Rob Garbin's Blog

I have been hearing, as most of the country has, that the new Republican congress will be the voice of reason in a Democratic government gone wild. They plan to make the hard decisions that will lead our country out of the wilderness of massive debt we now find ourselves. The initial reporting that I have followed mentions a Congress proposed budget that deeply slashes social programs, while maintaining a military engine program that even the Secretary of Defense has deemed unnecessary.

To me this is only more of the do as I say, not as I do mentality of the Republican Party. First off, I do believe we need to take a serious look at our social programs and clean out the abuse. Democrats are good for championing causes but weak on following through with honest evaluations of their programs. Of course, this is due to the all or nothing mentality of our governing parties. Rarely do you hear, from either party that, while some program has problems or fraud, let us fix the problems instead of dumping the whole program. Second, I also believe that there are just as many programs for the Rich that need to be pared out of our government. Finally, I feel that the new Congress needs to lead by example. If they truly want me to buy into their budget, they need to propose pay cuts for themselves. I know that, as far as total dollars go, the cuts in their pay would only add up to a small amount, but it would show that they are willing to share in the burdens of their constituents.

When CEO’s or Congressmen ask workers to take pay cuts to save a business or government yet are unwilling to do the same themselves, they are being hypocrites. Worse, they are supporting an agenda that has at its heart the aggrandizement of the Rich at the cost of the Middleclass. A Middleclass, which on one hand does more to help the poor, and on the other hand makes the Rich who they are. Without the Middleclass to make, sell, and buy the products the Rich entrepreneurs create, there would be no Rich entrepreneurs.
Sadly, this is not just a Federal Government issue. Many State and Local Governments are facing the same dire straits. To them I say the same. In Wisconsin, the leadership is doing what many Rich CEO’s have been dying to do, attacking the laws that help the working class stand against social injustice. Instead of looking at the budget and making fair yet hard decisions, they have chosen to take the quick and easy solution of taking it out of the workers. What they don’t see is the logs they are tossing onto the flaming fire of class warfare. As they continue to ask the Middleclass to give while they don’t then they only have themselves to blame for anything that happens. If they truly want the unions to give as part of fixing the budget problems, then they need to do the same.

Even more hypocritical is the notion that it is the Poor and Middleclass alone that have led us to the state that our country is in. We are all to blame; however, more often than not, the Rich use their money and power to get the other classes to bear the burden while they reap the rewards. You know Trickle Down economics. I find it easy to see why the gap between the rich and the poor has gotten so big. Again, we all need to give until it hurts. To me, sacrifice is the true meaning of Patriotism, giving of yourself for the betterment of the whole.

Added Thoughts

I am just loving the news on this issue from Wisconsin. The only thing that blows my mind is that so many states, including my own, have voted these yahoos into office. What did middle class people think they were voting in, the Saint's these people said they were. Their agenda has been clear for years. Make the rich richer off of the backs of the working man. They will not be happy until they have rolled back wages and workers rights to the early 1900's. If you thought they were going to take care of you, you are blind. How many prank Koch phone calls does the Wisconsin Governor have to take before you add him with the same people that brought you Enron, Tyco, Wall Street, Banks? Stop looking at the Myths of Ronald Reagan these people have created and look at the truth. I have had to look deeper at the truths of President Clinton and the Democratic Congress he had as well as the failings of our current Democratic Senate. Why did they not reinstate the Glass-Steagall legistlation that might have prevented the Wall Street meltdown? Why did our current Senate chose politics and revenge over doing the right thing and fixing the filibuster rules?

The people that backed the new slew of Republican leadership use Foriegn backing, which they craftily hide in shady accounts. They are backed by companies that want to continue sacreficing US security by keeping us dependent on Foriegn oil (and no I don't believe that Drill Baby, Drill will even make a dent in that problem, but it will definitely make an oily mess). They want to continue sending jobs overseas so they can continue driving down wages here. Trickle down economics is exactly what is says. We, the middle and poor class, are to subsist on the crumbs that trickle down from their feast. We shouldn't have to legistrate social justice, but guess what, they sure aren't going to change. I'll be the first to admit that Unions aren't the greatest thing these days, but I sure don't want to go back to company stores and virtual slavery either. However, if the middle class does not get its head out of its collective butts, that is where we are headed. Like I said at the beginning, I find it interesting that these people demand so much from us, but don't seem to put any of their own money on the table. Wall Street could not give up their bonuses while the rest of us were getting pink slips for their mistakes (corruption)

More added thoughts:

Ok, if the Wisconsin Republicans are so intent on taking away the collective bargaining rights of state employees, I say maybe they can if they add something else to the bill. Add legislation that forbids any elected state official from voting on or receiving a raise without a state wide referendum. Congress must ask the people if they can have a raise. If the people cannot have a say in their future, why should the elected officials. Fair is Fair!