One of the world's great philosophers was Groucho Marx, and he taught us much. One of his favored sayings was: "Who are you going to believe? Me or
you own eyes....?" We should reflect more often about what is right in front of us.
It is not an exaggeration that we can see misallocation of resources all around us that leads to injustice. In our towns we see policemen featherbedding overtime to bloat their pensions and "retiring" at 41. In Washington we have allowed a two-ring circus to bring the economy and our government to the brink of ruin. The Senate and the House are aswarm with lobbyists, and on certain pieces of legislation, there are ten lobbyists pawing over subsections of subsidies in the bills for every Congressperson. Through decisions like Citizens United, the Supreme Court has reduced us to something like a checker at Walmart. We stand there every four years and cast our votes and that decides who will jump on the gravy train of free trips and posh banquets for the next four or six years.
There are really only two parties in Washington, and many, many Congresspeople belong to either the Party of Bread or the Party of Circuses. Whatever label they give
themselves, the Bread Party Congresspeople understand that most of their professional existence is devoted to doling out favors and earmarks for various
industries or companies. We have seen sorry spectacle after spectacle of "bridges to nowhere," keeping tank factories open when no one is willing to buy their production, and subsidizing corn growers and farmers at the cost of inflated food prices. The Circus Party devotes itself to righteous displays of indignation through public hearings over trumped up Fox News foolishness like Bengazi, while the hungry at home comb through dumpsters behind restaurants and another famine in Africa goes unnoticed by the American people.
We must be angry at ourselves for what we have created and allowed to go on at a local, state and federal level. Men and women of great dedication have served us in all these places, but we have stood by and done nothing as a newer breed of gravy trainers decided to take us for a ride while posturing about governing us and keeping us safe. It is high time that we recognized this mess and turned them all out. Reform government at every level, do away with those parts of local government which duplicate services in our towns and cities, and next contribute to and fund reformers who will go to Washington to serve the people and not the lobbies. Let's get our hands on the reins and get people in office who serve us and our needs. At least then if we still have the hungry and the poor, we will know that we have failed to do our jobs as
caring citizens and we will try again until we get it right - or at least make it better.
We are smarter than this, and it is long past time to remind our representatives that we understand what is going on and we will not tolerate it.
you own eyes....?" We should reflect more often about what is right in front of us.
It is not an exaggeration that we can see misallocation of resources all around us that leads to injustice. In our towns we see policemen featherbedding overtime to bloat their pensions and "retiring" at 41. In Washington we have allowed a two-ring circus to bring the economy and our government to the brink of ruin. The Senate and the House are aswarm with lobbyists, and on certain pieces of legislation, there are ten lobbyists pawing over subsections of subsidies in the bills for every Congressperson. Through decisions like Citizens United, the Supreme Court has reduced us to something like a checker at Walmart. We stand there every four years and cast our votes and that decides who will jump on the gravy train of free trips and posh banquets for the next four or six years.
There are really only two parties in Washington, and many, many Congresspeople belong to either the Party of Bread or the Party of Circuses. Whatever label they give
themselves, the Bread Party Congresspeople understand that most of their professional existence is devoted to doling out favors and earmarks for various
industries or companies. We have seen sorry spectacle after spectacle of "bridges to nowhere," keeping tank factories open when no one is willing to buy their production, and subsidizing corn growers and farmers at the cost of inflated food prices. The Circus Party devotes itself to righteous displays of indignation through public hearings over trumped up Fox News foolishness like Bengazi, while the hungry at home comb through dumpsters behind restaurants and another famine in Africa goes unnoticed by the American people.
We must be angry at ourselves for what we have created and allowed to go on at a local, state and federal level. Men and women of great dedication have served us in all these places, but we have stood by and done nothing as a newer breed of gravy trainers decided to take us for a ride while posturing about governing us and keeping us safe. It is high time that we recognized this mess and turned them all out. Reform government at every level, do away with those parts of local government which duplicate services in our towns and cities, and next contribute to and fund reformers who will go to Washington to serve the people and not the lobbies. Let's get our hands on the reins and get people in office who serve us and our needs. At least then if we still have the hungry and the poor, we will know that we have failed to do our jobs as
caring citizens and we will try again until we get it right - or at least make it better.
We are smarter than this, and it is long past time to remind our representatives that we understand what is going on and we will not tolerate it.