GOP CASHING IN ON CREATING CRISES

This government shutdown is creating a problem for many people. That is no surprise. It is a manufactured crisis; everyone knows that. The misled Republican caucus did it, as a Congressman recently said, “To get something out of it”. As it turns out, it is nothing new; it is business as usual. If they are rewarded for what they do, you could safely bet they will do nothing to prevent the same thing from happening again, and again, and again. They could pass legislation that would prevent this form ever happening again. In addition, we all know the crisis is easily solved with a continuing resolution to keep the government going. In other words, they could have prevented the crisis in the first place and they can turn them on and off at will. They have been using “these” crises for years and will continue doing using them.

Their objective is to go against the will of the majority of the people and destroy as much government as they can one piece at a time. When they have the power, they do it in bigger chunks but when the power structure in Washington is as it is now, they have to be content to do it piecemeal. When George W. was president, the plan was to spend the government into crisis; that is exactly what happened. This is using the “Shock doctrine” author Naomi Klein so brilliantly described in her book by that name.

Democrats are running around telling us how evil it is that school children are not being given school lunches, that head start programs are being shut down, that welfare checks are not being sent out, that government employees are not being paid, that government agencies are being de-staffed, and a long list of etceteras as long as your arm. The great majority of people see this as being wrong headed; however, and this is a major point overlooked by the people, the Republicans think these things are good things; it is exactly what the “hate American Government” Tea Party wants.  A crisis  is what puts them in a favorable bargaining position. The shock of the crisis they created makes it OK for Democrats to accept cutting programs that help people. For example, President Obama did not like the #CPI (COLA) changes to Social Security Program as right wing talk radio hosts are now commonly saying. He consented put that on the table to end a “Crisis” . . . the Republicans  got something—Obama fell for it and their dirty tricks paid off for them.

Republicans applaud wildly when they tell one another in closed meeting that they want to destroy all government programs except those in the Constitution—they claim to be constitutional fundamentalists. Everything else should be in the hands of private contractors. The truth be known, the constitution be damned, they include even the army and the Post Office; reference Jeremy Scahill’s book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army  and the Darryl Issa’s Government Oversight Committee hearings on the post office.  Other programs on their list are public schools, Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare, food stamps, and a long list of altruistic programs. This is not just their government view; it is their life’s view.  If someone cannot make a buck out of it, it should not be done. People become upset with me when I point this out so bluntly. According to them Greed is good no matter where you find it and altruism is evil no matter where you find it. This is simple black and white innate Republican logic.

These are the reason we have crisis after crisis in Washington. Obama has decided not to give them anything to resolve this crisis. After five-years, he has learned that he is not dealing with reasonable people. He is not dealing with people who want to make our government better; he is dealing with people who want to destroy the entire government to make a buck. As long as radicals like Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul get something from each crisis, they will continue to create crises. The tragedy is that what they may get is a cliff like ending for America’s democracy. Obama understands this even if most people do not. 

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