by lwoolley on Fri Jul 23, 2010 4:06 pm
That is certainly an interesting article, and it resonates as long as you are not interested in digging too deeply.
That article with minor variations has been thematic in American letters for as long as our Republic has existed. When the Constitution was written and ratified there truly was an elite class and the Constitution was designed to keep them that way. The Senate was composed of men (only) who were appointed to their position by the various state legislators. They were effectively the American House of Lords. The House of Representatives was “the People’s House” and was intended as much as anything to be a place for the common rabble-rousers to have their pretense of power.
I am not sure who these elite power-mongers are, but we the people have the option to replace the House of Representatives, from which all spending bills must originate, every two years.
When pundits such as those who wrote that column opine that our government is composed of some oligarchy put in place by some powerful, malignant set of people, they are actually referring to the fact that the majority of us elect the House members and are in fact that powerful, malignant set of people. If a majority of Americans believed that our government was specifically “wrong” then we would see a majority of the members of the House of Representative removed in a given election.
I want to note a couple of specifics about that article:
First, if one takes the time to actually research what happened in the financial institutional collapse that started in 2008, the use of the TARP money becomes very apparently rational. I find it ironic that the demand that the Bush administration should have known in advance exactly where the money was going to be applied are the very conservatives to whom George W. Bush appears as the ideal conservative. Henry Paulson was (and is) also a totally pro-business and anti-government interference conservative. The fact is that the TARP program was very vaguely worded because Secretary Paulson did not know exactly where the conflagration would have moved by the time he got the funds. The fact is, by keeping GM, Ford, AIG and the biggest banks in the country from failing, an almost certain worldwide financial collapse was averted. Governments stood aside in 1929 and let the free market take its course. The resulting “Great Depression” was finally remedied by a worldwide war that resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people and the utter devastation of several of the leading industrial nations. With each succeeding institutional collapse like the one that manifested itself in 2008 the resulting war has increased its level of damage exponentially. There is serious doubt that mankind could survive another unrestricted world war. Far too many of the probable antagonists now have nuclear weapons.
Second: Since all spending bills must pass the House with a majority, and the House consistently is very representative of its constituents, anyone who claims that the power in the House of Representatives comes from some elite group who should be set aside is arguing for a minority rule by whatever ideological group they advocate. While the Republicans had control of both houses and Georg W Bush was President, the Democrats were making exactly the same argument. Their ideology was in a minority in the nation and they were convinced that some conspiracy was ruling the government. Now that the party alignment of the majority is on the other side, it is the conservative Republicans who are howling.
In essence, what I hear is:
“We, the RIGHTEOUS, who are the FEW who really UNDERSTAND what is truly going on and the ONLY ONES who have the TRUE path for the Republic, are the ONLY ones who have the RIGHT PATH for the nation and the government. If the weak-minded, ignorant masses would just listen to US, they would be awakened and agree with WE WHO ARE THE ONLY TRUE & WISE ELITE BEARERS OF TRUTH, LOGIC, and the AMERICAN WAY!”
I am, by the way, not referring to the Congress or the Administration, but to the protesters.
“For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield
There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds,
Getting so much resistance from behind
I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, "Hooray for our side!"
It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life, it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away
We better stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, now, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Jeff