a landscape painted in madness

we're six days away from the next big election. pundits are out in full force, proclamations a plenty that the downfall of democrats will amount to a blood bath. and whilst i've no doubt dems are going to lose plenty of seats in the house, and maybe even a couple in the senate, i don't foresee a slaughter of any sort. in fact, i think i'll go ahead and hold my breath till the fat lady sings.

not that i should, really. i mean, part of me wonders if the president wouldn't be better off in the long term if republicans were to take the house. and then the other part of me reminds my innder idealist that republicans in charge with a democrat in the white house means impeachment proceedings, following months and months of wasted legislating time whilst special investigators and special prosecutors search high and low for any seed that may bear the fruit of a spoiled presidency.

and i pick up my newspaper and i'm reminded of a near 10% unemployment rate (that would likely be nearer 14% sans the stimulus). of a china that's behaving a little more spoilt and persnickety about the value of its currency, its role in southeast asia, and its control over certain minerals we need for our fancy tv's. of america's crumbling infrastructure, dismal education statistics, and the lack of a progressive energy policy. not to mention a still unstable afghanistan, a slightly more stable iraq, a lunatic in charge in iran, and a whole slew of other issues that seem too important to be wasting time chasing after a fantasy impeachment (especially considering that the democrats chose not to pursue an impeachment of our last liar-in-chief (i'm almost beyond sick of democrats taking the higher road)).

we need people in washington who are serious about solving serious problems. and i don't see that seriousness coming from the witches, bigots, and big-money failures on the right. in fact, all i see on the right is the exploitation of americans' fear, stirring up fear of muslims, stirring up shit about the giant deficits we're running, and stoking the flames of racial biases. all the while, simply repeating conservative talking points via their pledge to america (ones identical to their 1994 "contract with america"), but without offering one iota of a solution, a how to, a way out of this mess. and why is that?

because republicans aren't serious enough to be honest about the level of austerity measures and tax increases that will be necessary to get us out of the hole we're currently in. we are going to have to raise the retirement age, we are going to have to reform social security and medicare, we are going to have to raise taxes on everyone - eventually. we cannot sustain the current spending without raising revenue, but no one on either side of the aisle wants to seriously discuss what that means. and it's in large part because no one in america really wants to face the reality of austerity.

it's going to take a lot more courage than i can see in either party to deal with the problems this country and the world faces right now, but talking points, nonsensical claims, teabaggers funded by billionaires whose own political ideology exploits the same people who carry its flag (i.e. "The koch brothers must be laughing all the way to the bank knowing that working Americans are aiding and abetting their selfish interests."), and democrats who can't even band together and brag about their tremendous accomplishments the past two years (saving the economy from the brink of disaster, healthcare reform, cutting taxes for 95% of americans, just to name a few) aren't going to get us anywhere.

the fact is, someone's gotta spend money to turn the economy around, and with main streets' credit cards maxed, banks hoarding their cash reserves, and billionaires spending all their money on political ads to buy elections, the only spender left on the block is the federal government. we wanna see real tragedy, we should see what the country would look like without its spending. and we should worry more about stabilizing our country right now with big spending on, to name one, big infrastructure projects (talk about killing two birds with one stone: unemployment and falling bridges), and then focus seriously and courageously on the necessary measures in prudency and tax hikes it will take to get us back on the right track.

and i can only hope and pray that come next tuesday, americans will pull the lever that will continue the progressive problem solving, leave the gop in the same dusty ditch from whence it pulled its regurgitated propaganda piece to take america back, and help push america forward.

GOTMFV!

~k