"Would You Like To Buy A Pen?" She Asked Me

[Alan Grayson]

As we approach the self-immolation known as "The Sequester," I find myself thinking about a woman in West Africa, asking people, "Would you like to buy a pen?"

She was a middle-aged woman, wearing a bright-colored dress. Judging by wear and tear, it may have been the only dress she owned.

She was standing on the steps in front of a small department store, which was selling pens by the dozen. She repeated softly, in French, to passers-by, "Voulez-vous acheter une plume?" And she held up a pen.

I didn't need a pen, but I did need to know what she was up to. I asked her how much her pen cost. She quoted a fair price. I gave her that much, plus some more. She gave me a pen that I didn't need. And she had enough money to eat something that day. Or so she said, en francais.

Back to "The Sequester," the 12% budget cut for the military (leaving aside soldier pay and benefits), and the 9% budget cut for other federal programs (leaving aside Medicare and Social Security). Opponents of The Sequester are focusing on the military cuts. Their theory seems to be that the American public has been signing blank checks made out to "DoD" for so long that there is no way that we'll stop now. Or maybe they think that we will subliminally translate the words "defense cuts" into "some crazy Arab is going to blow me up" without anyone actually having to say that, much less make the case for it.

I have a nodding acquaintance with polling, so I understand that foreign aid might be the least popular federal program right now, second only to black helicopters. But our immunization program alone saves three million lives each year. Our emergency food assistance program fed more than 66 million starving people last year. Possibly including the lady who sold me that pen.

And the total cost of all that food was equal to one-sixteenth of a new aircraft carrier. In fact, for the cost of one aircraft carrier, we could feed every hungry person in the entire world.

So let's see. A nine percent cut in the foreign aid budget means that six million more people go hungry. And American taxpayers save 44 cents a month. Not even enough to buy one hamburger.

Further translating this into Americanese, give some thought as to what The Sequester will do to the food stamp program, or the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. A lot of Americans will be going to bed cold and hungry.

I know that I will never see that lady with the pen again. Even though I remember her, she probably doesn't remember me - if she is still alive. She is not going to vote for me, and she is not going to contribute to my next campaign. Nor will her relatives, nor will her friends. I'm not sure why I cared whether or not she was hungry, but I did, and I do. It's just part of being human, I guess.

So here is one argument against The Sequester that you're not hearing elsewhere - it will cause a lot of pain. A lot of hunger, a lot of disease, a lot of death. I understand that this argument is hopelessly unfashionable, and completely contrary to the zeitgeist of fear and hatred that dominates our political discourse. But there it is, nevertheless. I sure see it. Maybe you do, too.

Courage,

Rep. Alan Grayson

[Still Sensible]

1. A very strong K & R. n/t

[Hard Assets]

2. Thanks for posting..

Keep up the good work you have been putting together for the last few weeks.

Boehner needs to have his butt kicked multiple times on a daily basis.

I'm glad to see you back in the House

[brush]

70. A man with real human feeling

Alan Grayson is my kind of Congressman. Wish we had more.

[think]

3. K&R

Thank you as always for your great service on behalf of the American people.

[Autumn]

4. You know what? This post broke my heart.

We should not be going through this, but no one gives a damn in this current group of lousy politicians except for you and about 3 or 4 others. These politicians and the MIC don't give a flying fuck about the American people and care even less about foreigners. They don't give a fuck about the poor and elderly.

They don't care, bottom line is, they are doing just great. Good job, great benefits and a nice nest when they decide to move on to another job. They really don't care, they hold the vulnerable in contempt. Contempt.

And Sir, that's not going to change.

[siligut]

5. There is a rumor about a sequestration watch thread in the Economy Group

It is a big, looming issue and we hear nary a thing in the M$M.

I have bought that pen many times too.

[otherone]

24. better go check out that group

[Laelth]

6. k&r for human empathy and right action.

Thank you, Mr. Congressman, for this post and for your service to the people.

High regards,

-Laelth

[namaste2]

7. As long as there are voices like yours

voted into office to speak on our behalf, I will hold out hope that our combined voices can, at least, stem, if not hold back the overwhelming tide of corporate power and influence. I am so glad to see you back on the floor! You go sir! Thank you for caring so much to put yourself through the grinder.

[Cracklin Charlie]

8. Thank you, Alan Grayson!

Your courage is most inspirational.

[WillyT]

9. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[cantbeserious]

10. Thank You Sir - It Is Good To Have You In Congress Again - Be Strong!

eom

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. People do not underestand how tiny a fraction of the budget is used by Foreign Aid.

If you name a figure or percentage three times what is actually being spent on Foreign Aid, people are all for it.

[ashling]

12. Thank you, sir

for your compassion,

for your service,

for your inspiration.

[world wide wally]

13. It's amazing how someone selling pencils like that can form an unforgettable image stamped in your

brain forever.
When I was younger, (during the 70's) I was on an extended adventure in Mexico. I gained a wealth of knowledge and enough funny stories to last a lifetime, but there are a few scenes that are as clear as if they happened yesterday. (I wish I could say the whole trip was that clear, but there was also some tequila involved at times and.... well... that's a different story)

But back to the pens...
As a tourist bus arrived in the zocalo in Taxco, Mexico. The children were there to greet it. As the mostly American tourists got off the bus, a kid of about 8 or 9 years old that I had gotten to know slightly from seeing him around town asked a distinguished looking American for a "pen for his school".

The American looked all proud and found a degree of self satisfaction as he reached into his pocket and handed the young boy a pen. He asked the boy if he could read what was written on the pen.
In struggling English. the boy read "United States Government". The man gave a pleased smile and walked off.

As the American walked away, the boy looked at me as I observed the whole scene. He raised his eyebrows twice and smiled at me as he pulled a roll of pens out of his pocket that was so big he could barely fit his hand around it. I'm sure he was out selling them the next day.
I laughed.

I know this doesn't have anything to do with the point you made, but it brought back a great memory.

[tavernier]

14. A lady put some change in a beggar's cup the other day

and mistakenly dropped in her wedding ring. I'm sure you saw the story; it's all over the msm. The beggar saved the ring, knowing she would be back. Goodness on both sides.

That is all it would take for our government to cross this mountain they have created... goodness on both sides.

Thank you for your letter. You give me hope.

[JDPriestly]

23. both sides?

Which "both" sides?

What should Democrats do that they aren't already doing?

[tavernier]

31. Of the aisle

Sorry that sounded vague.

[JDPriestly]

56. I guess I'm just really a Democrat because I can't see much

of anything that the Republicans do right.

[tavernier]

62. That's my point n/t

[UnrepentantLiberal]

74. Why not be specific?

What should Democrats offer Republicans that they're not offering?

[JDPriestly]

78. What is your point?

Three-word answers are great on Twitter, but I would like to know your opinion. That's why I asked in the first place.

What do you think Democrats should or could be doing differently?

I refer you to Chris Matthews' editorial on his show this evening in which he said that Republicans are using CIA cold war tactics to try to destabilize our government simply because they do not like the person who was elected president. I agree with that very much.

Nothing Obama can do or suggest will get support from the Republicans.

Compare the fact that in spite of misgivings and the Bush administration's obvious lies, Democrats supported even his outrageous appointments to the Supreme Court -- reluctantly, but they supported them.

And then Bush used his power to snoop on US citizens, to torture prisoners, to waste our treasure and our soldiers' lives in Iraq. Then, thanks to the Bush reluctance to reign in the banks and big business, we ended up in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. And we are still grappling to climb out of the economic ditch that Bush blithely left us in when he walked out of the White House.

So I would like to know why you see both Democrats and Republicans as equally what exactly?

Please clarify. I have clearly stated my opinions. It's your turn.

[tavernier]

81. What is your intention with all this badgering?

Is it to hijack Mr. Grayson's thread? Because I honestly can't think of any other reason why someone would take a simple little story and turn it into a Matrix thriller.

A hobo and a nice lady. She gives him money and accidentally loses her ring in his cup. He doesn't sell the ring but instead waits until she comes back for it. Two good deeds. I was suggesting that congress should act like ordinary people and treat each other with this kind of respect and goodness. No more, no less.

Obviously as a democrat, I think our side has bent over to republicans disproportionately, but that wasn't the point of my story. It was only to say that ordinary people out there are doing good things every day and that congress should follow their lead.

I'm afraid I have no more ways to clarify my meaning, so write on if you wish, but this is my last word on it. My apologies to Mr. Grayson for complicating his lovely post.

[JDPriestly]

83. Thanks. Agreed. I just wanted to know what you meant.

[Hotler]

65. Goodness is not in the GOP vocabulary but, the word selfishness is. n/t

[dakdirty]

15. Being a Floridian...

You give me a reason to think that there's still hope for the place...

[byronius]

16. Best possible congressman, ever. Period.

[Duer 157099]

17. "...for the cost of one aircraft carrier, we could feed every hungry person in the entire world."

JFC that is obscene.

[riverbendviewgal]

18. Glad you are back in Congress

You will make a difference.


I like to compare the Republicans to a four old.

When my son was four and in Jr Kindergarten, his teacher took pictures of all her students. She asked them all the same 5 questions.

One of the questions was what would you want the most. My son said "I want all the toys in the world."

I was astounded when I read that among his other answers.

I asked my son where would he put all those toys in the world and what about all the other children in the world who would not have any toys....That day was a day that helped my son understand that having everything is not really the best thing.

[Melissa G]

19. You are a wonderful writer

and an excellent politician. I always click on your posts knowing a good read awaits.

Yes, the sequester stinks. Yes, this is a fine opportunity to wax poetic on why this is so. My concern is that you are one of the few courageous voices out there. What will the current sorry mess that is the congressional process deliver to us in lieu of The Sequester?

We need a sane map to somewhere. Rhetoric in aid to that is helpful, but the getting and selling that map is paramount.

A real Democratic approach could show us the way out. I am so tired of our party serving up yet another plate of Republican lite values and asking America to swallow yet more of the same dysfunctional policies that got us in this mess in the first place with the rationale that is all that will pass the Congress.

Maybe it's true, but if it is true, then that too is a sad state of affairs and we need to map our way out of that counterproductive place as well.

Peace, Courage and Thanks for all you do,
Melissa

[noamnety]

20. I have a question.

I don't actually know when we say "foreign aid" how much is purely humanitarian, and how much is military aid. When I answer polls on it, I give ambivalent answers because I have no interest in the US funding missiles for other countries, and I don't know if foreign aid excludes that completely nowadays or if military aid is the bulk of that money or what. What's the deal with that?

[shaayecanaan]

50. Total budget is $43.4 billion

of which $14.1 billion is military assistance to Israel, Egypt and others, and $8.2 billion is related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (at least some of which I assume has a security component).

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/02/183808.htm

[oberliner]

55. This is not true

Only $5.1 billion is for military assistance, not $14.1 billion (as your link plainly shows).

[shaayecanaan]

77. Fair enough...

A lot of the different items have a security component, but yes, military assistance is only $5.1 billion and not $14.1 billion. Apologies for the mistake.

By the way, that was called contrition, admitting one's mistakes. Quite an essential part of honesty in many ways. You should try it sometime.

[oberliner]

79. No worries

If I ever make a mistake, I'll try to follow your lead with respect to contriteness.

[shaayecanaan]

80. Contrition (nt)

[oberliner]

82. Wrong again

Definition of CONTRITE
: feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming <a contrite criminal> <a contrite apology> <contrite sighs>
— con·trite·ly adverb
— con·trite·ness noun

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Contriteness

I look forward to another contrite apology.

[shaayecanaan]

84. Maybe we can trade apologies

I'll happily concede your "contriteness" if you'd like to admit one of your many mistakes.

We can start here if you like:-

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1134&pid=19754

[oberliner]

85. I take no responsibility for posts made in October of 2012

That was a rough time.

[zeemike]

21. Thank you so much for this post.

And that thought should sink in....that for the cost of one Aircraft carrier we could feed the hungry...just think of the things we could do if we did not have wars which only destroy thing?
Oh well, I can imagine can't I?

[Cleita]

22. ...

[TomClash]

25. Can't we cut foreign military aid, though?

And use that money to feed millions more? Oh, wait . . . perish the thought . . . some people prefer swords to plowshares.

[groundloop]

29. Cut foreign military aid, and close a few overseas bases

I've read that we have military installations in over 120 countries...... WHY???? That sounds like a hell of a prospect for cost cutting right there.

[bluethruandthru]

47. +10000 n/t

[stevenleser]

76. Not quite right. Many of them are not 'US' installations. We share a building in another country's

installation in many cases. That was true the last time I looked at the list.

[Scuba]

26. One carrier would feed everyone. But then no one would hate us and the MIC wouldn't prosper as much.

[Turbineguy]

27. This part really says it:

"And the total cost of all that food was equal to one-sixteenth of a new aircraft carrier. In fact, for the cost of one aircraft carrier, we could feed every hungry person in the entire world."

Our defense programs have no relationship to reality costwise. I wonder just how much Great Britain was spending on one Navy ship when they were the worlds largest empire. It would be interesting to compare such costs correcting for time.

For the cost of one new aircraft carrier we could build 200 cargo ships which would pay for themselves and show the US flag in 200 places instead of one.

I'm not saying we should scrap the Military, but it is a huge financial hole, almost as big as Wall Street.

[russspeakeasy]

28. Thank you for posting this.

[colorado_ufo]

30. A little more Americanese . . .

I had to go shopping Saturday and wound up having to get an item at the Big Box Store (yes, the one that starts with "W&quot . When I got to the checkout line, my cashier was a lady who looked to be in her early 60s, although she could have been younger. What struck me was, she was wearing oxygen tubing.

Yes, this poor woman was on her feet, trying to earn a meager living, while connected to an oxygen tank.

And they want to cut her benefits.

Whatever happened to the heart of this nation?

[BlueStreak]

32. Why do we care about the hungry? It is called priorities

If the whole world were hungry, that would be a different story. But when so much of the world's wealth is concentrated into the hand of a very tiny few, and the result of that concentration is misery an many levels everywhere in the world, that's just wrong.

We truly are reaching the end of what capitalism can do for us. Capitalism was a magnificent system. At its best, it raised our productivity to levels that allowed us to have security, some luxuries, some kind of health care, and an opportunity to achieve as much as our work and brainpower would enable. Granted there was always a soft underbelly of capitalism where the richest were able to siphon some of the wealth into untold personal fortunes. And certainly the full benefits of capitalism never reached big parts of the world, including the lady selling pens in Africa.

But something went wrong along the way. Horribly wrong. Today's capitalism is a totally rigged system where the common person just doesn't have any fair chance. It is more like a prison system than an economic system.

Personally I am losing confidence that it will be possible to do tweaks here and there to restore capitalism to be an effective system for the future.

We need to have an open discussion along the lines, "Resolved: capitalism is a failing system that may be beyond repair. What system will we have in 2050? Will it be further deterioration of the thing we still call 'capitalism', or is there a new order ahead?"

[mgardener]

33. I am so glad you are back.....

We missed you.

We all know people who are living on the margin, most of them our children or, if you are my age, friends who are afraid to retire, have lost their job at age 50+ or those who know they they will Never be able to retire.

All the people that I know in the above category, have played by the rules(American golden rule) are educated, law abiding citizens.
None have been in jail, none have swindled people(like the big banks), have paid their taxes and are good, kind, hard working people.

[drynberg]

34. I LOVE ALAN!

Damn straight, priorities are the place to start...and hunger is huge. Just try it and see what I mean. So is being cold all the time.

[postulater]

35. Wow! Good to hear this voice back in the mix again!

[AnotherMcIntosh]

36. Thank you for your Congressional efforts. Since the rest of us are not Congressmen, does it matter

whether we are in favor of more foreign aid, the same, or less? The rest of us, of course, don't vote in Congress. And many of us have experience with Congressmen who won't vote in ways that we would like them to.

Asking them to vote in a particular way doesn't seem to have any effect unless it coincides with what the big-money people want. Maybe this was your experience as well when you were out of office.

[jlayson]

37. I'm glad I got to read this ...Thankyou Congressman Grayson nt

[emsimon33]

38. So well said!

[GoneOffShore]

39. Thank you sir for the update and the information.

Glad you're here on DU.

[freshwest]

40. Thanks again.

[locks]

41. Africa, the US and the world

We hear you loud and clear; thank you for the reminder. I have seen the children dying in Africa and the struggling families here. We could save them all with the wasted money going to the war machine.

[chervilant]

42. Courage ...

And fortitude, in abundance ...

These and tireless civil disobedience will be essential if we are ever to be successful at stopping the corporate megalomaniacs who've usurped our media, our politics and our global economy.

(AND, don't believe for a nanosecond that "analysts have no clue why gas prices are spiking.&quot

[The Wizard]

43. The poor don't

send "campaign contributions" to Cayman Islands accounts. The Citizens United Not Timid decision just made bribery legal. The justices that found secret unlimited bribes to law makers falls within the parameters of the Constitution should be impeached for judicial malpractice and shysterism.

[PatSeg]

44. K&R

[Curmudgeoness]

45. My eyes are leaking!

I have never read a more powerful statement as to why Sequester is a horrid idea.

Thanks for posting this. I hope I can share this with everyone.

[Tumbulu]

46. I am sure glad that you are back in Congress!

all so true!

Thanks for speaking the truth.

[BobTheSubgenius]

48. My God, what a treasure this man is, all but alone in a cesspool.

Or at least, so it often seems. Try imagining a Congress where this is a mainstream opinion.

Imagine all the people, living life in peace.

[tiredtoo]

49. Good stuff here Representative Grayson

Keep it coming. Just saw a post on facebook critical of foreign aid. The plutocrats running this country are fighting like hell to maintain their control.

[WCGreen]

51. 200th Rec...

It's good to have someone who isn't afraid to tell it like it really is.

[Fedaykin]

52. As it was stated by one former president...

"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America."
— William J. Clinton

[Heathen57]

53. Proud to K&R

This needs to be plastered all over Washington.

[UtahLib]

54. You do Florida and America proud.

I hope the fact that you are back on the floor is indicative of the return of some semblance of sanity to America. I only wish that your integrity, compassion and love of this country and its' people could be contagious.

[Rhiannon12866]

57. K&R for DU's own congressman!!!

[Turborama]

58. K&R for EMPATHY! Reminded me of this...

[raouldukelives]

59. K&R

[King_Klonopin]

60. Is there another way we could ever cut the DoD budget?

The amount of money we flush down that rat hole, and put
into pockets of war profiteers, is obscene. It's about 200 -
300 billion dollars of waste each year. And for what? Big Toys
that kill people. It doesn't even go to the troops. They actually
want to cut their combat pay !!! The Pentagon must be taking
their cues from corporate america....

My fantasy is that they (republicans) trigger the sequester,
we get to cut defense waste, and then we can recoup any
losses in social programs by passing individual laws. I can't
envision our present-day politicians cutting that budget
because they have painted themselves into a corner with
years of fear-based rhetoric and false accusations of being
"weak" if anyone dares to suggest cutting one dime from the
beloved sacred cow -- military (unless it's soldiers' pay,
body armor, VA benefits, etc.) It is an inescapable, self-
made conundrum.

Thanks for being on our side Rep Grayson.

[VespertineIconoclast]

61. Extremely powerful message. Thanks for posting. n/t

[panader0]

63. Another rec and kick for visibility

Thank you Mr Grayson.

[Javaman]

64. Thank you, Mr. Grayson

You are a good person.

[ProSense]

66. Well said. This is key:

So here is one argument against The Sequester that you're not hearing elsewhere - it will cause a lot of pain. A lot of hunger, a lot of disease, a lot of death. I understand that this argument is hopelessly unfashionable, and completely contrary to the zeitgeist of fear and hatred that dominates our political discourse. But there it is, nevertheless. I sure see it. Maybe you do, too.

That's because everyone has been focusing on the cuts to defense, and they are really attractive.

[DFW]

67. If it's not too morbid an idea, Mr. Congressman....

Would you consider giving a blood transfusion to your colleague on the other side of the aisle. Louie Gohmert?

I know, the chances of it having any kind of a positive effect are minimal at best, but as a Texan, I beg you to please consider the embarrassment he has caused Texas. Then consider that nothing else seems give the impression that he has any human blood in him at all.

The change, if I may quote from an Elton John, would do him good.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

68. You know, if it were so darned hot in Florida...

I would move there just so I could vote for Rep Grayson over and over again.

As it is, I'm stuck voting for whoever is running again Jim Sensenbrenner. Which isn't nearly as satisfying.

[Myrina]

69. The Right Wing stance on military cuts is so bogus

... as if a 12% funding cut for the military will shut it down entirely and the troops will suddenly revert to the conditions of Washington's troops at Valley Forge. We have more military shit stashed than most Americans can even comprehend. Enough nukes and other bombs to blow up the entire planet, multiple times over.

And yet for some reason, every GOP'er within reach of a microphone is acting like we'll be back to slingshots and muskets by the middle of March.

Someone please call them out on this?

[Plucketeer]

71. K&R

K & R for ALL Alan does for us.

[LittleGirl]

72. Rep. Grayson,

Surely you saw the report of the big wigs at Facebook bragging how they got a 400 million dollar REFUND from the government yet paid not a dime of Fed or State taxes in 2012, right? THAT needs to end and pronto. The Walmarts and Facebook corporations need to end their welfare from the government at our expense.

Thanks again for the great story.
I always look forward to your posts.
Cheers,
Little (aging) Girl in Tucson

[DocMac]

73. It amazes me that we live in such fear.

We live in a country with more than 300 million guns and untold nukes.

[countryjake]

75. Recommended!