The pimping-out of America

I admit, this title is meant to provoke a response. This is how I feel, and it is why I am angry at politics in general and the Republican party in particular. Just prior to the 2008 elections, I bought a book titled "Deer Hunting With Jesus" by a fellow named Joe Bageant. I still haven't finished it, but after having read some of his online articles I think I'll give it another go. The gist of his book was that white, working class folk in the rural south generally vote Republican because they are poor and ignorant. I tried to press through the material, but my denial kept getting the best of me.

OK then, so wealthy, highly intelligent types vote for the likes of Obama, I take it? And I suppose that people like Ann Coulter are either unintelligent or simply exploiting the ignorant masses like myself and my good ol' God-fearin' neighbors. Well, I'm starting to warm up to Bageant since I have been hanging out with the Ron Paul crowd. I guess he is what you might call an acquired taste, kind of like cheap beer. Now that Obama is in the White House, Bageant seems to be taking his fair share of shots at him as well.

I think what opened my eyes was coming to terms with the fact that we had been sold a bag of goods by our good-ol'-boy president from Texas which had ended up making America look bad. However, the icing on the cake was the bail outs. I think the scales began to fall off when I realized that G.W. was coming to the rescue of his own "kind" when he tried to save the big business moguls on Wall Street. Then when I found out that Halliburton had been given over $70 million in contracts in the Iraqi war without anything ever going up for bid, that's when I decided to write in Ron Paul for president whether my vote "counted" or not.

Now that I have been looking behind the scenes in other areas, the copulation between big business and politics runs through the entire fabric of our country, down to the local town mayor. Recently, Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth organized a $250,000 exclusive meeting between lobbyists and Obama administration officials and members of Congress. Once news of the gala was leaked, however, Weymouth immediately quashed the event. Nothing has been said about the total hijacking of ABC News which aired an entire infomercial on Obama's questionable health care proposals. Gone are the days when one could find a reliable, objective news source that simply reported the facts without commentary or spin supporting the political view of choice. What is further disturbing is that one glance behind the veneer will usually reveal a huge money source lubricating the cogs of propaganda and "spin".

One example of this is the recent episode in Honduras with the Obama administration's "condemnation" of the coup while it appears that it was being manipulated behind the scenes. For those of us who are skeptics we have to find this out from overseas sources such as Russia Today and John Pilger.

Another illustration of this illicit pairing between big corporation and government is the Cap and Trade bill now heading toward the Senate. In a classic move of attempting to pass legislation without a chance for a proper review, the nearly 1000 page document was handed to the House for consideration. Under further scrutiny by a couple of independent reporters, some very interesting data is revealed. It turns out that very little will be done to curb greenhouse emissions. However, Wall Street will benefit tremendously from the sale of the carbon permits. A name which has now become a household word is at the top of the list of beneficiaries; Goldman Sachs. It seems that Ron Paul supporters are not the only ones who recognize that both Democrat and Republican are cut from the same cloth. You will remember Goldman Sachs from the SC Governor Mark Sanford affair. Mike Taibbi recently wrote a very telling and excellent article about Sachs' extensive involvement behind the political scene.

If there is any hope for this country, it is going to be when the working class of America, the so called "backbone" decides it has had enough and grabs hold of the reigns, or what is left of them, of this country and starts shaking. However, for that to happen, we are going to have to allow the scales of the "two-party" system to fall from our eyes and scrutinize every politician seeking public office. You will find two "Freedom Links" in the right hand column that will help you find out who is supporting a candidate, and how a candidate has voted on the issues. If you have ever been to a rally that has Ron Paul supporters in attendance, you will know that we mean business! It is time for America to wake up and declare her values are no longer for sale!