Presently I’m reading “TAILSPIN The People and Forces Behind America’s Fifty-Year Fall – and Those Fighting to Reverse it” by Steven Brill and, as I’m going through the book my hope that “progressives” (ie “liberals”) will FIGHT to help PUSH BACK against the right wing forces which have essentially done to America what people like Mitt Romney would do to the businesses they would “buy” (take over) and then pilfer the assets of the business before shutting it down while walking away with millions and leaving the workers in the lurch. This is what the right wing “puppet masters” – those who’ve been surreptitiously calling the “shots” for a Congress that has become incredibly CORRUPT – and, by the way, virtually anyone paying attention knows this – have been doing while democrats have been unsuccessful – at best, and, to a degree in some “quarters” complicit – in fighting back.
Brill lays out a sobering look at what has taken America from “the leader of the free world” (in the post WW II years) to a nation rapidly devolving toward third world status. It’s like we’ve (Americans) all been brainwashed to get the hair on our backs to stand on end when anyone suggests America’s not the greatest country in the world. I was thinking about this book as I drove through the drive through at the post office the other day and, as I was about to leave their premises, there was a homeless lady lying on the ground next to a little dog, a shopping cart with, apparently, her belongings, and a sign which read “hungry.” She wasn’t soliciting money, but I couldn’t help but asking if she needed some (really a dumb question) and she got up and I gave her the change in the cup-holder in my car. As I drove away I almost started to get tears in my eyes and I couldn’t help but think about Brill’s book and how it points out “we the people” haven’t been consciously “fighting” poverty since the 1970’s.
The sad reality is “we the people” haven’t invested in our people or our infrastructure over the period of the previous 50 years and the results of the failure to do so is growing more critical by the day. While I often find myself thinking the “election” (with three MILLION less votes than his opponent) of individual 1 may cause some of these critical issues to FINALLY become addressed, I realize the forces that put individual 1 into the “White House” have UNLIMITED funds and will not allow “we the people” to turn America’s focus to the “common good” without a huge FIGHT and, over the years, they’ve proven themselves to be all about the money and very successful at turning one American against another. Their GREED is insatiable. Of course, if you’ve been paying attention at all you know I’m talking about people like the now infamous “Koch brothers” who will open their checkbooks wide to fight what’s being called the “green new deal.” And, the Koch’s have a plethora of peers who also have unlimited funds in their check books and have been fighting against things like Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, unemployment insurance, etc. (Essentially, the New Deal) since the days following WW II.
Here’s some of America’s present reality: There are people living under bridges almost every where you go – people which it appears are in situations which no one seems able to find solutions for – often times it breaks my heart looking at some of the people who seem so desperately pathetic – for lack of a more creative vocabulary on my part – whatever has led them to this “outcome” it just seems a sad situation that is “un-American” – at least in my idealistic viewpoint. (As in regards to people like the lady I mentioned above) Additionally, close to 50% of Americans are living under the poverty level with around 7 MILLION living on what Brill referred to as “$2 a day.” I was a sixth grade teacher and, every year, I witnessed more and more students who got their food from the “free and reduced” school lunch program. “We the people” are NOT investing in our young people – including the reality that even the most advantageous, to a degree, are struggling to get a higher education.
America spends well more than virtually EVERY other advanced Western nation on health care with outcomes which place “her” near the bottom of even nations which, to me, seem incredible. At one point, I read the childbirth mortality rate in America ranked right below that of Cuba. For my ENTIRE life I’ve witnessed republicans BLOCKING any chance “we the people” have EVER had of creating a national health care policy. They blocked this during FDR’s time in office, during Truman’s time in office, (thankfully) LBJ managed to get Medicare and Medicaid passed (Ronald Reagan predicted Medicare would destroy the nation via “socialism”), clearly they blocked Clinton’s attempt to create a national health insurance policy and they spent BILLIONS trying to block “Obamacare” (The Affordable Care Act) – and, they’re still trying to destroy the Affordable Care Act – presumably OK with another 20 – 30 MILLION Americans without health insurance.
As it is, even with “Obamacare” (what’s left of it) there’s tens of Millions of Americans with no health insurance. We are the ONLY “advanced” country in the world in this predicament. Republicans are already playing the Socialism “card” as the new “liberal wave” of democrats are proposing “Medicare for all.” By my calculations “Medicare for all” would be cheaper than what we presently have, it’s just that Medicare (I know, because it’s now my health insurance) covers only 80% of your medical expenses (which, obviously, is much better for those without health insurance). Just as I have a supplemental policy to help cover the 20% Medicare doesn’t cover, others would have the option to do the same, therefore continuing the need for private health insurers. One reason some might not want “Medicare for all” is because Medicare puts a cap on charges that can be onerous for people without health insurance. If you remember, even some democrats helped block the “public option” when “Obamacare” was in the works – so, it’s easy to see how the health insurance lobby and pharmaceutical lobby will spend BILLIONS to block ANY attempt at universal health care. It’s undeniable that hospitals, doctors, and the pharmaceutical industry, among others, won’t want Medicare for all because it focuses on controlling the massive increases in medical expenses in America.
Then there’s America’s infrastructure. In short, America is crumbling at her “knees.” Every where you look (drive) highways are full of pot holes and are in danger of major disasters. Thousands of bridges are at the point where they could collapse at any moment. We’re not investing in the proper maintenance of these bridges and highways nor are we showing any willingness to invest in the NEW infrastructure necessary to keep America up with the rest of the world which, countries who are making these investments in virtually all the areas where America is faltering. Aside from our roads and bridges, we have schools falling down, we’ve got an electrical grid which is teetering on becoming a national security threat, and much more. Estimates coming from Engineers and others “in the know” estimate the United States needs to invest “north” of $2 TRILLION to bring the infrastructure up to “code.”
Rebuilding America’s infrastructure is not only a critical challenge, but it’s a source of MILLIONS of good paying new jobs. Additionally, it provides the opportunity for America to modernize in areas which republicans seem to have blinders for – and, that’s the core of the “green new deal.” For example, in my household, we’re driving electric cars and we installed solar panels on the rooftop of our property. Our solar panels are producing in excess of 10,000 Kilowatts of electricity per year. And, incentives created by our state (our governor, who actively supports this, Jay Inslee, is soon to announce his candidacy for president) made the solar panels possible. Those panels will be producing electricity for decades beyond the years of the state incentive (And, there was a federal incentive via President Obama). Our state also has incentives to encourage people to buy electric vehicles. All of the things referred to as “the green new deal” are POSSIBLE as long as “we the people” don’t allow the special interests (the Koch brothers, for example) to scare us into thinking it’s not possible.
And, it’s those who continue to SCARE Americans against what amounts to progressive changes which will benefit MILLIONS of Americans which will be, likely, the greatest stumbling block to making the changes our nation so desperately needs. Those who oppose these changes are the very people who’ve become known as the “top 1%” and have become very comfortable with close to 40 years of tax policy which has made them richer and has exacerbated the increasing problem of income inequality. Once we get beyond the political BS coming from the “conservatives” – who are yelling “socialism, socialism” as they always do to stop progress, America will be re-energized. Seeing the modernization of the infrastructure, knowing people can go to the doctor when they’re sick, and watching more and more working class Americans with good paying jobs will spread the “American spirit” through “we the people” once again.
As Brill states in his book (I really recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand how we got to this place) the hope is that it won’t take more bridges collapsing on the cars driving over them to force this issue to the forefront of America’s agenda. Unlike individual 1’s wall, this issue with infrastructure IS a national emergency. If you remember the bridge which collapsed a few years ago in Minnesota, a bridge which was known to be in desperate need of repair or replacement, it took a relatively short time to replace it once it collapsed. Brill’s hope is that “we the people” won’t allow our “leaders” (my quotes) to wait until bridges collapse before we make the investment to replace or repair them. (The same goes for the roads, the electric grid, the internet infrastructure, schools, etc.)
Sadly, nothing is likely to get accomplished while individual 1 is our so-called president. There seems to be no time for actually “governing.” The new batch of democrats in the House have pledged to produce an infrastructure bill (among other needed legislation) but the general consensus is that anything they pass in the House will NEVER get through the Senate. My son, who is much more astute regarding our electrical infrastructure – especially related to internet capability – keeps pointing out to me the United States is woefully behind the other nations around the world. People like me have been brainwashed to believe America is the “leader” in most areas which are important, but he continues to point out the reality. And, people like Bernie Sanders are always pointing out how far we’re behind when it comes to health care and investment in our own people.
As I stated above, the cost of higher education in the United States has gotten to the point where more and more people of average (or less) means are being “shut out.” (Similarly to how the cost of housing is contributing to the homeless problem in America – another issue which is not getting the attention it deserves) When I went to college (the first time) back in the 1960’s the cost of tuition was around $100 per term. When I went back to school 25 years later (in the early 90’s) one semester was around $3000, just for tuition. Each semester of graduate school was $10,000 – again, just for tuition. This is why so many young people have been “saddled” with huge debt once they graduate from college – in many cases making it impossible to afford housing, depending on where they live, once they find a job.
Many balk at Bernie’s suggestion that college tuition should be FREE, but this would be an investment in our own people. To me, the idea of accepting a situation where young people start their lives with massive debt is obscene. (And, by the way, Brill deals with what he calls the meritocracy which has emerged in America in the past 50 years which is a very interesting concept I had never thought about) I believe it’s Denmark where young people are actually PAID to go to college. Whether it’s traditional college or other forms of advanced training, America is LOSING a huge amount of productivity with MILLIONS of people needing training to fill the HUGE amount of jobs going unfilled because people are not qualified to do them.
Final Thought: Today I was watching the testimony of Michael Cohen and I was further convinced it’s time republicans be voted into the dust bins of history. And, Jim Jordan – a man who ALLEGEDLY looked the other way in regard to accusations of sexual abuse while he was a wrestling coach at Ohio State University – is shameful in his dishonest attempt to prevent the TRUTH about individual 1 to be part of the public record – at least for the “uneducated voters” individual 1 (and presumably Jordan) – rely on for their positions in our government. As expected, from the republicans the Cohen hearing was all about Cohen – they don’t have the slightest bit of curiosity in regard to the allegations against Trump – some of the allegations are not really allegations because we can presume “individual 1” wouldn’t have been identified as “individual 1” by the Southern District of New York if they didn’t have evidence to support that he actually DIRECTED the “hush money” payments to two women right before the “election.”
While it’s clear Cohen has been a “thug” while working for individual 1 it’s also clear that individual 1 closely resembles the organized crime boss I’ve been pointing out since a few months after he became our so-called president. What’s not so clear to me, is why virtually EVERY republican is able to fail to even have a curiosity about whom they’ve chosen to “hitch their wagon.” I can’t quantify the number of times I’ve wondered how republicans would respond to individual 1’s many actions should they have been committed by – say – Barack Obama? It was beyond ironic that, today, during the Cohen testimony republicans focused on Cohen as a LIAR. Apparently, they’ve failed to notice individual 1 has LIED over 9000 times since Vladimir Putin helped him to become our so-called president. And, some of them need to take a close look into a mirror!
Republicans feel comfortable supporting a so-called president who takes the word of Vladimir Putin over our intelligence agency (yesterday, Jordan soiled himself while attacking the FBI in very politically partisan terms). Additionally, he takes the word of Mohamed bin Salmon over our intelligence community and now, unbelievably, the word of arguably the most vicious dictator in the world, Kim Jong un. This all is unbelievable to someone like me – how could “we the people” “elect” (with three MILLION fewer votes than his opponent) this seeming mob boss as our so-called president?