Here are two quotes that I think sum things up nicely.
My daughter was following the debate in the Texas Lege this week as Republicans try to force Texas women seeking an abortion to have a sonogram and to listen to the heartbeat. She texted me the following comment, which I think is best summation I have ever heard of the Republicans' war on women.
State Senator from San Antonio to Sen. Dan Patrick on the Senate floor this week:
Leticia Van de Putte: "I imagine you have the votes to suspend or you wouldn't be bringing it up. It is our responsibility to protect that child once that child's born too. When we start debating a budget, let's make sure we don't cut 100,000 vaccines. Let's make sure we've got health insurance. We seem to worship what we cannot see, but as soon as that baby's born, oh no, we don't want to be intrusive. Texas is going to shrink government until it fits in a woman's uterus."
And another, on the Republicans' war on the middle class:
Joshua Holland from AlterNet:
"The Right has made great political progress getting Americans to ask the question: "How come that guy’s getting what I don’t have?" It’s the crux of the politics of grievance. Progressives need to get Americans to ask a different question: "What’s keeping me from getting what that guy has?" At least part of the answer is the Right’s decades-long assault on private sector workers’ ability to organize, and the latest battle is being waged in Wisconsin."
Holland is right on target.
Wisconsin had a surplus before the Republican gov cut taxes for businesses. The employees union didn't cause this crisis -- the tax cuts did.
When will middle to lower class Americans get a clue that the Republicans do NOT have our best interests at heart?
7 comments:
Just read your latest "Two Quotes." Devastating, of course. Having just finished (finally) _A People's History of the United States_ I have to say I'm not sure that we can pin ALL this on the Republicans. But it's going to require the many poor and middle class folks refusing to roll over, and continuing to agitate, demonstrate, write letters, march, work together, and do whatever else it takes to keep the power- and money-greedy folks continually off balance. It's about all we have left.
Keep on agitating, Katie!
Mo Lewis
Katie, if you haven't already seen it, I encourage you to watch the documentary film "Waiting for Superman." The two major education unions, the NEA and AFT, are largely responsible for the failures of our public schools. Why? Because they prevent schools and districts from being able to fire incompetent teachers. (And nowhere is this problem worse than in Wisconsin.) The teachers' unions were formed in the early 20th century to protect women who were given ludicrously low salaries because, after all, their husbands worked. Now they protect people who never should be allowed in a classroom. The largest contributing groups to the National Democratic Party are these teacher unions. Democrats are NOT looking out for our children when they blindly back these unions. I think the situation is a travesty.
Again, if you haven't seen it, I heartily encourage you to watch the film.
-Amy
I have"blogged" about the middle class at Real Anglicans. While that is incredibly importnat I offer the lyrics from Holly Near to go along with your first quote.
They say there was a baby
Born with a special calling
Laid him in the manger
And then took him before his time
And I want to know why oh why oh why
If you care about life, why don't you care about mine?
Why oh why oh why
If you care about life, why don't you care about mine?
Look at all the babies
They ain't got no mangers
Lying in the doorway
And dying before their time
Comes along another baby
If I have it I can't feed it
I got the thing about my other children
Six hungry ones in all
Do you care about the babies
Or just the wars that keep them hungry?
I'm lying in the back alley
And I'm thinking about my right to life
So I died on Christmas morning
Leaving all my babies
Now they ain't got no mama
And ain't that a pity and a shame
And I want to know why oh why oh why
If you care about life, why don't you care about mine?
Why oh why oh why
If you care about life, why don't you care about mine?
So WI public employees want the state to raise taxes. Is not the retirement of public employees tax exempt? Okay, then tax them too. Sorry Katie, but these people look like the rich compared to me, and I pay for their retirement. I'm real tired of supporting people who are far better off than I am.
Check Joe Klein, who got it right:
http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2011/02/18/wisconsin-the-hemlock-revolution/
Amy,
Please, think again about who is to "blame". You appear to know only what you read and hear. Investigate more please for this is sooo much more to investigate. Blame is such an inadequate characteristic. The challenges that have been educations have always been there and when you investigate a little more I think you will find the successes to far outweigh the need for blame.
Sharae,
Something to think about. If you had been represented by a baragining unit would you not be better off today? And, why must everyone suffer in order to make everyone else feel good? Don't we want to raise everyone up as opposed to drag everyone down? And if we wait long enough and if those such as the Governor of Wisconsin has his way you are most correct -- we will all have nothing and won't that feel good?
Fred, does it strike you that there might be something fundamentally wrong with the idea that low-income people are forced to contribute to the welfare of others who are better off? Isn't this what the Republicans are always accused of? This isn't raising the poor up at all. It's *stealing* from those who struggle to pay for necessities in order to accommodate tjose who want it so they can takes cruises during their retirements.
Sharae,
Just for the record, public employee pensions ARE taxable under both state and federal rules. let's at least get our facts correct.
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