A Sad State of Affairs

02/09/2005

Paul Munnis

Things are really geting bad now with the Bush Administration. Everthing Democrats had predicted would come true if Bush were elected is in the process of being attempted to be implemented.

A lot of money ($8.8 billion) has gone missing from the U.S. sale of Iraq oil. The UN pointed it out in the just released Paul Volker Report on “Iraqi Oil For Food” and the nation’s press has gone dead silent on the subject. So has the GOP. The British Guardian however has published the full findings. We have also provided it for you reading elsewhere in the World News Section. It’s really bad news. The story can be read in detail at:
“Oil Corruption in Iraq.”

The President is using his budget to tease and anger those who will be impacted if his budget passes. The result is that most groups in America who derive any government benefit have employees that are worried about future income.

Healthcare insurance coverage continues to decline.

Pension programs are folding up at record rates.

Job growth is pitiful and Bush is falsely claiminng that growth will result by cutting the Government budget.

The stock market is still performing poorly when adjusted for the dollar devaluation.

The issues of torture, abuse and failure to arraign prisoners continues at Guantanamo Bay and in Iraq. No attempt is being made to fix these matters even though the courts have ordered a fix.

For workers the workplace environment is pitiful and the recent suggestion by the Bush Administration that another 12 hours per week be added to the work week has some ready to scream. Meanwhile the working poor are denied any increase in the minimum wage even though a steady 3% inflation rate has lowered their standard of living.

The economy is performing poorly in spite of government propaganda reports to the contrary. The American dollar is on rocky shoals too.

The new Bush budget for all its hype will barely put a dent in the overall deficit but if they can injure Social Security and remove the debt that they have to the American people then a big dent can be put in the deficit by writing off the program and tearing up the government IOU’s.

Increases in military spending over and above that required for the war in Iraq is yet another deficit increasing Administration plan. Military spending is bankrupting America in many areas but benefiting a few regions engaged in defense spending.

Israel and Palestine are coming to grips with making a peace and the Bushies are out in the cold. They have contributed nothing, are not invited to the peace table, and are desperate for photo-ops to equate themselves with a possible peace accord. In fact Bush has been the worst president in foreign policy management in modern times. Condolezza Rice does not promise to be a major improvemen over that of Powell either.

Oil now seems to have a new baseline of $50 per barrel. Don’t expect any miracles at the pump in 2005. In fact, the oil economy is petering out and America is ill prepared for the consequences. It is highly likely that becausse of the neglect we will be forced back to a major reliance and expansion of nuclear power.

The vote is still out (literally) in Iraq. Civil War could erupt at any time.

Only 17% of our nation make up the neo-con party that rules the GOP. The rest of us are being held hostage to the Bush form of governing and indicators all point towards a regime based on fascism. We are not doing name calling here, that is a recognized political form of governing and it truly appears that Bush has opted for it.

When Mousollini had the Italian people granting him power he then aligned with the German Nazi Party. He was much like G.W. Bush is now and riding high with the public. Once the Italian government fell due to the U.S. invasion of Sicily and the Nazi Party withdrew from Italy then Mousallini lost his support base. The Italian people rioted and they dragged both Mousallini and his mistress through the streets or Rome and hung them upside down by the heels and dead from a lamp post. Like Bush, he was certain that could never happen to him. Yet it did.

We pray that better things than that come to pass for America. After all, we Democrats are the loyal opposition and we do not want to incite civil unrest. We need to defeat Bush at the polls in the proper democratic manner. Anything else is the wrong way for a democracy.

That brings us to the person who replaces Terry McAuliff as head of the DNC. All of this divison created by Bush is actually Democratic opportunity to gain new voters. Bush is alienating each group, one by one, and causing them to become angry. The Democratic Party needs to hold out solutions that are viable for each of these constiuencies. If we do, and if we successfully sell the solutions to the voters, then we will replace the GOP. If not, we will still be the loyal opposition but one without a future. “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Democrats need to lead if we want a future.