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Since I cannot rely on the government not to leave me and seventy million other old, sick, and disabled people swinging in the breeze while they squabble over the debt ceiling, I have taken steps to soften the blow as much as possible. If it works, then not much will change during this political dick joust; if the government sets aside its petty political maneuvering and point-scoring machinations in advance of the upcoming elections and does what is best for the people, then I will have a tidy windfall for my Rammstein fund and upcoming dream trip to Berlin.
If it doesn't work and the government refuses to send out its customary check on August 2nd, then Roomie and I will begin to starve. The lights will go out, as will the air conditioner and the phone. So will the Internet. We will have a prepaid cellphone, but if the battery dies, then there will be no means of contacting the outside world. The car has enough gas for a week, but once that is gone, there will be no way to go to the market or the hospital in case of emergency. There will be enough standby/emergency cash for a few weeks' worth of food, but with no power, there will be no way to cook it and no means to draw water from the well for bathing. No money for the coin laundromat or the car insurance or the tag renewal fees or the mandatory car inspection. No money for anything.
But hey, at least the fatcats and the corporations won't have to pay a penny more in income tax.
I know a lot of people are disappointed in President Obama, and I am, too. For all his rosy rhetoric of making the hard choices and standing firm for the weak and vulnerable, he has proven far too willing to sell them out under the guise of compromise. He's so desperate not to be seen as a pig-headed upstart hardass that he cheerfully concedes the safety and welfare of his most helpless constituents in order to foment his cherished perception of himself as a great unifier of men. Last week, he compared his decision to place Medicare, Medicaid, and other essential "entitlements" to the poor on the chopping block to Lincoln's decision to allow slavery in the border states in order to preserve a crumbling union. He essentially said, "Sure, slavery is morally reprehensible, but at the time, it was more important to preserve the union and win the war so that all slaves would be free in the end."
That's a lofty, noble sentiment, Mr. President, but I'm sure it didn't do a damn bit of good to the slaves who suffered and died beneath the lash in the meantime. Sacrifice always sounds good to those who benefit from it.
So, in essence, my President, who three years ago promised to help me work for a better life and a better standard of care, is now telling me, "Sure, seventy million of you are going to suffer, and some of you are going to die, but know that your sacrifice will benefit the country as a whole, and America appreciates your sacrifice."
No, it doesn't. Most of America isn't going to notice my "sacrifice". Hell, most who do are probably going to dance a jig and crow that "It's about time we cut off the leeches." Besides, the money you save by telling your broken and poor to do without won't even begin to staunch the financial hemorrhaging, and little of it will benefit the ordinary people of this country. It will feed the war machine that never seems to tire and fill the coffers of special interest groups and line the pockets of lobbyists. It will not fix the roads or the schools or inner-city hospitals. My privation will not uplift another deserving soul. It will simply make the rich richer.
I'm disappointed in Obama, but I'm more disappointed in my government as a whole. In a government that spends billions on a stagnant war effort while telling the poor to lick the salt from the road for sustenance. In the Democrats for failing to stand firm until the eleventh hour, and then only because you realized your President would take the blame if Social Security checks failed to go out for the first time in history under his watch. In the Republicans for refusing to demand that the wealthiest citizens accept their fair share of the tax burden, and for telling the sick and disabled of this country that they should do the decent thing and die instead of expecting the rich to downsize to a fifty-foot yacht.
I'm disappointed that the beloved and celebrated myth of my country as a haven for the tired and oppressed now seems so far from the truth.
If it doesn't work and the government refuses to send out its customary check on August 2nd, then Roomie and I will begin to starve. The lights will go out, as will the air conditioner and the phone. So will the Internet. We will have a prepaid cellphone, but if the battery dies, then there will be no means of contacting the outside world. The car has enough gas for a week, but once that is gone, there will be no way to go to the market or the hospital in case of emergency. There will be enough standby/emergency cash for a few weeks' worth of food, but with no power, there will be no way to cook it and no means to draw water from the well for bathing. No money for the coin laundromat or the car insurance or the tag renewal fees or the mandatory car inspection. No money for anything.
But hey, at least the fatcats and the corporations won't have to pay a penny more in income tax.
I know a lot of people are disappointed in President Obama, and I am, too. For all his rosy rhetoric of making the hard choices and standing firm for the weak and vulnerable, he has proven far too willing to sell them out under the guise of compromise. He's so desperate not to be seen as a pig-headed upstart hardass that he cheerfully concedes the safety and welfare of his most helpless constituents in order to foment his cherished perception of himself as a great unifier of men. Last week, he compared his decision to place Medicare, Medicaid, and other essential "entitlements" to the poor on the chopping block to Lincoln's decision to allow slavery in the border states in order to preserve a crumbling union. He essentially said, "Sure, slavery is morally reprehensible, but at the time, it was more important to preserve the union and win the war so that all slaves would be free in the end."
That's a lofty, noble sentiment, Mr. President, but I'm sure it didn't do a damn bit of good to the slaves who suffered and died beneath the lash in the meantime. Sacrifice always sounds good to those who benefit from it.
So, in essence, my President, who three years ago promised to help me work for a better life and a better standard of care, is now telling me, "Sure, seventy million of you are going to suffer, and some of you are going to die, but know that your sacrifice will benefit the country as a whole, and America appreciates your sacrifice."
No, it doesn't. Most of America isn't going to notice my "sacrifice". Hell, most who do are probably going to dance a jig and crow that "It's about time we cut off the leeches." Besides, the money you save by telling your broken and poor to do without won't even begin to staunch the financial hemorrhaging, and little of it will benefit the ordinary people of this country. It will feed the war machine that never seems to tire and fill the coffers of special interest groups and line the pockets of lobbyists. It will not fix the roads or the schools or inner-city hospitals. My privation will not uplift another deserving soul. It will simply make the rich richer.
I'm disappointed in Obama, but I'm more disappointed in my government as a whole. In a government that spends billions on a stagnant war effort while telling the poor to lick the salt from the road for sustenance. In the Democrats for failing to stand firm until the eleventh hour, and then only because you realized your President would take the blame if Social Security checks failed to go out for the first time in history under his watch. In the Republicans for refusing to demand that the wealthiest citizens accept their fair share of the tax burden, and for telling the sick and disabled of this country that they should do the decent thing and die instead of expecting the rich to downsize to a fifty-foot yacht.
I'm disappointed that the beloved and celebrated myth of my country as a haven for the tired and oppressed now seems so far from the truth.
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