Get with the Game!

It seems that the Federal budget is a political football that is being tossed around by both parties’ representatives, but neither is willing to line up on the field and play a fair game.

The Republicans insist that the only way to “fix” the budget is to cut services for the least able to stand up for themselves, the poorest, most needy. They claim that “everyone should share the sacrifices that are necessary to eliminate the deficits” so their suffering is inevitable.

The Democrats say that they won’t support such cuts because of the hurt it will do to a lot of people, yet continue to “negotiate” these cuts as though they may have to go along with them to “keep the Government from closing down next week.”

NONSENSE, ALL OF IT!!

Republicans know that the people targeted in their cuts generally do not vote. Why should it matter to them if folks can’t afford to heat their homes in winter? If legislators' kids didn’t need Head Start, it can’t possibly be really necessary. They claim that since they themselves had to work their way through college, who needs Pell grants? (Actually most Congresspersons didn't have work their way through college, and these days you'd have to work more than a minimum wage job full time to afford it). We taxpayers pay for Health Care for Congress and their families, so they don’t have to feel the pain of watching their children suffer without proper medical care.

The Democrats should be screaming about the hypocracy. Instead of letting the wealthy who are totally out of touch with real people set the agenda for the next year, they should be seriously looking at Defense Department programs that are not necessary, ways we can make medical care more cost effective (cutting out for-profit money gobblers), increasing taxes to include all income for Social Security and Medicare.

The field we hired our representatives to play on should be a level playing field. Currently it is not. One team wants to win by undermining the other (increasing poverty, destroying unions, increasing the power of the already powerful) while the other team stands around letting it happen because coming together as a team is hard work and might make them a bit unpopular with the folks at the money-trough (who are essential for running campaigns).

Maybe it’s time for the “fans” to get involved. We need to ask ourselves, "Who are we as a people?" What does it mean to be “American?” Is money all that matters? What are our responsibilities to our people?

Peace,
Ruth