Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Hooray for the Dems?
So the Dems have managed to retake the House, and as every media outlet in the country is reporting, the Senate is still up for grabs. Does this mean we are going to see a change in direction for this country? Will the damage done by the “party of values” and their accomplices in the Democratic circus be repaired? Is genuine reform on the way? I think any rational human being has to be skeptical.
The Democrats have shown themselves to be a party composed primarily of double talking cowards who are highly fluid on just about every position they have taken since Bush II came to power. Where the Repubs have conducted themselves as hypocritical bullies, the Dems have chosen to embrace the same sorts of hypocrisy, minus any illusion of values, but elected to be cowardly in their duplicity. I have no respect for bullies, but I am disgusted by cowardice. Things have gotten so bad, I am no longer sure which party sickens me more, and I believe that I am not alone in my confusion.
Have no illusions, the same powers purchasing Republican politicians are working just as hard to put Democrats in their proverbial pockets. Companies like Enron financed the Republican revolution, but they were also hedging their bets in the form of contributions to “friendly” Democratic interests. This practice is not new, and is most definitely not going away. We had better all believe that Jack Abramoff was not the only lobbyist bribing and buddying up to members of Congress. Human nature and political history assure us that those few Republicans who have been indicted are certainly not the only ones taking illegal ‘gifts’ in exchange for political favors.
What I am saying is, there are few reasons to be genuinely excited about the swing from Republican to Democrat in the House. The House is a cauldron of backroom politics, underhanded deal making, dishonesty, and pork barreling. If a comprehensive, ethical investigation were ever carried out, who believes that two-thirds, or more, of the House would not be brought up on charges? The Senate is not much better, but they are the real power in Congress, and the Repubs have a very good chance of remaining in control there. If they do, what then?
In a word, gridlock. So much law will be buried in committee, doomed to endless revision, and infinite debate, this record setting “do-absolutely-nothing-whatsoever” Congress would become utterly impotent. These people are working less than half the year in their efforts to govern the most powerful military power in the world’s history. Economically, they are laying the seeds for a major shift in geopolitical power, allowing the Chinese monolith, among others, to mobilize and maneuver its way toward becoming the next great force in the world market. America is already suffering the ills of horrendous leadership and I see few faces in the Democratic party that would make me believe we are in for a sea change at the Congressional level.
Combine the total lack of vision with zero work ethic, or zero ethics altogether, and you have big problems. If you then divide the House and Senate, you have a recipe for complete and absolute stagnation. Cap it all off with an incompetent White House distracted by a nation building project gone off the tracks, and it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to remain optimistic.
So long as these people, and it is hard not to refer to them as criminals or, as I would prefer, treasonous shitbricks, put the interests of their corporate sponsors ahead of the interests of the American people and the country as a whole, these elections have little or no meaning. It seems that, with each passing year, we take another step away from common decency and our core values. By doing so, we allow our political representatives to take similar, if more egregious, strides in the same direction. Hooray for the Dems, but we’ll see if this party of invertebrates makes good, or continues to disappoint. My money is on the latter outcome, but them I am admittedly a total cynic when it comes to people, particularly people in politics.
Update: Donny Rumsfeld is out! That was something of a pleasant surprise.
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On some levels I am up for a change and welcome the chance for something new. What scares me though is that the military under the Democratic Party usually has their budget cut, which means smaller raises and reenlistment bonus go out the window. Obviously that means a lot to our one income family, especially since they are already underpaid. Luckily the budget is pretty much set for 2007 and hopefully this time around they will see the need to keep the military where it is and won't make any drastic changes in 2008. I can hope and look forward to see what happens in the next few years.
All I know is that Lame Christ is now the new govenor of Florida and he plans to just do everything Bush was doing instead of trying to fix some problems like education, teachers pay and the FCAT.I really feel nothing will ever really change because like you said these people elected dem or rep are cowards and too afraid to rock the boat.
Change can be good, but the Dems taking the House and Senate does not necessarily mean any real change will occur. As aggravating as it may be, all we can do is wait and see what happens.
As for military salaries going down, that is unfortunate, no doubt about it, and it is part of a growing trend. My increases, even with every single one of my reviews being above target, actually lost money in real dollars this year. I can't imagine any serious cuts in military spending, not without some drastic changes in the global situation.
Either way, the neglect the Republicans show everything aside from the military and their corporate sponsorship needs to be addressed.