There is growing concern that the Wall Street bailout is not going to favorably impact Main Street and a quiet rage is emanating from citizen voters and non-voters alike. It is directed at the actions of the Wall Street bandits who have been aided and abetted by the Treasury Department and many Representatives and Senators.
Those who have everything are now trying to also have every thing else. None of the barons has taken responsibility or been punished for greedy, outrageous and reckless behavior. While President Obama preaches responsibility, bankers refuse to accept any lest they lose their positions of influence and places at the Treasury feeding trough.
It is agonizing to see the number of unemployed, the number of those whose homes have been or are about to be foreclosed as well as the number of people without health insurance. All are growing in number. There are tent cities without water or electricity and questions about the safety of pet food for human consumption. No wonder the rage. With six million home foreclosures projected over the next three years, will some or many be living under conditions not terribly unlike those in Darfur? The "American Dream" appears not only a myth but for many has already become a nightmare and many more are likely to follow.
As to the role of Congress in the economic debacle, whether Democrat or Republican, we can argue which is Tweedle-Dumb and which is Tweedle-Dumber. There is no meaningful difference between the two parties. They both serve the corporations and ignore the needs of the citizens. For the most part, many members of both parties tend to be power hungry money loving political hacks that serve their wealthy special interest campaign contributors. Both played major roles in the deregulation processes. Neither provided oversight.
Deregulation is of course a factor in our economic demise. But that does not mean that re-regulation will turn back the clock. Reality indicates corporate special interests have a way of controlling or even subverting regulations when they do exist. Take for example the rules and regulations of the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture. The decrease in safety of our foods and the unreasonable costs of our medications reflect the domination of these governmental agencies by Big Ag and Big Pharma. These groups exploit American citizens on a daily basis. Such domination is bought through political contributions and is a shameful demonstration of the craven behavior of some politicians.
On April 11, A New Way Forward, www.anewwayforward.org seeks participation in peaceful demonstrations in major cities all over the country to protest the economic quagmire Wall Street created with facilitation by the federal government. The time has come for citizen action to goad the government into actions the citizens demand while we are still free to do so. After all, freedom won’t mean much when “freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.”
