I know we all have favorite writers on oped.com and elsewhere. I found two
from the New York Times whom I particularly enjoy and often read: Nicholas
Kristoff and Mark Bittman. I guess we all gravitate to those who express the views
we basically espouse because they express them so much better than most of us can.
Nicholas Kristof's recent "BONUSES FOR BILLIONAIRES." is classic in my opinion.
I have never been too fond of sarcasm, but in his column it rings so true, and even
brings some laughter to many of us reading it.
He started with his thoughts upon hearing some of the House Republicans talk about the
budget mess. He worried that they had plunged off the deep end. But then as he kept
listening to them, a buzzer went off in his mind and he began to "understand" how
much sense the Tea Party caucus really makes.
His astute next paragraph needs direct quoting:
"Why would we impose "job-crushing taxes" on wealthy Americans just to pay for
luxuries like federal prisons? Why end the "carried interest" tax loophole for
financiers just to pay for unemployment benefits-especially when those same selfless
tycoons are buying yachts and thus creating jobs for all the rest of us?"
In the next paragraph he notes that Republicans won't extend unemployment benefits,
even in the worst downturn in 70 years. Why that would only make people lazy about
finding jobs. And then noting that yes, they're right- he opines: "We should be creating
incentives for Americans to rise up the food chain by sending hefty checks to every
new billionaire. This could be paid for with a surcharge on regular working folks. It's
the least we can do."
There are more gems in this New York Times Opinion post and if interested, I hope you
will search them out in his column. Thanx so much Mr. Kristof. I hope to commit to
memory some of your talking points. They need to be remembered and shared. Only
one problem though and a very big one at that. Some people will still refuse to recognize
the truth and use the common sense that God has given them.
I don't think that in my 80 years on earth have I ever been more disgusted with a political
party as now. My years are numbered and for that I'm glad, but I will pray that miracles
will happen and things will change. That somehow we will bring to Congress people
who truly care about their constituents - most of whom are middle America. For now, it
seems that at least half of them have their hands in the pockets of Wall Street, Big Banks,
Big Oil, Big Coal, and Big CAFOs. Some one wisely noted that we have become a
Corporate "welfare" state. Most of them are making fistfuls of money without paying
their fair share to our treasury coffers. The big oil and coal industries are also bad
for the environment and Big Cafos are causing millions and millions of innocent farm
animals to suffer in confinement without any of the reasonable comforts that all living
beings should have.
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