The Weather
The view from my window this morning, looking over the
Wasatch Mountains, was of broken light clouds on high, with some dark,
snow-bearing clouds over the Wasatch peaks. Utah, like much of the country, had
a wet winter, with snow totals at one of the ski resorts exceeding 700 inches,
a new record. The sun was shining through, and I thought perhaps today would be
a break from 14 days of rain; however, that was not to be the case, and my grass
will have to wait for another day to be mowed.
It seems that our Capitol is mired in pettiness; with both
sides blaming the other for refusing to act like adults. While the country
waits for aid to assist with natural disasters, our roads and bridges continue
to crumble beneath us, and our allies wonder if we are still their friends; our
government battles, not along lines of ideology, but instead on personal picks
and grievances. It appears to me, and I think to many Americans, that “our”
elected officials and governing body have traded what is good for America for
what is good for them, personally. Even today, an infrastructure bill that was
bipartisan in design and approval was halted, because one representative, Texas
Republican Chip Roy, got upset about what wasn’t in the bill. (Money for the
border wall.)
This has become all too typical of Washington today.
Bills that should pass, like this one that would help not only our infrastructure,
but our job market and the economy in general, are held hostage for the
President’s pet project. The value, or not, of the wall was not in question in
the legislation, in fact, it was not mentioned in the legislation. So why hold
up money for needed work? Would it be so hard for Congress to pass needed
legislation and then, in an appropriate manner, discuss the funding of the now-infamous
wall? Will this Congress, and this Administration, go down in history as the
Congress that couldn’t get anything done for the citizens of this great country?
I had hoped this bill would pass, all seemed in order,
and then perhaps Congress could take up other meaningful legislation and begin
to move our country forward; but that was not to be the case.
Instead, like my lawn waiting for sunshine, America
will have to wait even longer for Washington to clean up it’s act.
It's sad when you see our government representatives acting this way. I have just created my facebook page and I see a lot of hateful comments aimed at one party or the other. I believe that we, as citizens of this great nation need to stop perpetuating hate and fear. It's really doesn't matter which party you affiliate with, we are all Americans, on the same team. It seems we are playing into these politicians hands. By the way don't dare me to forward something or call me a coward for not. It's called cyber bullying!
ReplyDeleteFace it, this former representative republic is a plutocracy now thanks to the Roberts court that along with shedding the voting rights act, has given us money equals free speech, corporate person hood with special rights to impose religious dicta upon employees, along with that horrible "cake decision" permiting religious bigotry to supersede secular law, Citizens United, and most recently is allowing gerrymandering that defies the basic democratic ideal of "one man one vote" to rig the 2020 election to ensure that the party which put the Roberts court on the bench is guaranteed, so called "elections," victories into perpetuity.
ReplyDeleteOur plutocracy is also exemplified by the fact that popular policies are being ignored, that income inequity, which history teaches destroy societies from the inside out as we're witnessing on the far right, is at record levels and climbing by the day, and that only the "wants" of the donor class, the plutocrats, using their "free speech" to drown out the voices of the vast majority and its "needs," are favored.
Yes, the Republican Party is a wholly owned corporate subsidiary, and the DINO Dem "centrists," such as Biden et al., that have betrayed every Democratic Party ideal of being the party of America's kitchen tables, are, like Republicans, serving the exclusive wants of boardroom tables.
The 240-something year experiment in self governance is over.
The congressman from Utah, and the Senator from Texas are no more. The congressman from EXxon-Mobile and the Senator from Sturm, Ruger & Co have replaced them.
"Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men" John Adams - Thought on Government 1776
"We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections." John Adams, Inaugural Address, March 4, 1797
And other such lofty ideals that once made America, America, now belong to the ages.
"The man with the gold rules," - The reality of Plutocratic America - 2019