The American People are beginning to recover from a scam that has divided our nation for more than a generation. Whether it was originated by the Heritiage Foundation, the "conservative" think tank, or simply emerged from the aspirations of a precarious blending of conservative and libertarian thought and emotion, we have been a divided nation. From the looks of the political scene, the polarization is running its course and there is now increased pressure for all idealogues and radicals to move closer to the center. And I like that. So, let's dig a bit into the "smaller government" scam that has dominated American politics for the past 30 years.
The Reagan Revolution and our current generation of old and new republican radicals claim to favor smaller government that interferes less in the lives of the average person. At the same time, they have taken massive budgetary surpluses and created the largest budget deficits in the history of our nation. They bring government into our bedrooms, telling us the right ways to have sex and to respond to unwanted pregnancy. They tell us how we should practice our spirituality and our religions, holding that America is a Christian Nation when it is actually a nation of all religions – and for people with no religion at all. They demonize hard-working immigrants who fill jobs upon which our economy depends. They house more prisoners than ever before in history, engage in horrendously irresponsible wars, terrorize our own people with fear and paranoia, asking us to surrender more of our freedoms in the name of “homeland security.” Is this what you believe to be fighting for freedom and less governmental interference in our lives?
The neo-conservative pitches for “smaller government” are obviously a scam. They represent, not more freedom for people, but rather more freedom for corporations to consume our money, our health and our minds through decreased regulation of environmental and workplace hazards, global threats that literally threaten world peace and democracy, a disgraceful health care system and mind-numbing media owned by just a few corporations, serving only to deliver consumers to their advertisers – and not to inform and educate. They provide incentives for multinational corporations to take our job overseas and promote fiscal policies that make it impossible for Americans to build savings due to artificially low interest rates aimed exclusively at promoting a consumerist frenzy that has us living beyond our means and buying more and more things that we don’t need – and which waste valuable resources and pollute our planet.
There is nothing conservative about so-called conservatives. They would sell our planetary resources in a heartbeat – and for a pittance. They engage in unspeakable wars and collusion over oil and tolerate rampant corruption of our regulatory processes designed to help make this nation more safe and prosperous – and free. Republicans have shifted far, far away from human values, and especially from freedom and compassion. To be sure, there are important exceptions, and there are many republicans who have simply fallen for the corporate, hierarchical pyramid scam mislabeled as “Conservatism.” They beat dead horses like communism and socialism simply to make us afraid of ideas that undermine their authoritarian, greed-based aspirations. They make it seem like Europeans and Canadians are ignorant fools for honoring their commitments to universal health care and peaceful cooperation.
The time has come to vote. To vote with our brains and our pocketbooks rather than the grandiose fantasies promoted by the architects of our greed-based, irresponsible consumerism. This is the change we crave. This is the common vision that stirs in conservative and liberal alike, in evangelical and atheist alike. This is where we unite in common values and common purposes. What inspires us is not the rolex watch of a televangelist – but the acts of selfless devotion and compassion – not the latest fashions at the mall – but the quiet dignity of a family dinner. America is already one nation with one vision. Let’s not let the forces of greed and domination continue to divide us into liberal vs. conservative, etc. Together, we have brought light to the world. Let’s not allow that light to be further squandered by greed, power struggle and divisiveness.
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