How A Dogmatic Agenda Promotes a Dysfunctional Government

More reflections on the world of political issues……

We are living in a dysfunctional and disheartening political environment.  We have a conservative political group, 50% of 1/3 of our government, clinging to a dogma that is holding American citizens hostage in an attempt to bring their agenda to fruition.

What is their dogma?  It is that government is our problem, that it must be neutralized and we need to return to self reliance, reduce the debt and distance ourselves from anything that remotely resembles “socialism.”  Socialism, meaning social security, Medicare and the attitude that we are a country of people who work together for the good of all.

What is their agenda?  It is to incapacitate the functioning of government and to make President Obama a one term president.  Their beliefs and their mission are served by obstructing whatever Obama does in an attempt to address the needs of the American people.  To Obama’s “yes we can” their response is no we won’t. 

To these Grover Norquist certified House members, any form of compromise is viewed as a defeat, particularly in the raising of taxes. In fact, they view anyone who is in opposition to their point of view as “an enemy.”  Their “take no prisoners” approach to government was exemplified when those who were needing an extension of their unemployment payments were held hostage until an extension of the Bush Tax Cuts were agreed to by the Administration.  Such extortion exemplifies the reality that these people put attaining their agenda ahead of meeting the needs of people.

And what are their solutions?   Their solutions are 80 years behind the times.  Unregulated greed prompted the ’29 Crash and was present in the 2008 Crash.  Their idea that “trickle down” economics, lower taxes and austerity are the solution to job creation and stimulating the economy have been historically disproved.  And yet, they persist in these failed myths.

These advocates of non regulation fail to accept that the world is full of Bernard Madoffs, Charles Keatings, Enrons Corporations, and the sub prime derivatives bundlers who have destroyed peoples’ lives and our nation’s economy. It is as if they want to return to business as usual rather than to deal with our need for checks and balances in banking, finance and in business practices.

 

These people preach fiscal responsibility and, with a 9 percent approval rating, profess to be the spokesmen for what the American people need in these financially devastating times.   They refuse to accept any responsibility for their part in increasing our debt.  Their tax cuts while fighting two wars and implementing an unpaid for drug program deepened our debt by trillions of dollars.

And, who is it that conservatives offer as an alternative to a President who has navigated our economically crippled Ship of State through uncharted waters?  We have Michelle Bachmann who believes that a minimum wage of 2 dollars an hour is bad for the economy, and that counseling gay people will help them change their sexual orientation.  We have Mitt Romney whose lack of integrity has become the butt of jokes.  We have Rick Perry who, at best, is a provincial Texas politician.  Herman Cain is painfully Herman Cain.  And  Newt’s tired shtick isn’t anymore believable, now, than it was 20 years ago.  These conservatives’ solutions and candidates for president only affirm their dogmatic and out of touch political views and how their adhering to their agenda continues to promote dysfunctional government.

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Namaste,

Jim Farwell