Republicans keep working themselves into a lather over the possibility that Medicare and Social Security may be in financial trouble. Social Security is projected to be out of money in 27 years and the GOP is chomping at the bit to try and kill it off now.
But here is the thing: There are a whole gamut of long-term problems facing both this country, if not humanity in general, and for the vast majority of them, the Republicans/conservatives don't give a shit. Let's run down a short list:
Climate change.
Rising sea levels.
Ocean acidification.
Environmental degradation from oil and gas drilling.
Growing scarcity of fresh water.
Deforestation and desertification.
Overpopulation.
Disappearance of amphibian populations.
Mass extinction of species.
Persistent chemical pollution of the food chain.
Overfishing and the collapse of fish stocks.
For all of them, conservatives either issue a mighty yawn or they, the Chamber of Commerce and the affected industries scream that "the science is not proven", relying on the obstructionism trailblazed by the tobacco industry.
But only when they spy a chance to dismantle the social safety net which keeps old people from starving to death or dying quickly of preventable illnesses, do Republicans rouse themselves to bleat about the future.
Because, when you drill down to the core of conservative beliefs, they want to make this country into a modern feudal state where there are vast amounts of serfs, a tiny professional class (since serfs don't need the services of doctors, lawyers and accountants) and a class of rich oligarchs who run everything.
The real mystery is why so many people who are in the economic classes that are being targeted by the conservatives for extinction reliably vote for them.
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4 comments:
They truly believe, ALL of them believe, that they will soon be part of the oligarchy.
Whenever I hear about Social Security or Medicaid or the Post Office running out of money, I think to myself, it's not a friggin business. It's a program we set up because we wanted the service. If it runs out of money, we'll just put more in. Raise taxes, if necessary.
Republicans seem to think every part of the government should be considered a business, and if it's not making a profit, it's failing.
EBM,
The answer to your question is in "Deer Hunting With Jesus". I highly recommend reading it but here is the short answer.
Larry the Landlord goes down to the local watering hole and holds court. He's the richest guy in the room so he *must* be the smartest. He *tells* them what is good for them. "Listen to me, I'm richer than any 10 of you put together so I must know something. Vote Republican. Democrats are just a bunch of ______-lovin' fairies that want to give all your money away to welfare cheats."
The Democrats aren't in the bar drinking with the poor folks. Larry is. It is these poor people that make him rich. He's at every city council meeting too because making sure the city ordinances keep them poor keeps him rich.
And then they go to church and the pastor tells them that Larry the Landlord (the church's biggest donor) is rich because God wants him to be rich. And they believe.
Don Brown
Many problems, all of them driven by overpopulation. The solution is not to kill the American Dream, but to change it.
I love your last question but it's no mystery. If you are over the age of 50, you were influenced by your Depression-era parents who believed that hard work and perseverance were imperatives. Being on the public dole, mental illness, addiction, etc. were signs of weakness. Or as Vonnegut once wrote, "It ain't no sin to be poor, but it might as well be." But talk with just about anyone under the age of 40, and that whole Depression-era mythos doesn't exist for them. That group spells disaster for the Republican Party. You can bet on it. So the real question for me is why are the Republicans driving them away?
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