by Ruth Sheets
Every news report this week has begun with the information that no compromise has been reached in raising the debt ceiling and the economy. And, every report has an interview with at least one of the “Tea Party” congressmen who just keep saying that the spending cuts need to be deeper with no tax increases of any kind.Since the Federal Government is so abhorrent to the Tea Partiers, I suggest that the deeper cuts begin in their own districts and states. If these super conservative, government-hating congress people received votes from more than 50% of those voting in their districts in 2010, my modest proposal is as follows:
1. Close military bases in their districts.
2. Cut Social Security payments to everyone in those districts who earn more than $100,000.
3. Increase the amount people in those districts have to pay toward Medicare up to the full cost of the insurance depending on their income.
4. Eliminate all subsidies to farmers, corporations, oil companies, etc. in those districts.
5. Eliminate the pensions, medical insurance, and other perks their retired Congress people and senators receive from the Federal Government. They should have to be part of the same system everyone else depends on. This is for every representative from now on.
6. Eliminate most contracted jobs in the military that soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen used to do. If we don’t have enough military personnel to do those jobs, we can’t deploy.
I understand that none of this is in the “Tea Party” plan because their philosophy is “cut the government, but don’t cut my parts of it. Everyone else is draining the system, not me or mine.” This is hypocracy, of course, but isn’t that the subtitle for their whole movement? We are paying less in taxes by percent than we have in generations, yet they cry “Taxes are too high." The citizens in their districts benefit significantly from Government services and subsidies, yet they insight fear of the Government in the people
Tea Partiers refuse to see (or, perhaps are even glad to see) that the income gap between rich and poor continues to increase. They can’t even imagine that fairness would demand the wealthiest Americans help to support the nation that gave them the opportunity to be where they are.
Of course, it is easier to support the wealthiest and most powerful than to champion the most vulnerable. You can just guess where the money for their next election is coming from. And, an unmoving “pledge” not to raise taxes is easier than actually thinking about what is best for America, even what is best for the people of their own districts.
Maybe the deeper cut we need is to cut them out of the Congress next year. In the meantime, perhaps the media should place less emphasis on their childish whining and ranting.
Ruth
