The U.S. Senate proved that it is morally corrupted beyond repair; after minimal discussion, it returned the legislation to the House. However, in doing so, these so-called representatives of our democracy, led by the GOP but also aided and abetted by a group of spineless democrats, stripped all aid to the states but retained the entire $33 billion for the war funding.
At that very point, if he had the courage and conviction, our president should have sent this message to Congress: "We need the war funding to carry out our military objectives in Afghanistan, but we must also think of the plight of our states and their responsibilities to those in need; so I strongly urge you to pass the entire bill, including aid to the states." But, he did not! He will take the funds for war; he refuses to stand up for the states and the children.
The House, upon receiving the stripped-down bill, could and should have, with the majority control of the Democrats, voted it down and insisted that the grants to the states be restored. But it, like the Senate, once again took the easy way out, passed the legislation and granted President Obama (you will remember him as the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2009) yet another supplemental appropriation to carry out his illegal, immoral war in Afghanistan.
Did our elected representatives agonize over these issues when making their decisions? What do you think? Well, they know exactly what they are doing. They fully realize that these billions for war will result in the deaths and wounding of more and more U.S. troops; they know that innocent men, women and children in Afghanistan and Pakistan will needlessly die; and they know that, with their decisions, they are bringing great harm to the children of America. And, with that knowledge, they still raise their blood-stained hands, say, "aye" and vote for more war.
That says it all: forget the social services for children, forget the teachers that school our children; while you're at it, senators and representatives, forget the police and firefighters who protect our children, and just let the children fend for themselves. Only craven cowards behave in such a manner.
Have they no shame, no sense of decency? What else can we conclude, given this unethical, immoral, and callous indifference to the welfare of our children?
Just this: we have now reached a very low point in our nation's history where, in the highest levels of our government, ethics, morals and empathy for those in need are no longer relevant.
Michael Payne
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