Changed out my desktop screen picture to Crater Lake Oregon over the weekend. If I stare at it long enough, and hard enough, I can almost transport myself thru time and space, and see my tired, old fat butt sitting on the rim of the crater staring off into space and wondering what in the —- is going on?
I am finding it increasingly harder and harder to find the rainbow in all of this. I am referring to of course this S.O.S. (Save Our Stimulus) that is emanating out of Washington DC. I’m sure by now you’ve heard of the almost one trillion dollar stimulus package moving through the U.S. Senate. But it appears to be something other than what they say it is, it doesn’t really appear to be a stimulus bill.
It’s (or appears to be) a big government, big corruption, and big pork bill. More pococurante hogwash cooked up by our electorate.
Among many other wasteful, non-stimulative projects, it includes $650 million for digital TV coupons, $1 billion for climate satellite and habitat restoration programs, and $600 million to replace a portion of the federal government vehicle fleet. $50 million for the arts? C’mon. Does any of this keep YOU gainfully employed in the foreseeable future, do you see any improvement in your quality of life issues.
I doubt it.
Perhaps it is just me, but I see this bill, as currently written, is not worthy of our support. How do you take “Jump Start The Economy” and end up with an 800 page document? Someone needs to tell our elected officials “that they need to insert the square pegs in the SQUARE HOLES and not the other way around.”
A recent Gallup Poll found that 54% of Americans either want to see major changes to the current plan, or they outright reject it. Other surveys are also indicating that public support is plummeting. Politicians can call it stimulus and they can call it change, but it’s just more of the same – and the American people are starting to realize it.
Which is in itself an outright miracle, when you watch any media channel for a report on this. Reporter: “Where does the President stand on that?”
Media information official, “It’s not where some people say where the President is, or people who are not even in the government who claim to know where the President is. The President hasn’t decided yet where he is. So I think we’ve been able to put it into perspective.”
Meanwhile, security escorts you to the front gate, they take your name tag and ID Badge and tell you to hit the bricks, some 650,000 American’s at last count recently.
Newspaper, television and media reporting of the inauguration was mostly glowing with little criticism of the estimated $42-$45 million expenditure in tough times and so-called austerity. How come? Journalists who are supposed to be the watch dogs of society, seem to have got caught up in the hype and hysteria of the moment, and the outright celebration of our first black president. They seem to preoccupied with reporting the mood of the moment and ignoring stark realities.
Almost as pathetic as it was after 9-11, when they all picked up the drum and banged away on the Weapons of Mass Destruction for Mr. Bush’s war.
Every time you’re exposed to advertising or politics’ in this country, you are made acutely aware that our biggest product and most profitable business is still the manufacture of BS, packaging, distribution and marketing of BS. This is big business in this country.
High Quality, prime, Grade-A, USA Certified BS.
That’s why the time to act is now. With so much at stake, our elected officials need to hear from us. Here is what you can do – pick up your phone and call your Senators right now at 202-224-3121. Let them know exactly what you think about how they intend to spend your hard-earned money. (Frankly, if they really wanted to jump start the economy, they would give the lion’s share of this back to the tax payer, and they would stimulate the economy by exercising purchasing power in the market place … Pork isn’t going to do it.)
In times of great challenge, it is often reassuring to look back at some of our greatest leaders. But realistically speaking, that isn’t going to fly either. They simply are not there.
If this is the so-called promised “change” we have all been looking for, it is cleverly masked and disguised as something else. This isn’t change, far from it, this is the same old dog and pony show and appears to be destined to fail.
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