We had a nice snow overnight that is turning into an icy slush as a cold biting rain hammers our little hamlet, the sound of snow removal equipment waking me to this new day, almost but not quite blanking out the sound of my TV as CNN brings me the morning's newest breaking news, which in most cases is nothing more than a rerun of news they previously brought to my attention.
One headline caught my attention...Santorum (perhaps positioning himself as VP, or a nod to some other job on the taxpayers backs) is defending Mitt Romney, saying attacks on his time at Bain Capital amount to a attack on Capitalism. While rolling this concept around in my head, saw another article wherein the Pew Institute says there is a greater resentment/conflict growing between the rich and poor...I know, can we have a duh moment here (just give me the money they spent on that survey, and I could have told you that).
Could it be that both Santorum and the UBER RICH need to wake up to a basic reality? Capitalism in its current form is not working for most Americans, few Reagan's trickle down economics nothing more than a cruel joke that kept the poor at bay for another years while the rich continue to get richer, stacking the deck in their favor at every step of the way.
Americans have traditionally been the most enthusiastic champions of capitalism. Yet a recent American public opinion survey found that just 50 per cent of people had a positive opinion of capitalism while 40 per cent did not. The disillusionment was particularly marked among young people 18-29, African Americans and Hispanics, those with incomes under $30,000 and self-described Democrats.
The American Dream taught to us was simple...if you worked hard, played by the rules you would get ahead in life, live comfortably, odds were good that your children would have a better life (style) than you had as a result of your efforts. You were taught that being loyal to your employer would see your employer being loyal (and fair) to you. Fact is, in 2012, that American Dream is all but DEAD. The middle class is being decimated with each passing day, the richest getting ever richer, hard working Americans struggling just to keep a roof over their heads, and food on the plates of themselves and their family. The few jobs that are out there pay a wage meant to see you barely surviving, paying you what amounts to SLAVE WAGES, all in the name of corporate profits and the bottom line.
According to the 2000 Census:
12.8% of US households lived on $25,000-$34,999 a year
12.8% of US households lived on $15,000-$25,999 a year
6.3% of US households lived on $10,000-$14,999 a year
9.5% of US households lived on less than $10,000 a year
This means that 44.1% of Americans lived on $34,999 or less a year even with both parents working FULL TIME.
There is no better example of Main Street America's anger with the UBER RICH (ruling class) than the "Occupy Movement" that spread across America this past fall. That movement may be floundering in the winter winds, but look for the remaining embers to light a brush fire that spreads across America with the coming of spring, look for larger protests, and if the same tactics used to put a choke hold on the movement this past fall are used by police departments in the spring, perhaps protests will turn into open riots, as 150 years after the Civil War we again see Americans fighting Americans, brothers against brothers as the great uncleansed masses rise up and say, "ENOUGH".
Santorum's defense of Mitt Romney, his defense of Mitt's time at Bain Capital where he employed a scorched earth policy to the work force shows that he, nor Mitt Romney has a clue when it comes to the life and needs of Average Americans, shows them both unfit to hold political office, let alone hold the highest office in the land. Millions of Americans have been disenfranchised, even though they want to work at a living wage, there are no jobs to be found, or if a job is too be found it pays a paltry wage, and is part time. Sadness and despair are rapidly being replaced with anger, you can sense a deep seething hatred starting to bubble up too the surface as the tone of conversations outside grocery stores, or in the local pub or bars is changing as people state boldly that something has to change, the words making it clear they feel sold out by those in government supposed to protect us, those who are supposed to keep the playing field relatively fair...it seems all the Republican candidates are ignorant of this growing rip in the fabric of America, and if truth be told, the Democrats are no better, both parties pandering to special interests, rather than doing what is RIGHT FOR THE NATION.
Santorum's defense of Mitt Romney, his defense of Mitt's time at Bain Capital where he employed a scorched earth policy to the work force shows that he, nor Mitt Romney has a clue when it comes to the life and needs of Average Americans, shows them both unfit to hold political office, let alone hold the highest office in the land. Millions of Americans have been disenfranchised, even though they want to work at a living wage, there are no jobs to be found, or if a job is too be found it pays a paltry wage, and is part time. Sadness and despair are rapidly being replaced with anger, you can sense a deep seething hatred starting to bubble up too the surface as the tone of conversations outside grocery stores, or in the local pub or bars is changing as people state boldly that something has to change, the words making it clear they feel sold out by those in government supposed to protect us, those who are supposed to keep the playing field relatively fair...it seems all the Republican candidates are ignorant of this growing rip in the fabric of America, and if truth be told, the Democrats are no better, both parties pandering to special interests, rather than doing what is RIGHT FOR THE NATION.
