How many examples do we need before we are all persuaded that the official Republican Party platform is devoted not even a little bit to helping most Americans--at least the ones whose bank accounts don't show lots of zeros and commas in the "Total Wealth" columns?

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An observation worth noting ... and pondering, from RJ Eskow:

From the first breaths of life to the last, our lives are being stolen out from under us. From infant care and early education to Social Security and Medicare, the dominant economic ideology is demanding more lifelong sacrifices from the vulnerable to appease the gods of wealth....
Middle-class wages are stagnant. Unemployment is stalled at record levels. College education is leading to debt servitude and job insecurity. Millions of unemployed Americans have essentially been abandoned by their government. Poverty is soaring....
And yet, bizarrely, the only Americans who seem to be seething with anger are the beneficiaries of this economic injustice -- the wealthiest and most privileged among us. But those who are suffering seem strangely passive.
As long as they stay that way, there will be no movement to repair these injustices. And the more these injustices are allowed to persist, the harder it will be to end them.
Where the hell is the outrage? And how can we start some?

Where indeed? How many examples do we need before we are all persuaded that the official Republican Party platform is devoted not even a little bit to helping most Americans--at least the ones whose bank accounts don't show lots of zeros and commas in the "Total Wealth" columns?

I find myself baffled more each day that the presumed supporters of right-wing ideological principles do not see how perverted those honorable (even though not shared by all) standards are becoming at the hands of a cadre of officials--some known, others not so much--whose arrogance, hypocrisy, and callous disregard for the well-being of today's and tomorrow's American citizens seems to know no limits! What the hell are they thinking and/or paying attention to?

A primary theme of mine has been that Americans need to invest just a little bit of time and effort to understanding for themselves what policy proposals and enacted legislation means, and how it will play out. None of us can afford to tolerate any longer the mere parroting of talking points urged by preferred media. Certain elements and factions of the Fourth Estate have their own vested interest in keeping followers uninformed and agitated.

Asking why ... why is this legislation being proposed; and what ... what happens when it passes, are questions requiring precious little effort. The answers aren't all that difficult to figure out, either.

Add those to Who benefits? and Who does not?, and we might find ourselves having very different public and private discussions about our future.

Hope is a good thing....

Adapted from a blog post of mine

Authors Website: http://richardturcotte.com/

Authors Bio:

Looking Left and Right: Inspiring Different Ideas, Envisioning Better Tomorrows

I remain a firm believer in late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone's observation that "We all do better when we all do better." That objective might be worth pursuing more diligently."

If we don't look for ways to tamp down the vitriol and intense hatred which members of Left and Right teams freely direct at "the opposition," we will not only foreclose whatever options might still remain to find common ground that moves us all forward. Worse still, we will eliminate both the hopes for and attainment of a better and more peaceful future. We're too close to achieving that empty triumph as it is.

We might not want to acknowledge that we're all in this together, but we are. The sooner we pause for a moment and ask ourselves What Happens Then? if we continue to stoke the white-hot partisan fires, the sooner we realize that sustaining polarization is not in the best interests of anyone.

If we keep doing more of the same partisan same, the answer to What Happens Then? won't be to anyone's liking--not that current antipathy is offering us much. It's actually not contributing anything other than deepening the divide. There will be harsher consequences from doing more of the same.

Aren't we better than that? Shouldn't we want, expect, and deserve more?

There's plenty of blame to go around, of course. But we're no closer to one side winning--whatever that might mean--than we ever have. Partisans on each side might not (or might not want to) believe that, but if Left or Right is counting on Right or Left to concede, a long and painful wait is all that's guaranteed.

Sure as hell we won't experience "better" by doing more of what we're doing now".So I'm hoping to do my part by offering--from my staunchly progressive approach--a different and more meaningful perspective on our conflicted public dialogue. I invite you to join in. Who knows " we just might get to a better place after all!

Richard Turcotte is a retired attorney and former financial adviser (among other professional detours) and now a writer.