Socialism, The Big Business Bailout

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to formally welcome you to tonight’s main event, “Socialism, The Big Business Bailout”!

That’s right folks, I said socialism.

Since I was a little boy, I have been instilled with the belief that we live in a democratic country running a capitalist economy.  Over the years, however, I have learned that my boyhood education wasn’t exactly what I would call accurate.  We do not live under a Democracy as I was taught in school, but rather a “Representative Democracy”.  The popular vote, the votes we as citizens cast at the ballot box, doesn’t always determine the outcome of a presidential election.  We elect the people who then elect the president.

Some nations with complex regional electorates elect a head of state by means of an electoral college rather than a direct popular election. The United States is the only current example of an indirectly elected executive president, with an electoral college made up of electors representing the 50 states and one federal district. Each state has a number of electors equivalent to its total Congressional representation (in both houses), with the non-state District of Columbia receiving three electors and other non-state territories having no electors. The electors generally cast their votes according to the winner of the popular vote in their respective states, but in many cases are not required by law to do so.

- From Wikipedia’s entry, “Electoral college“

Now add to this the fact that an individual we do not directly elect has the power to appoint people to various positions within our government.  While some positions do require Senate approval, quite a few do not.  I mention this, because I want you to keep fresh in your mind that many of the people working “for you” in government have been appointed or elected in processes which do not involve you, or the Will of the People.

As for Capitalism, we don’t live in a truly capitalist economy either.  We have a variety of social programs here in the United States, and this 700 billion dollar bailout… wait, let me write that so it looks as bad as it is…  US$ 700,000,000,000.00 bailout is a perfect example.  But personally, the whole business sickens me.  Why must the American people suffer the burden of bailing out businesses who, through mismanagement and questionable practices, have caused this crisis we now face?

Then again, who is really to blame for this crisis?  Should not we, as a People, be more diligent in managing our own resources?  Should we not live within our means and accept that we truly cannot afford a bigger house?  Should we not look to our relatively short history as a nation and realize that overspending, living on credit, relying on the stability of the market to carry us safely along is a really bad idea?

Personally, I believe the 700 billion dollars should go towards rebuilding the economy that big business has been stripping from us for decades.  Let’s see some cash incentives for American manufacturers to keep production WITHIN the United States.  Let’s see some heavier taxes and tariffs attached to foreign imports.  Let’s see restrictions on imports from countries using child slave labor, or of ANY kind of slave labor for that matter.  Let’s see the government offer tax benefits and grants to Green Energy start-ups.  Think about it, the United States has the potential to corner the global market in developing green energy, and create thousands and thousands of new American jobs producing products for the world market.

I also believe it is time for us, the American People, to start being more responsible with our investments.  From home and auto loans, to where we purchase our groceries, we need to make responsible choices which are right for our families, for ourselves.  It is time to start purchasing American made products again folks.  Each Chinese made product purchased in the United States is one less American made product purchased, and it is that much more money sent to fuel a communist economy in a country known for human rights violations.

If we are to live in a capitalist society, then I say lets live in a capitalist society.  That means taking the bad with the good.  But let us not enact socialist policies and call it democracy in action, ok?

Blocking Care for Women

I received a link to this article recently, and regardless of what side of the fence you sit on regarding abortion, this is serious business.  Once again, the Bush Administration has decided to use legislation to force religious politics on the People.

LAST month, the Bush administration launched the latest salvo in its eight-year campaign to undermine women’s rights and women’s health by placing ideology ahead of science: a proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services that would govern family planning. It would require that any health care entity that receives federal financing — whether it’s a physician in private practice, a hospital or a state government — certify in writing that none of its employees are required to assist in any way with medical services they find objectionable.

Laws that have been on the books for some 30 years already allow doctors to refuse to perform abortions. The new rule would go further, ensuring that all employees and volunteers for health care entities can refuse to aid in providing any treatment they object to, which could include not only abortion and sterilization but also contraception.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Republicans and Democrats alike should be angry.  This is not about pro-life/pro-choice, this is about taking medical responsibility and replacing it with personal bias.