There are some Democrats, the Blue Dog variety and others, who are often guilty of the same allegiance to Corporate America but the majority of Democrats still stand behind the needs of the people over and above the interests of the wealthy and powerful. Has the GOP ever enacted legislation that solved massive economic or social problems such as those of the New Deal, Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security? Of course not; in fact they are working harder than ever to destroy these very effective and highly successful programs and shift all the associated government funding to their friends on Wall Street. Republicans, the party that coined the phrase "death panels" show not the least bit of empathy or compassion for the 45 million or so Americans who are below the poverty line and/or have to rely on food stamps to feed their families.
Just recently, one of the millionaires in the Senate, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, whose $174,000 salary is paid for by American taxpayers and whose health and pension benefits come from government programs, made this statement that is a great example of the contempt that he and his GOP compatriots feel for those less fortunate than they. As a part of the Gang of Six, the Senate group studying debt reduction, he is reported to have said, "The point is where's the efficiency in that? The actual service going to people isn't going to decline, the people sucking off the program are going to be the ones that lost." What brazen hypocrisy!
Thanks very much Mr. Senator for making that half-witted statement that exemplifies the Republican attitude toward Americans who may be unemployed, disabled, sick, seniors and others who can't cope with their situations without governmental assistance. You could not have said it any better; you could not have better illustrated what your party stands for, what you stand for -- a total lack of any feelings of compassion for your fellow citizens.
Do you think that this senator or others just like him have any remorse after making such heartless statements? Of course, not; it is their nature, that is how they think, that is what they are. They take care of their own kind, those wealthiest of Americans who present no problems to their country because they are the privileged, they own most of the wealth of the nation, they have the best healthcare available, their children receive the best education; people who believe that they are the bedrock, the foundation of America because they need no social programs of any kind.
Put yourself in the place of a typical wealthy America and how he or she thinks about people. How would these words or phrases register with them? Hunger, no work, no health insurance, food stamps, poverty, foreclosure, student loans, personal bankruptcy. How would that register, what would be their reaction? Well, from my personal observations of this society, I would venture to say that none of these words register at all; that the plight of others never enters their minds. Sure there are some of the wealthy, those few like the very decent and successful Warren Buffet, who can relate to and empathize with the plight of their fellow Americans; but only a few.
In the spirit of disclosure, I must admit that some years ago I actually supported the Republican Party because I believed it was right for America at the time. But then, as I became more and more cognizant of the issues and problems in our nation and how radically that party's policies were changing, something came over me, some force took control of me; that force was my conscience. And from then on I completely rejected that twisted ideology and became an Independent who basically supports the Democratic agenda -- whenever I feel that it is right for America and its people.
I don't like the idea of one party control and I wish we had a three-party system. But that's not likely to happen any time soon. So, in the meantime, I will support the people of America and urge everyone with whom I interact to reject and defeat those politicians who give every indication of having lost their moral compass and any sense of compassion for those millions of Americans who are less fortunate than themselves.
I look forward to the day when these social antagonists are expelled from all parts of our government and relegated to the dust bins of history, no more than a distasteful memory.
Michael Payne
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