- Jul 1, 2004
- 21,030
- 2
- 61
As one who has always believed that light conquers darkness, as a citizen of the USA I still often find myself struggling to find the light switch. Our two parties are failing the American people and working hard to destroy this country.
What destroys a man also destroys a state. Arrogance, ignorance, greed, hatred, and fear. I feel like Dorothy in the land of Oz. Liberals are no longer liberal. Conservatives are no longer conservative. In order to achieve peace, we must go to war. Honesty is loony. Disagreement is unpatriotic.
The Republican party has been taken over by neo-conservatism. It is nothing new, and there is certainly nothing conservative about it's principals. In their search for an enemy to bind the American people, they have created a monster and led us into a never-ending war. And in order to fight this war, the rights of the American people have become an obstacle rather than something preciously protected. Neo-conservatives abused the September 11th attacks, using it to further their agenda of remapping the Middle East. Spreading democracy via force, spreading peace via war. Those who oppose are unpatriotic, and deemed willing to surrender to our enemies. Like our freedoms, truth is an obstacle to their agenda.
The Democrats are no safety net. While they appear to have an agenda to make life better for Americans, their strategy is much closer to mob rule rather than democracy. Those who oppose their plans for universal health care are deemed greedy, hateful, and uncaring. Like Peter Pan, their strategy is nothing less than stealing from the rich and giving it to the poor. Our being created equal is not enough, we must live and die equally as well. Unfortunately history has shown that this plan ends with everyone being poor. Is it any surprise that the war on poverty has had as much success as the war on drugs? An America destined to be stoned broke.
While the Republicans scream "terrorism," and the Democrats scream "health care" and "global warming," Americans are being taxed to death. Most middle class Americans only see half of their income. Federal income taxes seem to be the big issue, but money falls out of our wallets in so many other ways. State sales taxes, state income taxes, taxes on beer, wine, cigarettes, wheel taxes. Most people can't buy a loaf of bread without handing money over to government. The government takes in a Social Security tax, and spends it on bridges to nowhere. And even so, Congress still spends three times what they take in from federal income taxes alone, and still can't balance a budget. Our current deficit has more digits than an international telephone number. It keeps rising, and our dollar keeps falling. All the while we watch our government on the Jerry Springer show, cheering its lack of control, its lack of morality.
So every time I think I have found a light switch, and flip it, it doesn't seem to work. Americans seem to like living in the dark. It is only human nature for the eyes to close in the face of inevitable death. And we are driving straight for a fiscal brick wall. Those of us with our eyes open, trying to turn the steering wheel, are deemed "doom-and-gloomers." And as Johnny Cash once said, "I'd love to wear a rainbow every day, and tell the world that everything's OK," I simply can not and will not. I'd like to think that as long as someone, somewhere, continues to look for the light, eventually, it'll be found again. And while it may be painful for our eyes to adjust, we must comfort in knowing that evolution won't leave them behind.
What destroys a man also destroys a state. Arrogance, ignorance, greed, hatred, and fear. I feel like Dorothy in the land of Oz. Liberals are no longer liberal. Conservatives are no longer conservative. In order to achieve peace, we must go to war. Honesty is loony. Disagreement is unpatriotic.
The Republican party has been taken over by neo-conservatism. It is nothing new, and there is certainly nothing conservative about it's principals. In their search for an enemy to bind the American people, they have created a monster and led us into a never-ending war. And in order to fight this war, the rights of the American people have become an obstacle rather than something preciously protected. Neo-conservatives abused the September 11th attacks, using it to further their agenda of remapping the Middle East. Spreading democracy via force, spreading peace via war. Those who oppose are unpatriotic, and deemed willing to surrender to our enemies. Like our freedoms, truth is an obstacle to their agenda.
The Democrats are no safety net. While they appear to have an agenda to make life better for Americans, their strategy is much closer to mob rule rather than democracy. Those who oppose their plans for universal health care are deemed greedy, hateful, and uncaring. Like Peter Pan, their strategy is nothing less than stealing from the rich and giving it to the poor. Our being created equal is not enough, we must live and die equally as well. Unfortunately history has shown that this plan ends with everyone being poor. Is it any surprise that the war on poverty has had as much success as the war on drugs? An America destined to be stoned broke.
While the Republicans scream "terrorism," and the Democrats scream "health care" and "global warming," Americans are being taxed to death. Most middle class Americans only see half of their income. Federal income taxes seem to be the big issue, but money falls out of our wallets in so many other ways. State sales taxes, state income taxes, taxes on beer, wine, cigarettes, wheel taxes. Most people can't buy a loaf of bread without handing money over to government. The government takes in a Social Security tax, and spends it on bridges to nowhere. And even so, Congress still spends three times what they take in from federal income taxes alone, and still can't balance a budget. Our current deficit has more digits than an international telephone number. It keeps rising, and our dollar keeps falling. All the while we watch our government on the Jerry Springer show, cheering its lack of control, its lack of morality.
So every time I think I have found a light switch, and flip it, it doesn't seem to work. Americans seem to like living in the dark. It is only human nature for the eyes to close in the face of inevitable death. And we are driving straight for a fiscal brick wall. Those of us with our eyes open, trying to turn the steering wheel, are deemed "doom-and-gloomers." And as Johnny Cash once said, "I'd love to wear a rainbow every day, and tell the world that everything's OK," I simply can not and will not. I'd like to think that as long as someone, somewhere, continues to look for the light, eventually, it'll be found again. And while it may be painful for our eyes to adjust, we must comfort in knowing that evolution won't leave them behind.