With the Republicans threatening to induce a major global economic disaster by not raising the debt ceiling unless their extremist and unfair demands are met, Obama is showing signs of weakening in his defense of the social safety programs including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Apparently, these programs are now "on the table" in the debt ceiling negotiations. Also, apparently, the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy are still "off the table". This is an outrageous affront to the middle class, the elderly and the poor.
Instead of addressing the jobs issues that are at the heart of the ongoing economic crisis, the politicians are wrangling over a debt ceiling increase that was executed without controversy SEVEN TIMES during the Bush administration. This is politics pure and simple. If the President were a Republican, we would not be having this debate.
Warren Buffett in a CNBC interview stated that the the Republican-controlled Congress is "trying to use the incentive now that we're going to blow your brains out, America, in terms of your debt worthiness over time." In May, Buffett stated at a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder's meeting that if the Congress failed to raise the debt ceiling, it would constitute "the most asinine act" in the nation's history.
Katrina vanden Heuvel offered a solution in a recent Nation column: "Invoke Section 4 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which says that 'the validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned.' This constitutional option is one that the president alone may exercise."
It will be interesting to see how this shakes out...in the meantime, the Republicans should be held accountable for the ensuing crisis if the US defaults on its debts. And Obama should be held accountable if he caves in to the extremists of the right - especially if the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy are not also part of the solution.
Thanks for all your posts and your commitment to staying with it and to find solutions. The partisan rhetoric is disturbing to all to say the least. There is such an antagonistic and violent atmosphere and that is not new. I think Obama means well and is dealing with realities of a madness that is very radical and possibly violent in this country.
ReplyDeleteBut the actual situation is that this country is very much split left and right. Until something new happens here that changes that at a ground level, Obama is caught in a situation of having to play the middle, make small changes, and watch out for the bully in the room.
The idea of shared sacrifice is not what the culture here is fully about...some, yes, get that on both "sides" but that root change is very existential you could say. Self-preservation and overpopulation and destruction and unwise use of resources for that self-preservation are more the way the consumer culture operates, at least in general. It seems only vast and deep catastrophes have the ability to bring people together to work together and drop all the "sides" of self-preservation. And that doesn't seem to last long or go deep in becoming root change, yet.
I was thinking of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and the noosphere he conceived or maybe visioned. There is this thread of unity in the atoms and light and Divinity at the root, one Mind, one Body of that Light. But we are dancing out of step with that in an illusion and dangerously chaotic mad dance of separateness and self-preservation against the "other", however perceived on the surface above the deep root reality.
In the meantime, such a promise of change as seen in multi-cultural Obama, gets watered down or dragged down by the reality of a middle of the road compromise.
One other thought --- it seems the cycles of change in economics, weather and all are so cyclical in general like night and day and never only one in the mad dance that one side waits it out (or even hopes for the other to fail) until the good or bad cycle works its way to where we can "oust the bums" who we then crucify for failing to make it all right. I don't really see mostly positive solution (which may be all we can hope for as Utopia is not final in a physical reality with mortality in everyone's face and future) without fundamental and root change that educates and teaches and acknowledges the unity of all men and all life.
Beleive it or not I'm having trouble posting to my own account...so for now I'm anonymous
ReplyDeleteA very thoughtful post, Dennis. Wish everybody could see how destructive the concept of the "other" is.
I too think Obama means well but am afraid that the compromising he may be forced to make will damage the country's social safety net. The 14th amendment offers an out to the debt ceiling that does not require this compromise. Bill Clinton recently stated that he invoke it in a heartbeat and force the Republicans to take him to court.
What is truly outrageous is that the Republican Congress raised the debt ceiling seven times for Bush without batting an eye. This is politics pure and simple - the Republicans are playing to the extremists in their base.
Yes, the real solution lies in educating all to the unity of all men and all life. How to go about doing it and how long it will take are two of my concerns. Jesus said it 2000 years ago and Buddha before that.
Interesting that "catholic" means universal. Could one interpret the old (and often mis-interpreted) catechism statement "outside the Church, there is no salvation" as meaning "unless we all - ie. everyone in the world - see ourselves as a unity (community?), we cannot bring about the peaceful Kingdom of God or enter the Promised Land."