
Hence, these lawmakers deviously portray non-defense discretionary programs as the cause of our deficit. Their favored instrument of deceit is the malicious tale of loafers supposedly getting rich off these programs and driving us into debt. A new Rasmussen survey tells the story: When asked if they believe that defense, Social Security and Medicare alone now make up half of all federal spending, 20 percent of Americans said they did not know, and 44 percent said no. That’s two-thirds of national poll respondents too brainwashed to realize the truth. In adding a Democratic president’s name to deceptive propaganda, Obama has helped perpetuate mass ignorance by short-circuiting the national discussion we need to have – the discussion about taxes and defense spending that the country requires and the deficit demands.
But… all the way from “political correctness” through “political debate” in the Senate, or Congress, or the UK Parliament to “international politics”, isn’t that what the words “politics” and “diplomacy” mean? Saying what is expedient rather than what you really think!
It is almost a condition of democracy that is pre-programmed into the system – if you don’t lie during campaigns, you won’t get elected and if you don’t lie when in office, then you won’t stay in office next time around.
It may be perpetuated by cynical money and self-interest, but that is almost completely brought about in our democracies by the totally unrealistic expectations of an ignorant and fanciful electorate and exacerbated by the opposing pressures and demands of the wealthy ruling elite who fund and control the political process.
What “the people” want simply ISN’T POSSIBLE under a democratic system and WON’T EVEN BE OFFERED under a totalitarian system – but they insist on dreaming. When the electorate wakes up and smells the true scent of the coffee and informs itself about the actual facts of life, then we might just begin to get to the truth of a few things… until then, shit is what we deserve and it’s what we are getting and will continue to get!
If the electorate won’t face reality and live within their own limited means in a responsible manner, how the hell do you expect the people who want to be elected by them to do so?
Utopia doesn’t exist, never will and would almost certainly destroy the resultant weak and indolent humanity if it ever could!
Damn….an insightful comment as always…..basically you are saying that the politicians are just mirroring the people they represent….right? If so, then I must agree…..I wish I could add to the commenbt….but you are dead on!