I think the thing that most astonishes me as I’m continually contemplating the direction of our government is its seemingly TOTAL disconnect from the very people it serves.  In fact, I even hesitate to use the term “it serves” because more and more it appears the so-called leaders of America have placed themselves on some kind of “pedestal” above the rest of us.  The United States Senate is becoming a bad joke to Americans in general, and a poor “ambassador” to the rest of the world which is looking to America for leadership in the fight for freedom and human rights.  This past week was a great example of what I’m talking about.  The actions of a couple of republicans, Jim Bunning and John Kyl, pretty much sum up the ridiculous situation we Americans find ourselves in.

Everyone knows that, under George W Bush and 6 years of a republican congress which couldn’t say no, the American economy was virtually ruined.  Of course, there wasn’t much the democrats could do to reverse this “tide” after winning the majority in congress following the 2006 “midterm” elections – especially, with the attitude of people like Nancy Pelosi saying “impeachment is off the table.”  We all knew our leaders were lying about almost EVERYTHING, they were committing WAR CRIMES, they were EAVESDROPPING on their own citizens without “probable cause,” and they were absconding with BILLIONS through tax cuts, no-bid contracts for their “buddies,” and corporate welfare (all this while spewing a “no welfare” policy for the “rest of us”).  One of the amazing things, in my view, as I ponder all of this; through their control of the “liberal media” and the incompetence or ignorance of the democrats (and the American people), the republicans have actually caused many in America to blame the democrats for all of this.

Well, this past week, with a nation facing double digit unemployment – many of the unemployed having been in that “spot” for over a year – John Kyl and Jim Bunning chose to “BLOCK” legislation in the senate which would have extended unemployment benefits to over a million Americans whose benefits are expiring as I write this post.  Additionally, and maybe worse, it will cause millions to lose their COBRA benefits which allows them to continue purchasing health insurance after losing their jobs.  Here’s the worst part of it – and, I’m guessing that Kyl finally backed down because, as I understand it Bunning was the one who ultimately prevented this legislation from going through at the “last minute.”  Kyl’s reason for STOPPING this legislation was an attempt to force through an amendment repealing the inheritance tax – which would benefit less than ONE HALF OF ONE PERCENT of the population and would add something like 250 BILLION to the national debt over 10 years – with no way or suggested way to pay for it. 

After Kyl evidently backed down Bunning stepped in.  I suppose the republicans will find a way to blame all this on democrats because they tried to get this legislation passed through “unanimous consent” after too many senators had left for the weekend to get an up or down vote on the issue.  But, the reporting I heard said that no one objected to extending these benefits besides Bunning, a republican who even the republicans don’t like (the guy was once revered as a great baseball player – but, before his senate career is over, no one will remember that).  His stated reason for stopping these benefits to EXTREMELY NEEDY people (including many in his home state of Kentucky) was that “someone needs to stand up for the fight against deficit spending.” (or something of that nature)  Honestly, do these republicans take us for being that stupid?  The sad thing, to me, is that somehow I believe it’s possible they’ll get away with this stunt.

 And, I’m not for one minute thinking that Bunning was doing this without some kind of support from other republicans – otherwise, they would have had someone there to talk sense to him.  Kyl was more than willing (and the republicans were right there with him) to take on 250 BILLION in more debt to repeal the inheritance tax – with NO WAY TO PAY FOR IT, but they allow Bunning to stop benefits to over a million out of work Americans which would cost something less than 10 BILLION dollars.  Am I the stupid one here?  You do the math, and If I’m missing something let me know.  The bottom line in all of this is that the republicans are more than willing to use people who are in dire straights as “pawns” in their attempt to further their tax cut for the rich agenda.  Again, they don’t consider the no-bid contracts that Dick Cheney so willingly gave to Halliburton for tens of BILLIONS of dollars with NO OVERSIGHT and no way to pay for it welfare, but blue collar working people who are out of work because of consequences of the republican’s economic failures can just fend for themselves.  To tell you the truth, I’m getting MORE SICK of these republicans every day.

This is why I keep writing, and this is why I wish the democrats and our new president would quit “kissing up” to these thugs and start governing without them.  The reason we voted Bush/Cheney and many of their supporters in congress out of office is because we were sick of their abuse of power.  What the democrats don’t seem to understand is this is an out and out WAR for the heart and soul of this nation.  The reality is that the republicans control the “liberal media” as they so willingly call it (like everything else they talk about, it’s just one big lie), they have a stranglehold – and possibly for years to come – on the Supreme Court (this could be REALLY BAD), and the repulbicans are already TOTALLY SOLD OUT to the corporations who have FREE REIGN on our future elections thanks to the likes of Samuel Alito, John Roberts, and the other right wing members of the court who allowed unlimited corporate intrusion (financially) on future elections with their recent decision essentially calling corporations “people” AND giving them “free speech” rights!

So, the democrats don’t have a lot of time to figure this out.  I’m already getting email alerts from members of congress who have figured out they will be “targets” of the corporate money which will be attempting to “stamp out” all “liberal” dissent against their total takeover of our system of government.  And, I’m sorry to say that I’m not totally convinced that Barack Obama is the anti-dote to this.  Today, he signed into law an extension of the so-called “Patriot Act” – which, not having read it, I’m concerned continues to allow our government to abuse the constitution’s guarantee against an invasion of our privacy without “probable cause.”  That’s just one of the major concerns I have about Obama.  So far, I’ve not heard one person actually ask him whether or not he’s continuing the Bush policy of wiretapping American citizens through what is called “data mining.”  He voted for the FISA legislation during the campaign which absolved the telecommunication companies of any wrongdoing during the Bush/Cheney years and, so far, hasn’t “fixed” that vote as promised.  Additionally, his justice departement has been defending the Bush policies in court – attempting to keep the evidence of what was done during Bush’s term in office secret – in violation of Obama’s promise of “TRANSPARENCY.” (everyone knows Bush violated the FISA legislation MANY TIMES)

This refusal of Obama and his attorney general Eric Holder to “look back” has been a sore point for me since the early days of Obama’s administration.  He continues to reach out to republicans in a way that is more and more curious to me as the evidence gets stronger and stronger that the republicans haven’t changed ONE IOTA since the defeat of Bush/Cheney and their repugnant policies.  What are “we the people” to do, if we elect a new adminstration which is promising “Change we can believe in” and we get “more of the same.”  THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING.  Now we have people like Kyl and Bunning getting in the way of benefits for millions of Americans who are in a terrible economic situation – AND DESERVE OUR SUPPORT!  It will be interesting to see how the democrats react to this.

I was unable to watch the “health care summit” last week, but everything I’ve heard about it was that it was a farce.  What I’ve seen in print hasn’t changed my thoughts one bit.  The republicans are going to continue to OBSTRUCT everything Obama and the democrats attempt to accomplish.  I don’t see why they can’t “get this,” but the republicans are going to continue doing everything they can to insure President Obama’s FAILURE.  I know most “pundits” don’t like to say this – they keep trying to find an nicer way to put it – but, and I’m totally certain of this, the republicans will do everything in their power to make sure a Black man cannot succeed as President of the United States.  Oh my gosh, think about it, if Obama succeeds there could be another Black President some day.  The republican party has been reduced to almost all WHITE people (Michael Steele included) and they would rather take this nation down than contribute to the success of a Black president – THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS!

Some of the solutions to problems aren’t nearly as complicated as the democrats are making them.  Take health care for example.  You’ve heard the republicans complain about a 2700 (well, the number varies depending on who’s complaining) page health care bill, and suggesting democrats start over.  Well, remember the old saying “be careful what you wish for?”  I’ve got a solution to the health care “fight” that’s easy, only takes 51 votes in the senate, solves ALL the problems they’re arguing about without ANY sweatheart deals, and it wouldn’t take very many pages.  Simply put, the democrats could incorporate a MEDICARE FOR ALL proposal as the so-called “public option,” pass it through “reconciliation” with 50 votes plus the vice president, include in the option all the “rules” they’re trying to impose on the insurance companies (like no one being refused due to pre-conditions), and MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO ALL AMERICANS.  Let us choose whether we want “government run health care” or not through our pocket books.  Nothing else would need to be done.  Let the insurance companies like Blue Cross and others continue increasing their rates at 39% or whatever they want – JUST GIVE AMERICANS THE CHOICE OF A SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM.  That would be the easy way to solve this problem and it would only take the aforementioned 51 votes.  The democrats only have until about November to get the “balls” to do something like this.

How about the national debt.  Well, Obama and the democrats should have recinded the “Bush taxcuts” the day they took over the White House.  That would have already saved BILLIONS of dollars the wealthy in this country can do without.  They had the oppportunity (as I explained at the time) to pass an increase in the gas tax when Obama took office – gas was under $2 per gallon at the time, and I pointed out the price was going up – and it would only go as high as what would withstand the ability of the people to pay – no matter if that tax was there or not.  The money raised from – say a 20 cent per gallon (I originally proposed 50 cents) tax could be used to create jobs rebuilding the infrastructure of this nation which has been used and virtually worn out – while being ignored by politicians who should have been maintaining it all along – for the past 30 plus years.  It’s like, since the days of Ronald Reagan, we’ve had this idea of entitlement in this nation to more and more of everything without having to pay for it.  Reagan instituted the menatlity of BORROW, BORROW, BORROW and let someone else worry about repaying that is still alive and well in America today.

One of the encouraging things, to me, about President Obama is that – through his rhetoric – it appears to me that he is determined to reduce the deficit, that he believes ultimately we should be paying for what we want.  Unfortunately, he inherited a deficit which won’t be easy to overcome.  When the deficit was over a TRILLION dollars, the unemployment rate was skyrocketing (jobs were being lost at the rate of about a MILLION per month at the end of Bush’s presidency), and the opposition party is/was more concerned for Obama’s demise than solving the problems left behind by THEM – solving the deficit problem is HUGE.  This gets me back to Senator Bunning and his obstinate choice (I’m sure supported by the republican leaders) to ruin the lives of over a million Americans to make a point – that on it’s face is nothing more than PURE HYPOCRISY!  (really, republicans worried about the deficit – GIVE ME A BREAK! – Bunning even had the nerve to complain that he was missing a Kentucky basketball game while he had to stay in the senate to continue objecting to the proposal because all the other republicans had gone home – and when the junior senator from Oregon, Jeff Merkley, pleaded with him to stop doing this, Bunning’s response: “tough s#it.”  I’m not kidding!)

My main wish since the election of Barack Obama was that the democrats would take the huge majority that “progressives” gave them and MAKE SURE that the criminal behavior of the republicans under Bush/Cheney would NEVER happen again in America.  I’m ashamed that my country used torture – against everything we’ve ever stood for, I’m ashamed that Bush/Cheney were allowed to lie us into a WAR OF CHOICE and keep us entrenched there going on 8 years (with, potentially no end in sight – don’t believe me, read my previous post), I’m ashamed that Bush/Cheney willingly wiretapped our citizens without retribution from our justice department, I’m ashamed that Dick Cheney “outed a CIA agent” – an act of treason – without ANY ACCOUNTABILITY from democrats in congress, I’m ashamed that members of the Bush/Cheney administration both lied repeatedly to Congress and/or refused to answer subpeonas with, again, NO ACCOUNTABILITY from the democratic congress, I’m ashamed that the democrats seem to be afraid to take these republicans on STRAIGHT UP and call them what the really are, and now I’m ashamed that over ONE MILLION Americans will be without deserved unemployment benefits because of the insensitive republican party.  If the democrats don’t hold Senator Bunning and the republicans accountable for blocking extended unemployment benefits, I’ll be further ashamed of my government!  Honestly, when is all of this going to stop?