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ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES, OR HOW THE REPUBLICANS ARE KILLING MY MOTHER
10/26/2008
Twenty-eight years ago, when the seemingly kind, avuncular and smiling Ronald Reagan first brought us his vile ideology, the seeds of America's current disasters were sown.
"Government is the problem," he shouted, as he sided with racially motivated "states rights" advocates, and stirred up racial hatred with his depiction of poor black women as "welfare queens in Cadillacs."
He preached the conservative dogma of tax cuts for the rich and trickle down to the poor and spreading democracy at the point of a gun (in his case to Latin America) and pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps. He covered over this vile agenda by schmoozing with Gorbachev, and making lovely speeches about tearing down walls, and telling us it was "morning in America," the "shining city on the hill."
But his policies have failed, as Alan Greenspan told us rather sheepishly this week. There is a "flaw" in conservative economic ideology. No shit. The flaw is so big it is causing us to careen rapidly towards a global depression. The flaw is simply this: giving tax cuts to the rich and deregulating industry does not lead to money trickling down to the poor or to industry acting honorably. Tax cuts to the rich leads to more money for the rich in overseas bank accounts, while tax cuts to corporations leads to sending American jobs overseas. Deregulation leads to greed and fraud and pyramid schemes, resulting in massive wealth for the greedy, with the rest of us on the receiving end of massive job loss, foreclosed homes, no health insurance, and poverty.
Government, according to Reagan and his conservative ideology, was supposed to get out of the way, and a utopian society of free market capitalism would benefit everyone. Except it didn't. And even when a Democrat won the White House in 1992, not much changed because the conservative ideologues had ways to destroy Democratic ideas. Hillary's attempt to provide health care for all failed amidst false cries of "socialized medicine" from the Republicans, and the homophobes in the party refused to allow gays to serve in the military. And today, health care remains a mess, with people dying for lack of care. And, by the way, we could sure use those gay soldiers in our dwindling and overworked military.
The past eight years have seen a return to Republican rule, with a president who thinks he is Ronald Reagan, though he clearly lacks Reagan's pre-Alzheimer's intelligence or gift of oratory. Reagan's words could fool, but Bush's can't. And with Bush, the entire house of wicked disgusting cards in the Republican gambling casino has come crashing down to hurt us all.
We have seen the promotion of hate over tolerance: hate for people of color stranded on rooftops in New Orleans and prevented from voting in Florida and Ohio; hate for gay men and lesbians who only wanted to be treated like the rest of us; hate for the poor who, unable to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, are considered lazy and undeserving of government help; hate for Muslims who wish only to be free to practice their faith; hate for Democratic candidates who dare oppose Republicans.
We have seen the promotion of the ideological over the pragmatic: ideology that sent us to war against a country that had not attacked us; ideology that destroyed necessary and honorable government agencies in the name of promoting small government; ideology that believed unregulated banks would act honorably; ideology that preached the gospel of tax cuts to the rich; ideology that worshiped the private insurance sector which only excluded people from health care and made insurance companies wealthy; ideology that turned a blind eye to climate change until the eleventh hour, and even then did nothing.
We have seen the promotion of the theological over the rational: theology that demanded biblical stories replace scientific discoveries; theology that banned the use of embryonic stem cells to find cures for devastating diseases, even though those stem cells were destined for the trash heap; theology that condemned abortion and demanded compliance with church dogma in the voting booth, even as it required no other action to reduce the number of abortions and failed to recognize how cynical pro-life politicians used abortion to get elected and then did nothing once the election was won.
When it comes to issues such as abortion, taxes, the free market and health insurance, Republican ideology has demanded the perfect at the expense of the good. And thus everything is much worse than it once was when the pragmatic policies of Democrats prevailed.
Nothing less than a total ban on abortion was one goal. Even though such a ban was both unrealistic and impossible, even though the overturning of Roe would only return the matter to the states where most states would legislate in favor of abortion rights, even though abortion would continue illegally were it to be outlawed in other states, even though Republican lawmakers have no intention of outlawing abortion as they would lose their most effective wedge issue, voters continue to be fooled into voting for "pro-life" Republicans.
Republican ideology demands less taxes, especially for the wealthy. In conservative dogma, progressive taxation is anathema, a redistribution of wealth, socialism. Even though we survived for decades with progressive taxation, the wealthy still doing quite well, the infrastructure kept up to date, the deficit low, and the middle class healthy, the anti-tax ideology prevailed under Republican rule and the deficit ballooned, the bridges fell down, and the middle class – so necessary to both a healthy democracy and a vigorous economy – began to disappear.
The radical and unregulated free market is the most fundamental of all conservative dogmas. Even though it has now resulted in the failures of our largest banks, and job loss and homelessness for millions, John McCain and the Republicans continue to hold onto their deregulation fantasies, trying to find a scapegoat for what went wrong, refusing to look into the mirror at the real culprits.
As for health insurance, McCain, Bush and the entire conservative gang who worship at the feet of St. Ronny still believe the private sector can solve all of our problems with the growing numbers of uninsured and the increasing cost of medicine. The moron in the White House even claimed that the poor really do have health care – all they have to do is go to the emergency room. He loses no sleep at night worrying about the 47 million uninsured, or the hospitals that close because they cannot absorb the losses that go with treating the uninsured.
The dogmatic ideology of the Republicans has always resulted in the promotion of fantasy over reality and the stupid over the practical. But now, for me, it has become personal. Republican ideology is murdering my mother.
My mother has leukemia and depends on visits to the local hospital infusion center for blood transfusions. She was told yesterday that the center is closing as of next Friday. The hospital claims the declining economy and the inability of uninsured patients in other parts of the hospital to pay their bills makes it impossible to keep the infusion center open.
My mother has Medicare and a great supplemental insurance policy and her transfusions are paid for, but too many people without health insurance are coming to the emergency room, where they can't be turned away, and too many people are suffering from this terrible economy and cannot pay their hospital bills. And so, the hospital has decided to shut down the center that not only provides blood tranfusions, but also chemotherapy to hundreds of patients.
There is no other infusion center within 40 miles.
So my mother, who cannot travel long distances and who must be close to my father who is disabled, will die sooner than she might have with proper care at an infusion center. She cannot begin the infusion treatment she was planning to begin and she will not receive transfusions when her hemoglobin and platelets are reduced to dangerous levels. She is likely to die of an infection, or a stroke, or internal bleeding, or a gradual weakening from lack of oxygen.
Republican ideology is responsible for this. Republican ideology has ruined the economy and created vast numbers of uninsured who seek treatment at hospitals. These facts have led to the hospital's decision to cut back on some services, like those offered at the infusion center.
So, in addition to increasing poverty, enriching the top 1% of the population, depriving Americans of health insurance, waging immoral wars, destroying the middle class, ruining the chances of millions to own a home, and destroying the economy with an ideology that even Alan Greenspan now says was flawed, Republicans are now killing sick people.
And everyone who voted for Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, knowing the ideology that influenced their destructive policies, is an accessory to my mother's murder.
Elections have consequences. The elections of three Republican presidents in the past 28 years has led us to where we are today – on the verge of a second great depression, with all that such a situation entails. Those elections have also led to my mother's predicament, and to the pain I feel watching her suffer.
There is only one choice this November 4th – if, like me, you are determined to put a stake in the heart of murderous conservative Republican ideology once and for all, to rescue the economy, to end the war, to provide health insurance to all, and to return our country to greatness.
You know who represents that choice and who doesn't. You know who will prevent more misery. You know who will rescue our economy, our reputation in the world, our system of health care, and our middle class.
You know for whom you must vote.
All content © 2005 outragedcitizen.com
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