A Letter to a DICK and a RANT to the Citizenry

Vice President Cheney, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union" articulated the harshest conservative case against the president's plans, accused the Obama administration of "using the current set of economic difficulties to try to justify a massive expansion of government, and much more authority for the government over the private sector." (Yahoon News / Politico / Mike Allen Mike Allen – Sat Mar 14, 7:41 pm ET)

Dear Former Vice President,

As a working-class citizen of The United States of America, I would welcome the expansion of MY government, particularly as it pertains to oversight of the private sector which continues to loot MY tax dollars with the misappropriation of T.A.R.P. funds and bloated no-bid military contracts, just to name two things which occurred with the blessing of your administration.

Though you don't think it is in your best interest, please allow the rest of us to re-build OUR country from the political, financial and constitutional devastation YOUR administration left behind.

Have you no shame, sir?

_________________________

Dear American Citizen,

Don't be fooled into fearing YOUR government which was designed by our forefathers to be of, by and FOR THE PEOPLE. True, it's been so long since that has happened, I can understand your suspicions, but it is possible.

But know that YOUR government, unlike private industry, has no profit motive for itself. For what can a well-regulated government do with a surplus but re-invest it in programs for you and your countrymen? And if those programs are wasteful or fruitless, have a free press (with well-protected sources) investigate those excesses and let the people know where the problems lie.

Some elements in the private sector, however, want to turn your tax dollars into their bottomless, no-risk profit-center. They claim endless tax cuts will lead to re-investment and profits that will "trickle down" to meet the needs of the masses. But the last 25 years have shown that it's just not true. Wages and benefits have stagnated for the many while profits have skyrocketed for the few. Jobs have been exported by the millions as private industry continues to seek ever-cheaper wage slaves.

Left to its own devices, some members of the private sector will do anything, legal and otherwise, regardless of who it hurts and regardless how much damage it does to OUR economy and OUR infrastructure, to achieve its profits. Like the small percentage of every population who succumb to drug addiction, some capitalists are powerless to help themselves, always reaching for a higher Profit Nirvana while everything around them collapses. This has been demonstrated time and time again over the last decade. It would behoove the American public to REMEMBER AND LEARN from its recent history and build long-term guards against such dangers.

When the private sector controls so much of the money that it HARMS THE GENERAL WELFARE of the citizens of the United States, it's the government's duty to strike a new balance in defense of its citizenry. The profit motive must be balanced with oversight so citizens aren't victimized by it in the form of predatory lending or shortcuts on food & drug safety or inefficient and expensive private contractors gaming the system or industry that pollutes our natural resources or simply by not providing enough money for the work performed (necessitating a minimum wage).

As recent evidence strongly suggests, unfettered capitalism can drain a treasury dry until it is stopped by some outside force or by bankruptcy. If YOUR government doesn't control the excesses of greed through legislation and proper enforcement, who will?

Will your desire as a consumer be enough to keep your credit card company or mortgage company or cell phone company from charging you more in interest or fees? Will your personal protestations stop your health insurance company from denying you a claim in a catastrophic health event? Who will defend you from injustice of private profiteers if not the laws or representatives of your very own government agencies? Don't fear your government because you have no better ally in defending you from opportunists and hucksters who only wish to feather their own nests at your expense.

It's clear that market forces alone are not sufficient to curb the insatiable appetite of today's "disaster capitalists". And public citizens shouldn't be forced to subsidize enormous private losses for fear of corporations who are "too big to fail".

Private capital's tendency to shirk risk and transfer accountability using unusual and creative accounting practices must be countered by stern government regulation and enforcement.

But GREED FEARS GOVERNANCE. And a vehement hatred and resentment is born from that fear. You can see the evidence of that hatred and resentment on every major media outlet in the country, but particularly on that bastion of right-wing ideology known as Fox News. Bill O'Reilly deliberately stokes that resentment night after night in an attempt to inspire a populist uprising against President Obama. You have to wonder, what would motivate such fear and resentment from a supposed journalist? Ratings seem too trivial a thing to inspire such face-twisting disgust. Perhaps a loss of profit for his underwriters? Only a thorough auditing of Oreilly's private wealth would tell us for sure if he was protecting some ill-gotten gains or merely suffering from some psychological pathology.

But we must ignore the right's attempts to spread the fear of governance and join OUR president in his plan to rebuild our country which once held such great promise. We don't have to live in fear of poverty from medical bankruptcies. We don't have to live in fear of unfair mortgages or foreclosures or homelessness. We dont have to live in fear of race or sex discrimination and we don't have to fear religious persecution by an intolerant majority. WE CAN BE SO MUCH BETTER than that and Barack Obama is our best chance of realizing it.

Thank you,

e

"Operation Filmmaker" Gets Under Your Skin

So I wake up this morning thinking about the documentary I saw the night before on PBS' Independent Lens - always a good sign when you're exposed to art of any kind.
"Operation Filmmaker" is the troubling portrait of a young Iraqi film student, Muthana Mohmed, who is invited to participate on the production of a Hollywood movie, but quickly finds himself in over his head and at odds with his Western hosts who expect him to be grateful and humbled for the opportunity they've afforded him - working as a production assistant and serving crunchy snacks to over-pampered Hollywood film producers.
Instead, Mohmed grows increasingly resentful of the fruit that's been dangled in front of him but seemingly held just out of his reach - a fascinating parallel to the American / Iraqi - Israili / Palestinian relationship playing out on the world stage as I type.

Mohmed can't go back to Iraq because he'd most likely be killed for working with the Americans, and particularly for aspiring to work for an Israeli-owned film company. Desperate to extend his opportunity, he repeatedly asks his hosts for money - and even attempts to extory money from them, increasing their resentment. He eventually lands a year's tuition at The London Film Academy from The Rock who he meets working on the set of Doom.

My first thoughts this morning were, either that's the most brilliant piece of propaganda I've ever seen, or the most poorly conceived gesture of good will gone bad. In either case, it's a fascinating film, but one that leaves this viewer suspicious of everbody's motives.