Some days I don't know whether to shit or go blind, and today was one of those. Everywhere I looked, rightwingers were yelling about how the end of the nation is around the corner if Obama and the Congressional Dems are allowed to actually run the government. This constant refrain of "sky is falling" warnings from Republicans has been going on far too long; it just tires me out.
It started when Clinton was elected. He was going to destroy the country with tax increases and socialized medicine. Then later, he was going to destroy the country by telling lies about his girlfriend Monica. When W took over the job, with a Republican Congress to boot, the fearmongering eased up a little bit. The first eight months were totally devoted to the top GOP priority in any season, cutting taxes. Then 9/11 happened, and Rove and the rest of the gang realized they could perpetuate the fear and anxiety caused by that shitstorm to camouflage and divert attention from a bunch of stuff they wanted to do. It came down to this -- if W doesn't get his way on every lamebrain stunt dreamed up in the White House, there'll be mushroom clouds over Houston, and anybody who disagrees is giving aid and comfort to the terrorists. If Bush isn't allowed to do X, or Y, or Z, the terrorists win. Remember those days of not-so-long-ago ?
In last year's election campaign, Top Gun and Palin spent most of their time and energy trying to sell the idea that Obama was a commie terrorist, too. Be afraid of that terrorist-associating commie bastard, be really afraid. He'll destroy the country with his liberal, socialist, anti-American agenda. So we heard. Over and over for weeks.
That effort didn't work too well; maybe a majority of voters were fed up with Republicans and their scare tactics. But it didn't stop the noise: it's just gone on and on. The problem is that Republicans may be right about some of the things they claim to be warning us about, but after roughly seventeen years of their horseshit, I've stopped listening to them. Cried "WOLF !" too many times. Besides, my observations over the years have convinced me Republicans are almost never right about anything.
One of the spokes in the Republican fear wheel is the expansion of government power leading to the end of society as we've known it. I'm a person who worked in some kind of government job practically my whole life; so did my dad and a lot of other people I know. I think there's a legitimate role for government in promoting decent lives for American citizens. I'm not scared by government, at least as long as it's not being run by Republicans.
Republicans believe the main job of government is to maintain the military services, so we'll have the necessary firepower to go around the world taking things we want or think we need. Another important role of government is collecting taxes to pay off contracts when Republicans privatize as many essential services as possible. The war in Iraq and Halliburton/Blackwater are textbook examples of the conservative concept of American government in action.
At my age, I tend to believe patience is a virtue. Obama's been in office a little more than six weeks, and I'm willing to bear with him a while longer. I'm disappointed that he's put so many people with tax problems in the spotlight, and I hate to see my mutual fund investments lose so much value, but I'm not ready to pull the plug yet. Particularly not based on hollering from people who haven't been right about much in my lifetime. I don't particularly expect Obama to be a big success, but he might be. You never can tell. I'll wait and see.
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