OCR: Oh, hell yeah, I have a problem with that. I have a problem with corporate welfare, too, and agribusiness subsidies and how the Pentagon is now a finishing school for the Military-Industrial Complex.
Like I said earlier: We (meaning us proles who aren’t in the oligarchy) have NO advocates in the professional political class and, yes, Brian, that includes BOTH the Dems and the GOP.
They don’t call the Senate the “Millionaire’s Club” for no reason.
Obama is about “authentically” black as Al Jolson. He’s as much a member of the 1% as Romney, given his background, which includes private prep, the Ivy League and law school. Okay, so he doesn’t have a bajillion dollars like Romney, but, believe you me, his net worth is considerable.
We need sweeping reform and we aren’t likely to get it. And I’d ask why. None of the problems we face as a nation are insoluble, nor are they insurmountable. To me, it looks like Simpson-Bowles came up with some good solutions. Why weren’t they implemented? I’m no expert on securities law, but it seems patently obvious that some seriously shady shit went down on Wall Street. Yet, no prosecutions. Hmmm, odd. We’re sitting idly by, while our government performs targeted assassinations of American citizens, intrudes into every aspect of our lives and blithely conducts wars without so much as a how-do-you-do.
We, as a nation, have been subjected to two generations of outright bullshit from our supposed “leaders” and now have fewer rights, less money and less freedom, while we’re busy fighting each other over stupid shit like gay marriage. And, no, Brian, I don’t mean gay marriage is stupid, I mean it’s a contrived “issue” that is sufficiently divisive to keep our focus off what’s really happening.
End rant.[/quote]
Well said Allan. Completely agree. And yes, I had to google Al Jolson. Took me a while but LOL on that one.
I would put abortion in with gay marriage as another contrived issue as well.
Absolutely right about the “proles” having no voice (and yes, had to google that too). And sorry to say, but I would have to put doctors, engineers, and lawyers in this working class group as that is the reality these days. The GOP is completely beholden to the 1%, while the Dems completely beholden to the unions and their welfare base. The end result is the lower class gets more hand outs and tax breaks, while the top 1% and the corporations also end up with more hand outs and tax breaks. The W2 working class bees end up footing the bill for everyone.
To use Brian’s dinner analogy. The guy ordering lobster and wine somehow do not need to pay because somehow making “job creators” pay would make them stop creating jobs. Then you have 50% of the table entitled to their meal. Leaving the middle class to pay for everyone.
