[Peace-discuss] Shocking editorial

[John W.]

At 10:12 AM 1/8/2008, Brussel wrote:

>You mean there's a paper like that right here in the great state of illinois?
>--mkb


In the state CAPITAL, no less.  And it's THE city newspaper, I believe, not 
a Commie rag like the public i.  :-P



>On Jan 8, 2008, at 8:59 AM, David Green wrote:
>
>>The State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
>>
>>August 14, 2007 Tuesday
>>
>>Capitalism did its job well, but it's time for change
>>SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 5
>>
>>LENGTH: 852 words
>>
>>I watched the Minnesota interstate highway bridge collapse. I watched the 
>>amazing pictures of the New York City steam pipe explosion. And I watched 
>>the levees crumble and saw New Orleans flooded.
>>I wanted to write about how America's infrastructure is falling apart. I 
>>was going to point out that there is insufficient money in the federal 
>>budget to upgrade and maintain the roads, bridges and utilities we all 
>>share and are imperative to our standard of living.
>>I was going to close by making the point that the war in Iraq is costing 
>>us well over $2 billion a week and that the money could pay for 
>>rebuilding our infrastructure. I was going to show that it could go a 
>>long way to making good on the promise of decent health-care service for 
>>us all.
>>But I started thinking. If we weren't involved in a catastrophic war 
>>where would we spend the $300 million a day the war is costing us? Would 
>>this money go to rebuilding our power grid? Would prescription drugs be 
>>available to those who need them? Would our roads, bridges, railroads, 
>>air traffic control systems be improved? Would health care for all be 
>>affordable?
>>Nahhh! I don't think so. Since 2001 the Department of Transportation, the 
>>Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
>>Department of Energy, and the Department of Housing and Urban 
>>Development's have all received budget cuts of up to 4 percent. The Corps 
>>of Engineers, despite what they were doing in New Orleans, receives 
>>almost 2 percent less than in 2001.
>>These are the federal departments most directly responsible for the 
>>upkeep of our national infrastructure; they are not even close to staying 
>>even with the degeneration of our national infrastructure. The physical 
>>degeneration of our country didn't start under the current 
>>administration. The infrastructure was crumbling under previous 
>>administrations as well.
>>Why? Isn't our government supposed to meet the needs of we, the people? 
>>The truth is, government sees to the needs of those who control the 
>>national purse strings. The Investment Bankers, Wall Street Tycoons, Oil 
>>Company Magnates and the others who control 80 percent of our country's 
>>wealth call the shots. If they want a tax cut, they get a tax cut. If 
>>they want less regulation, they get it. If they want to increase their 
>>control over the world's oil, the government does its best to accommodate 
>>them.
>>There are men and women in government who are decent and actually try to 
>>represent the interests of the majority of people. But the rich and 
>>powerful are winning the ideological class war and large numbers of us 
>>who are not part of the economic elite have bought into their lies.
>>The big lie is that the rich deserve everything they have and if you are 
>>not happy, it's your own fault. Not happy with your lack of health 
>>insurance? Eat healthier and you won't need it. Not happy because your 
>>workplace closed and now you're forced to work two jobs to make as much 
>>as one used too? It's your own fault for not getting that master's degree 
>>in business.
>>Not happy because the color of your skin seems to draw the attention of 
>>the police as you drive? Quit whining - you should be more careful where 
>>you drive. You're not happy because it's impossible for your power chair 
>>to negotiate the curb cuts in your neighborhood? Blame your mother for 
>>taking thalidomide. Not happy because it's getting more expensive to gas 
>>up your car? Blame the environmentalists for blocking drilling off the 
>>coast of Florida. Not happy because that low-paying job you had laid you 
>>off to hire new immigrants? Don't blame the owners; blame the new 
>>immigrant. And so it goes.
>>They've got us so turned around that for the first time in history the 
>>have-nots are blaming folks who have less for our dissatisfaction. In 
>>fact, many of us are more likely to identify with the rich and powerful 
>>than with our neighbors and co-workers.
>>History is filled with examples of how economic systems become obsolete 
>>and are replaced. It was only a couple of hundred years ago with the 
>>start of the industrial revolution that the feudal system was replaced by 
>>capitalism.
>>That was a good thing. Feudalism became a brake on the ability of society 
>>to move ahead. Capitalism filled the historical bill.
>>People who had a stake in maintaining feudalism fought hard against the 
>>budding capitalists. There were revolutions aimed at overthrowing or 
>>restricting the power of the feudalists in Germany, France, England, the 
>>United States and just about the rest of the industrializing world. Back 
>>then it was the capitalists who were the revolutionaries.
>>It is time to end capitalism's reign. It no longer is capable of moving 
>>the standard of living for all forward. It is incapable of providing the 
>>breakthroughs to benefit humanity. Those who profit from capitalism are 
>>engaged in a giant war to maintain their privilege and make us think that 
>>these inequalities are right and just.
>>Let's get over our fear of being called names and open our minds and our 
>>hearts to create an economic system where greed is not good but concern 
>>for our co-inhabitants of this planet is.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/peace-discuss/attachments/20080108/c09e818a/attachment-0001.html