I’m a sixth grade school teacher and I know first hand what it’s like to explain things to people (well, students) who either don’t “get it” or who don’t WANT to get it.  As I’ve been observing politics much closer since starting this little “rant outpost” – sometimes referred to as a blog (I didn’t even know what a blog was when I started writing) – I’m more and more seeing parallels between my sixth grade students and our political leaders in Washington DC.  One of the main areas of comparison would be in the “don’t get it” category, whether intentional or not.  That is to say, it appears to me that our political leaders “don’t get it” and it’s MUCH MORE FRUSTRATING for me to see politicians who aren’t listening than to see 11 and 12 year old students who aren’t listening.

And, you can categorize our political leaders somewhat similarly to how I do the same with my students.  There’s a small number who can ALWAYS be counted on to do the “right thing.”  In the case of school, the “right thing” would be fulfilling their obligations on time and to the best of their ability without allowing themselves to be influenced by the many students around them who are only out for themselves.  Look or sound familiar?  (there are a few congressional leaders who would fall into that category – just not many ie, Dennis Kucinich, Alan Grayson, etc.)  Some of the students can only be counted on for one thing and that is LYING!  Again, sound familiar?  (many congressional leaders fall into this category)  And, then there is the group of students who seemingly will do ANYTHING to get what they want, no matter how it affects those around them – they are constantly trying to draw attention to themselves without regard to “the better good” of the entire class.  OK, I’m guessing you have an idea of where I’m going with this. (this last category is dominated by republicans)

I could write a post about politicians of either party in this regard – for instance, I, like most Americans for that matter, got my fill of democrats OPENLY trading HUNDRED’S OF MILLIONS in taxpayer dollars for votes in the now dangling on a thread health care legislation.  I, like many progressives, have had my fill of President Obama “reaching out” to republicans through the same messed up procedures that so many are sick of (filibusters, etc.) – when we voted for “the change we could believe in.”  In fact, I don’t think the majority of unhappy progressives are complaining that “nothing’s getting done” – even though it seems that way – what they’re complaining about is that nothing seems to be changing – and, in that we’re talking about the process.

So, as I’m comparing 6th grade students with politicians let me focus on the latter two categories mentioned above – because those two categories seem to have a predominance in the classroom and in the congress.  And, I’m going to focus on republicans – not that the democrats get a free pass – but, in my view, the republicans ARE THE PROBLEM – it’s just that it seems as if the democrats don’t have the wherewithall to overcome their obstructionism (in reality, they have some of the problem characteristics as well).  However, I’d just like to take a closer look at what – according to what I’m reading in the “liberal media” – we might end up with again after the next election or two if the pundits are accurate.  I feel compelled to write this because I’m still not seeing any signs that the democratic party – from Obama on down – have any compulsion to properly DEAL with the deeds of these republicans.  Let’s start with the first of the two categories I’m comparing our dear republicans to – and that would be them as pathological liars!

What is a pathological liar?  Well, by definition:  “Pathological liars have little regard or respect for the rights and feelings of others. A pathological liar often comes across as being manipulative, cunning and self-centered.  A pathological liar is usually defined as someone who lies incessantly to get their way and does so with little concern for others.” (I got that definition off of the internet)  Well, I believe you could pretty much call this part of the republican platform.  In other words, they’ve long had the mantra that the “end justifies the means.”  That is, they will say ANYTHING which might get them what they want.  In fact, I’ve come to the conclusion that when the republicans say one thing, the truth is usually something approaching the opposite.  Let me give some examples.

Let’s start with education – now, I’m a teacher and obviously biased, but the education of our children is important.  When President GW Bush came into office he got his “signature” legislation passed (with the unsuspecting help of people like the late Senator Ted Kennedy) called “No Child Left Behind.”  As a teacher, when I originally saw that legislation all I could do was shake my head and wonder “what’s wrong with these people?”  Of course it was ridiculous to think that ALL STUDENTS would be achieving at the same level come 2014.  I mean, stop and think about this for a second;  how are the “learning support” students going to achieve at the same level as the proficient students?  If schools are accurately identifying students with learning disabilities it would be preposterous to put the same expectations on those students as the ones without disabilities.  That one should be A NO BRAINER!

What this legislation was REALLY attempting to do was to destroy PUBLIC EDUCATION.  The right wing Christians, the wealthy republicans, and I’m sure others don’t want their children to have to go to school with the students “on the other side of the tracks.”  The way to prevent that is to defund the public schools and transfer the money to “vouchers” for the families who could afford to send their kids to private schools.  I “get” that they don’t want to pay taxes to support schools that their students aren’t attending – but, the reality – in most cases – is that someone paid taxes for them to go to school in “their day” and a free public education is one of the things that made this country and it’s middle class the ENVY of the entire world (that is until the republicans started undoing everything good from the “New Deal”).

Additionally, the testing requirements of the “No Child” law were so ridiculous that schools inevitably become “failing schools” which creates all kinds of challenges that are unreachable and whose remedies are NOT FUNDED by the government which sets the requirements.  It really is a nice little trick from the republican point of view – and it remains to be seen how the democrats go about “fixing” it – because the title “No Child Left Behind” sounds so ……….. “right.”  It’s just that it’s LEAVING MORE children behind, it’s causing one school after another to focus on nothing but the “high stakes testing” at the expense of programs like woodshop, machineshop, art, music, home-ec, civics, etc.  The schools are now focused more on their own survival than what is best for their students.  “No Child Left Behind” is designed to help create that permanent UNDERCLASS of people who will be happy with the minimum wage jobs “left behind” by the other republican (and democratic – thanks Bill Clinton) laws which are responsible for the mass exodus of manufacturing jobs from America to overseas.

That leads me to the “Free Market” philosopy of the republican party.  WHAT A JOKE – and, unfortunately Americans have bought this one HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER.  This is the “I’ll give you (really your rich uncle) a tax cut and I’m going to balance the budget” philosophy.  What would you call free market about the government giving BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to oil companies to subsidize their oil drilling which leads to TENS OF BILLIONS in profits – sometimes with little or no taxes coming back to the government?  (and then giving tax cuts to the CEO and investors who are making those BILLIONS) Or, what is free market about our government agreeing to a drug policy with “Big Pharma” regarding the Medicare Part D plan that FORBIDS them from negotiating the best price  for our senior citizens?  Most estimates are that the pharmaceutical industry will reap additional profits of 600 BILLION DOLLARS in the first 10 years of the program.  Or, what is free market about the Bush administration offering NO BID contracts for their contributors to the tune of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS – contracts that are nearly devoid of accountability – both in project completion and in financial responsibility?  I mean, there was the mysterious 9 BILLION dollars which disappeared in Iraq – never to be seen again – just for one example among many.  I guess, from the republican point of view, free market means free money from the American taxpayers.

Of course, I couldn’t broach this subject without mentioning the TARP bailout funds which supposedly saved our financial system – you know, the one that includes Goldman Sachs (4+ BILLION in profits just this past QUARTER – that’s THREE months for those of you who don’t understand – about a BILLION AND A HALF per month),  Morgan Stanley Chase (similar profits), Bank of America (you guessed it, similar profits), and others – I’ll leave it at those three (makes me sick just writing this).  Not only did these companies – WHO ALL ARE PART OF THE FREE MARKET PHILOSOPHY – take BILLIONS from the government, but they’ve continued making the RISKY loans that got us ALL in the fix of 2008 with VIRTUALLY FREE MONEY from the Fed.  Oh, now I get it, free market economics must be the banks get the money from the Fed – INTEREST FREE – gamble it in securities markets, make a huge profit, and find ways to avoid paying taxes to the very taxpayers who supposedly BAILED THEM OUT!  In fact, they not only feel that paying taxes is not part of a “free market” but their employees should get MONSTROUS bonuses – and they shouldn’t have to pay taxes on their bonuses either – “because they better know what to do with the money – it will trickle down.”

Just as their “free market” might be “free” to them – but VERY COSTLY – to the rest of us, when republicans tell you they are better at keeping us safe – look out!  I don’t know about you, but I’m SICK of listening to Dick Cheney telling me that he knows how to keep us safe.  THAT IS MORE ABSURD than any of this – and it’s all pretty absurd.  First of all, there were plenty of signals to prevent 9/11 in the first place, but how can anyone who was IN CHARGE when something like that happened on “his watch” go around claiming to be good at “keeping us safe?”  (I’ll tell you how – read my definition above of a pathological liar) That is SO RIDICULOUS you have to question who’s in charge of the “liberal media” that Cheney even gets his voice heard.  Dick Cheney and his “boss” (in name only – at least for the first 6 years) allowed the worst attack on this “HOMELAND” in the history of our nation.  I HONESTLY don’t see how the man can have ONE IOTA of credibility on this subject.  Not only did Bush/Cheney NOT KEEP US SAFE, but their subsequent actions to 9/11 only made MATTERS WORSE.  George W Bush and Dick Cheney not only made the U.S. LESS SAFE, they made the WORLD LESS SAFE!  It still remains to be seen if we, as a nation, will recover from their misdeeds!

And, that brings me to my final example of UTTER PATHOLOGICAL DISHONESTY by the republicans.  They’ve been cramming it down our collective throats that we have a “liberal media” for the past 30+ years.  Of course, as with all their LIES, the reality is almost the opposite.  And, they’ve got the “hated” Bill Clinton to thank for this one as it was on his “watch” that the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed.  I’m sure that the republicans had convinced Clinton that deregulation of the communications industry would create “more competition,” when in reality I’m ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED it was part of their master plan to do just the opposite – create LESS COMPETITION!  There are now about 9 corporations who control the vast majority  of the public airwaves.  Corporations like NewsCorp (Rupert Murdoch), GE (NBC, etc.), Time Warner, Disney, and Sony are not bastions of liberal thought.  In fact, they are all MAINLY interested in MAKING MONEY, they have international roots in some cases, and their public interest is the interest of their shareholders – CLEAR AND SIMPLE.  The “liberal media” republicans complain about is a “MYTH” – and their reference to it as such is an OUT AND OUT LIE!  To give you a hint into the republican thought process – according to “Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting” a media “watchdog;”  “After World War II, the Allies restricted media concentration in occupied Germany and Japan because they noted that such concentration promoted anti-democratic, even fascist, political cultures.”  Don’t believe me that this could happen in America?  Take an “open minded” listen to Fox “news” sometime, or Rush Limbaugh – can you really call it news when it originates from the republican caucus?  So, when these republicans overuse the word democracy in their public propagandizing it’s again because almost the opposite is true – their policies will lead to an anti-democratic “political culture.” (referred to by Karl Rove as his “permanent republican ‘majority'”)

Aside from the required curriculum – I spend my days teaching eleven and twelve year old kids the importance of telling the truth, showing respect to themselves and those around them, doing the best they can do on their “jobs,” and being aware of and showing compassion for those around them.  As I watch the continuing political debate in this country it drives me “batty” to see our “leaders” acting like my sixth graders who don’t understand these concepts – in too many ways.  People like John Boehner, for example, constantly trying to draw attention to himself, willing to say anything even if it’s OBVIOUSLY A LIE, and showing little or no compassion for others (well, except for the corporations who are funding him).  And people like Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin constantly spewing garbage out of their mouths that causes “drama” and never accomplishes ANYTHING positive.  As a teacher, I like to think that I put up a strong fight against this type of behavior.  That’s not to say that I always “win” – meaning I would cause someone to change their behavior – BUT I ALWAYS TRY TO WIN.  It’s in the interest of the student who’s exhibiting the behavior, and MORE IMPORTANTLY the other students who are negatively affected by the behavior – that I do EVERYTHING I can to get the behavior changed.  There is a point where reaching out to misbehaving students becomes counter-productive – you just have to let them know who’s in charge and even exclude them if it becomes necessary.   Like the teacher in the classroom, the president is the authority figure in Washington DC and the congress is like a classroom – it’s where the “real” action takes place.  I believe it’s past the time for President Obama to stop “reaching out” to republicans, and instead – as the LEADER of the democrats – he needs to let them clearly know who’s in charge – this would erase the doubt in the minds of progressives as to whether or not Obama and the democrats “get it.”  If republicans want to continue obstructing EVERYTHING, their FULL AGENDA should be put on public display!  Including the investigation and prosecution – where warranted – of those in the Bush/Cheney administration who violated our laws and committed war crimes! (for those who’ve been around here – I couldn’t help myself on that last sentence – please forgive me! :o)