The Republican Compassion

So this week we saw one of the McCain Campaign's top Economic Advisers tell us that the recession is all in our minds. Former Senator Phil Gramm also said that we are a Nation of Whiners. Let's look at the career of Former Senator, and former Congressman Phil Gramm. During the first Reagan Administration Gramm was a Democratic Congressman who attended Democratic Caucus budget meetings then shared the Democrats strategy with the Republicans who were trying to pass the Reagan Budget, the budget that would trickle down to the poor. Gramm resigned from his seat forcing a midterm election. In the midterm election Gramm ran for the seat that he had just resigned from, but as a Republican.

Mr. Gramm ran for a won a Senate Seat from Texas. In 1999 Gramm was successful in getting the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act through Congress which took away many of the Depression Era restrictions on Banks and Insurance Companies, and also took away most Government oversight from these financial industries. It is not an accident that the Banking and Insurance Industry are faltering today without Government oversight. Banks and Insurance Companies were able to make risky investments that they were precluded from making before the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.

Mr. Gramm was also a major proponent and co-sponsor of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 which is the Act that allowed the Eron Loophole, which the Republican legislators in the Congress still refuse to close. Because of the deregulation made possible by this Act, the Commodity Industry is now doing to all commodities what Eron did to energy. Do you want to know why oil soars on the commodities markets when the supply is stable, just take a look at the Phil Gramm sponsored Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, and you will also understand what has happened to wheat, corn, rice and all the other commodities that were deregulated because of the efforts of Senator Gramm. When you decide if you can afford another box of cereal for your children remember to thank former Senator Phil Gramm, one of the men that the Republican Party worships as a supply side economist who believes in letting the change trickle down to the average person who has a mental recession.

Senator McCain is a wise man to take Phil Gramm as one of his top Economic Advisers as he has done so much for the American Economy and believes in such wonderful policies that will eliminate the evil of Government Regulations from the Corporations that control your life.

This past week also saw Mr. McCain say that it is good that the major import into Iraq is cigarettes, Mr. McCain feels this is as good as product as any to import because "it will kill more of them". Does Mr. McCain mean that it will kill more of the good people of Iraq that he his claiming the U.S. fought to liberate and bring Democracy to? Are these the same People that thousands of U.S. Military Personnel have died to bring freedom to? Are these the same People that Trillions of U.S. Treasury dollars and debt have been spent on to save them from their duly elected Government? Mr. McCain must mean it is good that some other People in Iraq will be the smokers who are killed, it can not possibly be a good thing that the People we have liberated, and brought Democracy to, and have given Freedom to, at the cost of thousands upon thousands of maimed soldiers can it be?

Mr. McCain also stated that Social Security is a disgrace even though History has shown that it is one of the best run Government programs ever in the History of a any Progressive Liberal Republic. The only thing wrong with Social Security is that those who are fortunate enough to make over $90,000 do not continue to pay into the system as they should because Republicans think it is a birth right for the wealthy to receive tax cuts. After all they were not able to become wealthy because of any Government programs that were supported by taxes such as the Interstate Highway System, or the Technology Advances from the Space Program, or from low interest loans from the Federal Reserve or the Treasury. It is not like the wealthy used the infrastructure of the Nation built by the working and middle classes and funded by Federal Tax money to bring their goods and services to market.

Then there was the President upon leaving the G8 summit said goodbye to the leaders of the other Member Countries with, "Good Bye from the Major Polluter" The President of the United States of America said that to the other World leaders with whom he had just attended a Summit Meeting.

Upon his return to the U.S. Mr. Bush noted that there are "tough times" I wonder why the President would think it is tough times, during the final Clinton years it cost me $16.00 to fill my mini van with gas, now it costs $86.00, a dozen of eggs was .69 now they are $3.29, a gallon of milk was $1.59 now it is $4.75, a share of GM stock was $86 now you can buy it for $11, I don't understand why he thinks it is "tough times". Maybe Mr. Bush is getting battle weary, another 12 million Americans without health insurance isn't so bad, and just think the Physical Rehab Industry must be booming with the influx of patients they are getting from his Iraq War. It must be in your head Mr. President, stop whining, it is not like you haven't rebuilt a major American city that was wiped out by a Hurricane. Stop acting like millions of Americans are losing their homes and that small businesses throughout middle America are closing. Don't worry all those empty factories that are around because of your great trade policies can probably be used to warehouse the servant class. Just think Mr. President your Administration created another class in America and took away the overcrowding in the Middle Class.

The callousness of the Republican remarks this week are a clear sign that the mindset of the leaders of this party are totally out of touch with the American People. They care not for our Nation, they care for the Corporations that will enable them to look out their mansion windows and wonder how tough the times are out there.