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All America Ever Needed Was an Implacable Enemy

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Peter Barus
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After years of "gridlock," the spectators (that is, everybody not actually shooting at someone) are getting whiplash at the new "bipartisanship" in DC. The GOPs and Dems are falling all over themselves to out-spend each other for more terrible weapons of mass destruction, to give to a country about the size of one of these supposedly-united States, so they can appear firmly in support of Democracy and Freedom. Enough hardware to obliterate the place and pave it in hot lead several feet thick. In order to set it free.

Meanwhile, we, the people, are squabbling over whether D & F even describes our own elections, and nobody's neutral on this, from sitting and former presidents all the way down to people in the joint for for a joint. But our elections, as ugly, inept, and corrupt as they truly are, might be without blemish, for all we really know. It wouldn't make much difference, because of something upstream that we're not focusing on.

A party that screams about the deficit gets into office and immediately blows it all on a tax package that lets that party's backers avoid paying the the taxes they would probably have to pay, if they ever let the IRS have any funding. Not satisfied with defunding the cops, they make their crimes legal. Those "deficit hawks" sure brought home the bacon--for their "donors"--when they cast off the moorings of what had once passed for a budget. What an accomplishment! Infrastructure crumbling around our ears, and they gave away the store. When they were done, they nearly burned it all down.

Then it's the turn of the party that one time actually "balanced the budget," partly by destroying any meaningful social supports they could. It starts trying to outspend the last occupants. They have their work cut out for them, but they're very enthusiastic. And this time some of the money somehow gets past the oil-weapons-drugs-insurance-"providers" and actually reaches a few of the spectate--um, people. Millions of kids get to eat regular meals, for a little while.

But it's not like the other party could punch their way out of a paper bag. They had pretty much sat there and watched the feeding frenzy when they were the official minority. Then when things were so far gone there was a violent attempt to destroy the election, it was out with Bad Cop, and Good Cop sauntered in. The nation heaved a premature sigh of relief.

By the way, if you're confused about which party; does it even matter? Work it out for yourself if you want to miss the point here.

Then two of their own Senators refused to get with the program (so the story goes), and blocked everything the new president tried to do for the spect- um, for the people. It just takes one or two Senators to block everything their own party is trying to do, so the other party gets to--wait for it--just sit there and watch the feeding frenzy continue.

Everyone blames all failures on the "other" party. But the two renegades still get to be on the team anyway. There's a specific reason for that. The small number of legislators whose donors are very large numbers of ordinary people chipping in a few hard-earned dollars because they actually pay attention to what most of the people actually hope against hope will someday maybe get done through a legitimate democratic process? They are thus rendered ineffective. Neutralized.

That is to say, the few actual threats to the kleptocracy are defanged. They have no meaningful power. No need to repress them, they can go to the wall for their constituencies (which far outnumber either party, cause all the rest of humanity wants is some sanity); and of course, get nowhere. They can be as progressive as they wanna be, write bills to expand the SCOTUS and set the all-volunteer army to building hospitals and community gardens, and stop bullying people for being female, or brown, or non-binary, or just powerless, and nationalize voting rights, the internet, and a universal basic income, and get a handle on all the weapons in the pipeline to the next bloody elementary school massacre. Oh, and put the rich back in a reasonable tax bracket. And get to work on clean energy right away, before we're all dead.

And under American Democracy (one dollar/one vote), and American Freedom (to disinvest in the hand that feeds them), those moving the levers of power can sleep easy, knowing nothing will happen. Oh, refugees, cluster bombs, famine, apartheid; when was that not happening? But this year, a couple of renegades just say no; next year, who knows? Get rid of elections altogether? They're so disruptive. And everybody's happy, all doing their best with a clear conscience and an untroubled mind, while the money rolls in.

And then, Ukraine.

A pretty kettle of fish. But we got bipartisanship.

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I'm an old Pogo fan. For some unknown reason I persist in outrage at Feudalism, as if human beings can do much better than this. Our old ways of life are obsolete and are killing us. Will the human race wake up in time? Stay (more...)
 

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