"The Republicanization of the United States: Becoming a “Can Do Nation” Again"

[applegrove]

The Republicanization of the United States: Becoming a “Can Do Nation” Again

by Milt Shook at Please Cut the Crap

http://pleasecutthecrap.com/the-republicanization-of-the-united-states/

"SNIP......................................


In the past 34 years, the Republican Party has brought us a brand of cynicism that should have no place in government, whereby the people who work for us talk about the cost of everything and the value of nothing. They constantly pretend to cut the budget to the bone, when they’re actually diverting the money from programs that help the average American to contracts that line the pockets of those who put them into power, especially when it comes to their baby, the Department of Perpetual War. One of the worst legacies of the Democratic Party-dominated period has to be the Vietnam War, but the Republicans actually topped that by starting three preventable wars in the last 34 years, and turning two of them into major quagmires that lasted longer than Vietnam, and which did little more than line the pockets of defense contractors, to the tune of $2 trillion.

Republicans have also deregulated everything they could get their dirty little hands on. They cut regulations that were created to prevent another Great Depression, and they slashed regulations designed to keep markets fair and equitable. They have continually chipped away at regulations designed to keep workers safe on the job, as well as those intended to keep the environment safe. They even loosened regulations on food safety, and they virtually destroyed the regulations designed to ease our oil addiction. As one of his first acts, Reagan went so far as to take the solar panels off the White House roof in a sign of defiance. That’s put us more than 30 years behind the rest of the world in developing solar and wind power, which are not only the future of energy, but which are also the next global economic boom.

Republican rule has transformed this young, vibrant nation from a nation that once believed it could do anything, into a nation that believes it’s broke and can’t afford to do anything. Think about it; everything we discuss doing these days is through the frame of how much it costs and whether or not it will make money, which is not rational. While we are still the richest nation in the world, with Republicans in charge – especially the current crop – we won’t be for long.

The level of cynicism that courses through this government these days is not worthy of the United States. The steps we took to build this nation after World War II are largely being abandoned.




.......................................SNIP"

[Cha]

1. YES WE CAN!

[1000words]

19. Still waiting ...

[Cha]

22. For what?

[RainDog]

2. k&r n/t

[octoberlib]

3. K&R!

[calimary]

4. Preach it!!!!!!

[Samantha]

5. I love this

It is all so true.

Sam

[world wide wally]

6. I have been expressing this same thing to people i talk to for the past few years. Thanks for

putting it so well and sharing the sentiment with people here. Now if only everyone in the country could hear it with an open mind.

[mountain grammy]

7. Yes, the Republicanization of America (and too often my own party) has to stop.

It will most certainly destroy us. Today's GOP is the same as the Confederacy and will do the same damage to our country.

[alfredo]

8. We'd still be living in trees if our early ancestors were Republicans

[Rozlee]

17. We'd still be bubbling in the primordial ooze more likely.

[freshwest]

9. Wow! Great piece. Off to the Greatest Page with it! n/t

[Unknown Beatle]

10. Add Bill Clinton to the list.

From the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act to NAFTA.

[Lefty Thinker]

11. Until we abandon the mistaken notion that taxes pay for

government spending. The government (Congress, specifically -- Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution) has the power to flat-out create money. It can buy anything offered for sale in US dollars. (There are potential undesirable consequences, depending on what it purchases.) This is true regardless of the amount of tax collected. Therefore, taxes do not "fund" government spending. So long as the language of "taxes funding" anything is used, the working class and poor of America are will lose.

[Egalitarian Thug]

13. Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution was rendered null and void in 1913.

Under the last Democratic puppet that gained popularity because of a speech and was installed to carry out his owner's wishes.

[sheshe2]

12. Go Go Go!

K&R!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

14. excellent article

Deregulations, corporate culture .....yep.

[prairierose]

15. That is why I always call that party the republicants...

they are always telling us we can't do this or that. The underlying reason is that it was take money away from the oligarchs. If they had been in charge for our whole history, this country would never have accomplished anything. We would not have built the Golden Gate bridge or Hoover dam or the interstate highways or sent men tot he moon or any of the other great things that were accomplished in the US. We have to defeat them if only for this reason. We need to become a CAN DO nation again. And that will only be accomplished when the republicants are in the minority again for a long time.

[renate]

16. so true

And such a waste.

[RainDog]

18. k&r n/t

[LeftishBrit]

20. This also applies to Britain under the Tory-led coalition...

and to some extent ever since Thatcher. 'The cost of everything and the value of nothing.' Indeed.

[Dustlawyer]

21. K&R!!! They own our politicians, most Democrats too! The Republicans didn't do this all on their

own! This has to stop! Our system of government has been corrupted by the way in which we elect our Representatives. The massive campaign donations paid to these politicians in periodic installments (why do you think they constantly fundraise), keep them bought.
Citizens United was no accident! Why haven't they done something about it?
Let's fix this system. Publicly Funded Elections will get rid of these greedy, corrupt S.O.B.'s and give us Representative government again! To get there we have to put tremendous pressure on them. Many Republican voters should want the same thing.