Republicans bankrupted the country.
The tea party media and the Republican Party has once more been quite successful in creating a disaster and then coming through with fixes that make no sense. But the power of the media is such that they can make these crazy ideas seem legitimate.
Don't ever forget that the reason the deficit is so high (although it has been higher) is because of two wars and an insane, no-negotiation Medicare Drug bill all put on the credit card. Of course while running up the bills, Bushco decided to cut the income with a huge tax cut for the wealthy.
Logic would tell a normal person that to stop the hemorrhaging of money one must first fix the wounds - that is stop the wars (pull out ALL troops) and get a bill passed to make drug companies negotiate prices. Then the income must be increased, especially on those who have greatly profited by the profligate policies of the Republicans. At a minimum taxes must be restored to previous levels.
Add to all this that Republicans in congress have so twisted the rules so as to make it next to impossible to pass anything. The US Senate is being held captive by a minority acting like a spoiled two year old. When Harry Reid has a chance next January it is time for the long overdue expulsion of the filibuster rules.
So the problem was insane overspending while cutting income. But not according to the watchdog of democracy, the press. Now owned 95% by the right wing, the press has joined in the chorus started by the Republicans that the debt is due not to the things I have pointed out, but to social safety net programs, particularly Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. None of these had any real unsolvable problems before Republicans distorted them. Their current problems are far from being unsolvable if we had public servants of quality whose jobs did not depend on the largesse of the wealthy. And the press fails horribly in their job as watchdog as they become part and parcel of those who want to dismantle programs which were amazingly successful to be replaced with poor imitations.
A hundred years from now when the history of this age is written, I suspect historians will look back and call this the age of the Great Corruption where few men and women of character and vision stood up to the rich and well-placed or the distortions of the media, to do what was right for America. Rather they looked the other way while problems piled up and they added to them by applying wrong solutions to those problems.
Like many, I will be voting for President Obama. One reason is that I still have hope that the promise of 2008 can be fulfilled. The other reason is of course that the alternative is so awful. Romney, spoiled rich brat whose only goal is to have our national treasury divvied up by his rich buddies, and Paul Ryan who wants to instill the Ayn Rand Utopia on America along with a Puritanism that is a bishop's wet dream.
Profligate spending by Republicans got us here. Distortion and misleading by the powerful media is leading us to not only the wrong answers, but we are not even looking at the true problems. And America allows themselves to be lead with only minor whimpers.
Where are the men and women of true vision and character that will stand up and bring the leadership we need?
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