The Republican Deficit Fraud Submitted by BuzzFlash on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 8:52pm.
* Ann Davidow
FINDING A VOICE by Ann Davidow
In almost every conversation and report about deficits and government spending Social Security is mentioned along with Medicare and Medicaid despite the fact that it isn't in the same straits as the other two 'entitlements.' Wading through the non-essential elements of budgeting procedures is an exhausting process that pits partisan agendas against sensible economic considerations.
On programs like Washington Journal callers of all persuasions express a kind of hunger for people in Congress to work together for the good of the country not strive to satisfy constituents whose vision is often limited and simplistic. They aren't talking about civility - they are concerned that if partisan agendas are the driving force among members of Congress the way forward will be arduous and, into the bargain, civility will be the last thing on anyone's mind.
But for all those who hope some degree of rapprochement can be achieved, there remain that stalwart legion of single-issue voters who insist their views on abortion and marriage underpin our entire way of life and are exactly what the founders had in mind. Voters in November apparently spoke with one voice and agreed entirely with the right wing of the Republican Party, a remarkable achievement. Actually the party is being pretty much jerked around by Tea Partiers who have a singular approach to the economy and social issues that defies common sense. Trying to run a country without understanding the complexities of the twenty-first century is a scary scenario that has been foisted upon a weary and frightened public. Others in the leadership understand exactly what they're doing without attending to the consequences of their actions - a relentless power grab with the goal of turning the country back to an earlier time.
Darrell Issa plans to initiate as many investigations of the Obama administration as possible. And he asks for suggestions from the public about which regulations they'd like to see abolished, a sure way to compile a massive hit list. Just about anyone and everyone can think of some facet of government oversight they'd like to see curtailed. Issa's own past could benefit from some investigatory muscle. According to a recent New Yorker article, among some of his more colorful escapades are such things as car-jacking, illegal gun possession and accusations that he once burned down a building. His current list of associates includes the millionaire Koch Brothers whose names appear regularly as underwriters of right-wing causes. Issa and his pals won't be satisfied until Congress is turned into an ultra-conservative machine and there's a Republican in the White House.
It is a travesty that "liberty and justice for all" has been twisted into unrecognizable form that has nothing to do with those ideals and everything to do with the takeover of our society by ideologues who have something quite different in mind. Their concept of freedom is a return to the world of unregulated robber-baron pursuits where the wizards of Wall Street amass scandalous amounts of cash after deceiving investors and the American people with schemes that would make decent people cringe. As a result of their manipulations the housing market crumbled and portfolios disappeared but none of the biggest players have been asked to account for the financial disaster they accommodated.
Discussions can be had about whether union benefits, public or private, have over-burdened local governments. Ironically, however, the behavior of city and state officials over time has been not only less than exemplary but suspect. Whatever the argument for restraining contractual obligations, municipalities have routinely failed in their fiduciary capacity to properly fund retirement trusts. Having misappropriated retirement accounts leaders in various municipalities face enormous deficits in that sector of their economy and accuse workers of draining the very assets that should have been set aside for them.
Strange the way that all shakes out. Republicans couldn't wait to take office, in order, they claimed to bring the budget into balance and cut spending. But first they hoisted their preferred social agenda and included, in their putative 'deficit reductions,' cuts to programs and agencies they have targeted for years and which have no significant impact on the budget - - the EPA, Planned Parenthood, NPR, PBS.
Strangest of all of all for legislators bent on reducing the deficit, the majority made a deal with the White House to keep all the Bush tax cuts, greatly increasing the national debt, as the price for extending unemployment benefits. These people aren't really serious.
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