In This Crisis It's Not Stupidity, It's the Money: Three Relevant Laws
There are three basic laws about discussion, especially political discussion, that are useful in the contentious government situation we have today. The third of these laws is especially relevant because it warns us that what is happening in Congress is not a passing aberration, but in fact a threat to democracy in our country.
The real crisis is not the “debt ceiling crisis.” The government shutdown is merely a result of the Republicans using the debt limit ceiling to attempt to block the implementation of Obamacare. If the shutdown persists and becomes a problem, Obama has enough power under the various “war on terror” rulings to declare a national emergency and raise the debt ceiling by executive order.
This moment is historic. For the first time in history a woman is nominated to chair the Federal Reserve. Assuming Dr. Janet Yellen does a good job, this alone will help millions of women in finance and economics, which to this day is fraught with gender bias and glass ceilings. She is already inspiring the phrase, Yellenomics and referred to as Bernanke Redux for most perceive the Fed and their policies will not change much in the transition.
How many of us have tuned out the never ending Tea Party crazy rhetorical drum beat blasting Obamacare? With people whose only purpose in life is to shaft the middle class and poor, as a result, such folk have lost all credibility with most of America and thus tune them out we do. Over and over again we see the Republican agenda is clearly to stiff Americans on benefits they have earned, such as social security and Medicare.
When did it become OK to play political Calvin ball with the faith and good credit of the United States of America? Such are the hidden whispers that the debt ceiling will be used as yet another gun to the head of America, a hostage taking bargaining chip, in spite of the claims to the contrary.
Our government, especially House Republicans, are such an embarrassment to the nation at this point it is hard to write about it. The insanity knows no bounds as they continually play a game of chicken with the United States economy in order to get their way, even when these shenanigans are condemned by the American people.
In order to detect and eradicate wasteful government spending, we first have to identify and define just exactly what we consider to be "wasteful". But it probably depends on who you ask, and who benefits the most.
The ultra-wealthy uses the tax code as a weapon in their class-war against the poor by paying less than their fair share of taxes, when in a progressive tax system, the most wealthy are supposed to pay a greater percentage of their incomes --- because they are more able to contribute more, which benefits the most.
Women are still low on the economic totem pole. A new Census report shows nothing has changed, women still make 77¢ to a male's dollar when both are working at full-time jobs and if one includes part-time, the ratio is even lower, 71¢. Worse than that, women with families and no husband around make the lowest median income of all, $34,002.
Did you know 15% of America lives in poverty and that income for households after adjusting for inflation has declined by 8.3% since 2007? That America is making 9% less in real dollars than in 1999? The latest annual Census report for 2012 shows America is still broken and poor.
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