I had a history professor who in trying to explain the sometimes unexplainable, would simply remark “People are complex”. In no time in our history has this been more true than today. This country has become as polarized as it was in the years right before the Revolution. Then the choice was between staying faithful and true to the mother country, which had come to see America as a golden goose, and those who wanted to create a new nation, was unresolveable. The British government gathered the eggs but couldn’t seem to be bothered to feed, water, or house the goose. Some colonists became alarmed over what they considered intrusive measures aimed at keeping the proverbial genie in the bottle. Homes entered without warrant, oppressive taxes, being forced to house troops with little to no recompense, government inattention and disregard to the peoples concerns were all symptoms which led, to the final break with England.
All colonist were not in favor of disintegrating the ties between the two countries. Some left these shores never to return rather than become traitors to their mother country. Others were forced to leave. Some became covert agents working behind the scenes. Benedict Arnold didn’t see himself as a traitor, but as a patriot. I guess it depends on which side of the pond you favor how you perceive him today.
What does this have to do with our current situation? Quite a bit I think. We have an electorate firmly divided on ideological grounds, even though the left would like to dismiss this all as racially motivated. There are always elements of distrust among those who come from differing backgrounds and ethnicities and always will be. For most on the right however, the discomfort, nay fear comes from differences in goals, ideals and basic core beliefs.
Lets see what the winner of our last election has said about some of his goals.
Energy Plan:
Double production of alternative energy in the next three years
Improve energy efficiency of 2 million homes and 75% of federal buildings
Create 5 million new jobs-clean energy sources
One million hybrid cars
Cap and trade to reduce greenhouse gases
Taxes
Reduce tax cuts on the wealthy (families under 250,000 no increase-over that no more than they paid in the 1990s)
Fiscal responsibility
Pay as you go budgeting
Pork barrel spending cut
Health Care
Strengthen employer-provided health coverage,
Make insurance companies accountable and ensure a patient’s choice of doctors.
Require insurance companies to cover pre-existing medical conditions.
New tax credit to help small businesses provide affordable health insurance to employees.
Importation of medicines from other developed countries and increase the use of lower-cost generic drugs in public programs.
Now most of these goals sound doable. Most of them sound pretty main stream. Most of them sound like things people of both parties could get behind. So the big question is why have people from all across the political spectrum become so fearful, distrustful and out right hostile to this administrations policies.
Let’s focus on fiscal responsibility. The stimulus package passed by Congress, hailed by Democrats in both houses and in the White House has been a dismal failure. Trillions of dollars for jobs with no future, while businesses are closing or worse yet moving jobs overseas. Unemployment is still rising, home foreclosures are also rising and most economic indicators are down.
On to the energy plan which;
“Will cost money….They will pass that money on the the consumers” and ” If you can’t persuade the American people that, yes there is going to be some increase on electricity rates on the front end” but it will be worth it to “save the planet”.
So yet again this is going to cost us, the American working men and women. We GET to pay again! How special. Let’s not even begin to look at “Cash for Clunker” where they murdered perfectly good useable automobiles that could have been bought by the “not so wealthy”. Instead the government gave citizens 4 thousand dollars to by new hybrid cars. Here’s the deal, if you can’t afford to by a new, greener car, someone giving you 4 thousand dollars is still not going to get you that car. You can’t afford the payments especially if the car costs 20,000 dollars. But you could have afforded someone’s lightly used car, which now has concrete in its engine. Great idea, how many MBA’s did it take to come up with that?
Last but by no means least is health care. Who is going to pay for this monstrosity? Medicaid, medicare and Social Security are all bankrupt, practically. Veterans Affairs is encouraging disabled Vets to “pull the plug”. Doctors should just give elderly Americans “pain killers” and rationed care is just the tip of that iceberg. Canada and the UK are killing their citizens through bad care and indifference, but those are the very systems championed by team obama.
Then there is the “race card gambit”. Anytime anyone disagrees with this administration they are racists. The speaker of house has called critics un-American and one of the czars has termed Republicans a#$holes. Many in this new administration have tax issues (they didn’t pay enough, Sebelius, Wrangle, Solis, Daschle (first name for HHS),Geithner (Sec. of Treasure – gee I really want him to manage MY money)Richardson, Killefer among a host of others less well known. Many including the leader and his wife have ties to terrorists, subversives and avowed enemies of this country.
That said, I don’t have any idea why parents might find a talk between the commander in thief and their children somewhat problematical. After all Saddam, Castro and Hitler all started the same way, its even in Sol Alinisis book Rules for Radicals. Subvert the children and it’s all good. The irony of all this is that Democrats kept beating the Bush is Hitler drum, but now they refuse to march in the parade of their own making.
I’ve heard of tunnel vision before but dang!