I thought so little... (536 hits)
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Submitted by ~JP (View user info) at 2004-03-20 00:33:10 EST
Yes, it's a political song line, but it also refers to our President. Today's political fodder? The economy. Here we go...
Like most Americans, I'm concerned about having more money than anybody else. Like most teenagers, I'm concerned about my future. I want to know that after I finish college there'll be some prayer for me to get a job and be successful. I'd like to know that when I retire (forever and a day from today), there'll be some financial security in our government so I may collect the Social Security I'm already paying into. The ideal can no longer center on what "you can do for your country" but must look to "what your country can do for you." We pay taxes and give up liberties for a reason, and we must be able to collect the benefits that we sacrifice for. If we can't, the government is failing.
The Republican economic theory just doesn't fly. Bush has dramatically increased spending while decreasing governmental income. I'm not going to discuss the morality of the wars, that's a subject for another day. However, the War on Terror and the War in Iraq cost money. Deploying troops to foreign countries to kill people isn't free. War should only be so easy. Bush also instituted new programs, such as the NCLB, which also cost money.
At the same time, Bush has drastically reduced government income. His automatic response to the word "economy" is "tax cut" at this point. Unfortunately, his logic doesn't check out. The country is suffering from an economic recession. Now, because the tax cut was based on income tax, the richest portion of America is cleaning up while the rest received little money. The Bush theory of economics states that this money will be poured back into the economy, causing a jump-start. Did that happen? No.
There are a couple of problems here. One is that each person receiving between $300 and $600 and having them go out and blow their money in Wal-Mart doesn't really do much to jumpstart the economy. The spending money increased is just too little to make a widespread difference. At the same time, people who were most hurt by the failing economy (people who lost their jobs, etc.) were just worried about keeping the house from the bank and getting food on the table. These people had to put money towards rents, mortgages, food, and other basic necessities. This money wasn't being enfused into the economy, and hence the tax cut failed to help the position of these people.
I actually learned something from watching the Democratic debates awhile back. The big problem with Bush's plan is it dramatically increased costs for the working class. For instance, schools cutting back forced many GT and special education programs to be eliminated, forcing parents to pay for a school that can meet their child's needs. The measly check sent back from the government won't even make a dent in those tuition payments. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Section 8 benefits have been reduced, Social Security has been drawn on, low income health insurance has been cut back. All these governmental benefits sacrificed, and for what? $600? I think not. These drops in benefits for the working class are actually paying for the tax cuts for the wealthiest in society.
This looks like a government abandoning it's job. Every time the left wing says something about the wealthy getting more of a break, Bill O'Reilly screams something about "class war." He's missing the big picture. The class war is now. The wealthy are running the government and are making decisions for their own pocketbooks and those of their good corporate friends. This is a government in violation of the very purpose of a government. The time for change is now; let's get some sense back into the White House in '04.
One last thing. Every time a Democrat suggests a tax increase, he's labeled by the right wing media as a "tax-and-spend democrat." I don't see what's wrong with taxing and spending. Generally, government programs are used for the benefit of people. You pay your taxes and you get roads, medicare, Social Security, law enforcement, and other beneficial things. The problem with the Republican plans is that they force the same amount, if not more spending while simultaneously taking in less money. Is it any wonder that our current administration destroyed an unprecedented budget surplus and magically transformed it into an unprecedented deficit? You can point to 9-11, Clinton, or the war to justify the deficit, but you can't uphold those assertions for very long. It's time to stop pointing fingers and fix the problem. It's very simple, there's only one step. Ready?
Step 1: Don't vote for Bush.
Damn, that was hard. How much is the assurance of economic stability worth to you? How much is the assurance of Social Security and medicare when you age worth to you? How much is the assurance that a public school will, in fact, educate your child worth to you? For me, at least, I'd say at least $600.
Vote Kerry '04.
User Reviews
Submitted by MadScientist (user info) at 2004-03-20 10:36:07 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
I agree with your statements about how poorly Bush has done in his term. However, I disagree with voting for Kerry. The entire "scandal", if you will, about all the foreign leaders that want him in office is bullshit. That one statement, with no information to back it up, has made me lose all faith in Kerry. It tells me that he is a bullshitter, and I dont want a bullshitter in the white house.
Simple as that.
Vote for MadScientist in '04!
Submitted by Fartman (user info) at 2004-03-20 10:11:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
"This is a government in violation of the very purpose of a government."
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Bingo.
Submitted by Judoka (user info) at 2004-03-20 09:45:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I generally agree with that line of thought. But you had best be prepared to defend yourself against the pro Bush folks on the site.
Submitted by DraconianKing (user info) at 2004-03-20 01:15:03 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I didn't really read it but I saw "Don't vote Bush" and "Vote Kerry in '04" or something like that.