Monday, February 4, 2008

The Bush Legacy

The headline on today’s “Nation/World” page in the Springfield News-Leader proclaims. “Last Bush Budget Aims to Seal Legacy”, but the first line reveals that reporting still refuses to recognize the true legacy of this administration. That line proclaims that the legacy is “. . .a strong defense to fight terrorism and tax cuts to spur the economy.”

Handing a nearly unlimited expense account to the Pentagon and waging war for reasons of political and economic gain are not the same as fighting terrorism any more than thumping a Bible proves that you have ever read it or understood its meaning. Cutting taxes for the wealthiest among us while depriving the poorest among us of the means for self-sustenance is not a spur for the economy even if Wall Street temporarily dances and the Dow Jones soars.

The Bush Legacy is not one of a meaningful fight against terrorism. The BushCo war in Iraq is, in cold hard fact, a legacy of the growth of power of terroristic factions. Iraq is torn by civil war between insurgent factions whose only means of fighting is through terroristic methods. Iraq has also served as a recruiting and training ground for Al Qaida foot soldiers. Afghanistan, the only legitimate active battleground in the war against terror, is largely being ignored – though we are still putting American soldiers at risk there, and the Taliban, whom we went there to eradicate, have just announced that they now have an active army of 40,000 soldiers poised to fight for control of Pakistan and Afghanistan. So much for any legacy of success in the so called “War on Terror”. All in all, it has not been a war on terror at all, but an attempt to control some key territory in the war for control of the world’s oil supply with a little protectionism for Israel thrown in for good measure.

The legacy of BushCo with regard to the economy is not one of positive growth for the country but one of profitable endeavor for our war machine. (Read “Military/Industrial Complex”) Positive growth for America would entail the advancement of the well-being of its people, but the fact is that only the upper 10% or so of the people have gained anything in the last eight years. The rest of us suffer from the decreasing power of the few American dollars we can get our hands on. Many of our poorest working families are finding that even two of the jobs they can find are not enough to feed, cloth, house and educate their children.

The lowest earners among us are finding that their incomes are not up to maintaining their “American dream”. Those of us who are retired or on the edge of retirement are faced with a shakily uncertain future while our children and their children are likely to have to deal with much less pleasant lives than we have been blessed to lead – thanks to the mountains of debt and the heaps of enmity that the BushCo neo-cons have built for us.

The primary responsibility of a government is to take care of its people. This administration has put us at risk instead -- both economically and militarily.

That’s the Bush legacy, and if we don’t get out and vote these fools out of office, we have only ourselves to blame. The world that waited and watched and then screamed in protest while we re-elected G. W. Bush in 2004 will solidly turn its back to us next year in complete disgust if we don’t show some responsibility by voting in a candidate who shows some understanding of the horrifically tangled web that BushCo has gotten us into.

That, too, is part of the Bush Legacy, but the American people have to take some responsibility for their role in it. We, as voters, enabled the fools/criminals that now lead our country, and it is our job to rectify the mess we have made.

I have thought a couple of times in the past that upcoming elections were critical, but there has never been one in my lifetime that carried more import. I believe that the future of our nation lies in the balance. Please get out and vote this Tuesday and in the November election, but for God's sake do so responsibly.


Be the change you wish to see in the world. -- M. K. Gandhi


Individually we have little voice. Collectively we cannot be ignored.
But in silence we surrender our power. Yours in Peace -- BR

The reason for going was to keep the crude flowing and raise a false flag abroad. – from a poem by Jack Evans titled 3500 Souls - http://www.myspace.com/paralegal_eagle

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't you think it strange that the official voting results are not in keeping with the exit polls, or the internet polls, or the amount of money being donated to support the candidates?

I am not certain that voting responsibly is going to make a difference.

BR said...

I added that bit about the vote this morning as an after thought!

I could easily believe that election results are jimmied, but I don't think the primaries are. Tain't necessary because the out-of-line candidates like Kucinich and Paul are eliminated early on by the way debates are set up, finances are handled and the media ignores them and their issues.

If all elections are rigged, you are right. If the vote of the people doesn't decide the election, vis a vis the last two elections, you are right again.

I guess I just keep slogging along with my old belief system (and wishful thinking) that the vote is the one place the little guy gets to exercise the .2 amps of power the system allows us. When I become thoroughly convinced that I am wrong and you are right (as opposed to my present cynicism), I will either back completely away from all political commentary and just live my own little life as a fisherman or I'll get the hell out of the U.S.

Good to hear from you, Kathy. I wish I could tell you there was a Santa Claus!!