The Government We Deserve

          The maxim is that voting gets us the government we deserve. The polarization and gridlock keeping congress unproductive on the big issues that matter to most people, is a function of the inability to overcome a predilection for clinging to ‘our positions’ to the exclusion of all others. That predilection is what helped produce eight years of notoriously disrespectful, bull-headed obstruction in the last few congresses. That, and fear are keeping the egregious waste of legislative energy going in the present congress. America’s psycho extremists are still at work fanning fear, anger, misogyny, racism and hatred.

           Meanwhile, those people pouring billions of dollars into influencing our hapless legislators are getting exactly what they want. No reduction in pharmaceutical prices, no action to drastically reduce humanity’s carbon footprint, no action on controlling the huge institutions that gave us the Great Recession, no tax or immigration reform, no national minimum wage, continuing attacks on safety net programs, attacks on improving America’s healthcare system, attacks, attacks, attacks, delivered with partisan smiles. 

          Hardly a day goes by without someone petitioning congress to not do stupid, wasteful, discriminatory, or destructive things. Hardly another goes by without some candidate promoting stupid, wasteful, discriminatory, or destructive things.

           Around here, we’re wondering, “Where are the jobs? The ‘job creators’ now have most of the money. Why do we still have 50% unemployment in some minority communities? If you can’t recognize that demand, not the kindness of strangers, creates jobs, you probably really do deserve the government we have.