While wrapping themselves in the flag and preaching patriotism, the Bush administration and many members of Congress loot the Treasury and bilk present and future taxpayers. Consider the tax cuts for corporations and capital gains cuts to the tune of tens of billions of dollars passed by the U.S. House. Consider the talk about aviation safety and the many in the House who voted to retain the inept security service for our airports run by corporations rather than federalize and professionalize this vital need.
Consider the dinosaur energy bill proposed by the Bush administration, which favors global-warming fossil fuel and tries to sneak in unsafe atomic energy instead of heavily funding alternative energy. New energy sources would be more economical in the long-run, provide jobs, keep the air and water clean, and be much more terrorist proof. Imagine if one of those planes on Sept. 11 had hit one of the atomic reactors 40 miles up river from New York City and made the city and environs a wasteland indefinitely, to say nothing of the radioactive clouds that would have traveled around the globe.
Consider that our public health system has been starved for funds and that our infrastructure continues to suffer years of government neglect. In this time of crisis we pay for past neglect by being much more vulnerable to bioterrorism. How can the challenge of bioterrorism hope to be met by an understaffed, underfunded agencies? How can hospitals, which can barely meet the needs of our population in normal times, hope to cope effectively during major emergencies? The nursing shortage caused by poor pay is hurting public health already.
These are just a few examples of the administration and many in Congress talking patriotism and using the current crisis as a cover to pass legislation that sells out the country to big money. There’s only one way to stop this betrayal and that is to get money out of politics. We need public funding of elections and election reform. We won’t get that unless citizens understand what’s happening and demand change. Getting money out of politics is the No.1 issue. Until we do so, our national interests will not be served and we will keep going to war for oil and other corporate purposes.
Coupeville
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