The time is running short for the Liberal movement that placed President Obama in the White House to get serious about the programs that are needed NOW, not next year or the year after or sometime in the future. The Republicans -- the Party of HELL, NO! -- have kicked the can down the road and will not rest until we are all in the ditch and they will not relent until we have journeyed all the way to that famous creek. We need to increase the pressure on Congress until they all cry, "Uncle." We must apply pressure in every way we can think of to get the unemployed, the underemployed, and their families on the way back up to thinking about The American Dream.
What more can we do? We can generate a little enthusiasm on our part and take some actions that will make it very clear that the old policies of Bush that are still hanging on will not be tolerated. We don't have to travel to major cities and make fools of ourselves like the Tea Party -- we can do many things from right here at home. We must not dither about, trying to think of possible presidential prospects for 2012. By that time, given the propensity of the Republicans for cutting taxes on the rich while creating more hungry children, they may have brought about a Hoover debacle. Here are a few things we can do and you can surely think of more:
Don't let them go home! Petition Congress in every way possible, with e-mails, phone calls, and any chance you get to speak to your representative in Congress. Tell them that there is a serious National Emergency and the president needs their help in the same way President Bush got the help he needed after 9/11. Let Leader Nancy Pelosi and Speaker Harry Reid know there is too much work to do now rather than allow them extra time to spend running for re-election. If your Congressman or Congresswoman, regardless of party, dares to show up at a public campaign effort, challenge them with the question, "Shouldn't you be on the job dealing with this emergency instead of out here hob-nobbing with your donor buddies?" You may get thrown out but it will be well worth the sacrifice.
Tell President Obama there is another way! We all remember President Bush and all the things he did without Congressional approval. He had discovered the power of "interim appointments" and "Executive Orders" and refined them to an art. If President Obama chooses to do so, he could emulate George Bush and, by direction to the heads of the departments in his administration, reform the practices which allow other nations to victimize American citizens. They could re-direct the rates of tariffs on imports and enlarge assistance to Americans in areas of the greatest need. If Congress doesn't like it, they can always hurry back to Washington and get back to work representing American citizens.
Stay out of WalMart! Unless you are already so poor that you need to squeeze every penny just to stay alive, find a locally-owned store to patronize. The reason WalMart prices are so low is because its products are produced by slave labor in China or Mexico. If we continue to patronize WalMart and the other price-cutting stores, in a year or two, the slave labor will be us! Certainly there are people who can get a little more food for their money at WalMart than they can at the local Mom and Pop, but those of us who can pay a few cents more will not only be protesting the out-sourcing of our factories to foreign countries but will be helping Mom and Pop to continue making a living.
Buy American whenever possible! If you don't find a label in clothing that indicates it is American-made, ask the manager where it came from. Ask your store manager, if necessary, where the produce was grown, where the meat was grown and processed. Once they find out that imported stuff doesn't sell as well as homegrown, you won't have to look as hard to find the fresh stuff that was produced by your fellow Americans. Patriotism is born in the super market.
Never say die! Sure, the progress that has been made by this administration has been slow and difficult, but allowing the election of more Republicans would not help a bit. Senator Mitch McConnell may say that the gain of a few more seats by the Republicans will mean a more "balanced Congress" but, in fact, it will mean nothing more nor less than a total stalemate, which will surely lead to a repeat of another Great Depression.
We, as progressive Americans, must not allow the dream to die. We must ever be conscious that there are no time outs when our children are hungry. Our elected officials must know there is no campaign season trip home when the nation is bleeding.
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