The Hippie Blog
Writings From The Author Of The Hippie Dictionary
February 11, 2018
Pork For The Rich or Pork For The Poor? Republican Hypocrisy Again
The tactics Democrats (Dems) are using today to save a humanitarian government program, DACA, for people who need help, are the same tactics that the Republicans (Reps) have used many times, over many years to pass laws, programs and tax breaks for the rich who don’t need help. Pork for the people or pork for the rich; what do you think is correct in a Democracy?
Of course, today the Republicans are accusing the Dems of creating the filibuster process to block the passage of a budget in order to get rid of a program they disagree with. It is impossible to determine the first actual conscious filibuster performed, but both sides of the isle have used it numerous times, so it is hypocritical for either side to accuse the other of creating or using it.
Bundling unrelated topics into the same package or budget is another process I would like to see done away with. Both sides have done it, but that does not establish it as a proper, realistic or moral procedure.
For me the issue of most importance is whether we, as people in a Democracy, are being served well by our “Democratically Elected” representatives?
It has been proven that way over 50% of the population of the USA approves of DACA, and yet our President and Congressional Majority want to end it. Are these people real Americans, to go against the majority will of the People? Do they care about people, this country, or Democracy with the way they treat us?
It is very difficult to protect the people and help the poor and unable when the tax structure and welfare system benefit the wealthy and indenture the poor and middle class!
What Republican Conservative Capitalists don’t reveal is that, when they cut taxes, you will automatically lose some of the benefits of living in a benevolent, people oriented society. Free, good schools for all, libraries, Social Security and Medicare will be cut or weakened, hurting the lower and middle classes. They will lose the ability to compete with the Conservative Capitalists.
And this is just what the Reps want. They don’t want an educated population because an educated population is competition to them. They don’t want an educated population because they can’t lie to an educated population.
There is a discretionary income level that is the dividing line between those who benefit from a tax cut and those who suffer from it. It is much higher than you think, arbitrarily somewhere around $300,000 per year without working. People making under that amount are hurting themselves if they vote Republican.
It is very hard to give the truth to the people when the Government distorts it or keeps it from the airwaves. The imbalance of Liberal versus Conservative news media in numbers, money, programs and stations has long been known to favor Republican Conservative Propaganda.
“Fake News,” another sound bite created by Conservative politicians, which is actually more appropriate to them than to their competition. The tactic is to say it first, say it loud, and say it a lot, so that the uninformed population will attach it to the other guy.
What is it that Conservatives don’t like about Freedom of S peech? Oh, maybe because it will reveal some of the lies they tell! And remember, Freedom Of Speech does not give anyone freedom to lie!
Lying to the media and in the media is the Republican’s shtick. It is common knowledge in politics and advertising that if you tell a lie enough times, it will eventually overcome the truth in the minds of many otherwise uninformed people. And no political party has more money and media on their side than the Republican Party!
My definition of The News Media is truth with balanced values and sensibilities! In other words, a News Story is different than an opinion page letter, an op-ed, or an editorial. News should be true!
By John Bassett McCleary, Author of The Hippie Dictionary
Excerpt from his next book, Common Sense Again