Archive for Congress

The 2014 Midterm Elections

November 10, 2014 Congress, Economics, Politics, Republicans, Values, Wealth No comments

The thing I hear most in relationship to this recent election is that voters “want something to get done.” The main issue seems to be entrenched dysfunction and non-cooperation between the parties. And certainly, it would be nice if both parties worked together to solve problems for the vast majority of the population.

But talking about the ability to “get things done” is ridiculous when not connected to what it is that should get done. The Republicans have obstructed pretty much everything Obama and the Dems put forward, including a lot of appointments, whether they have policy objections or not. The point, as McConnell articulated early on, was to oppose Obama at every turn. The good of the majority of Americans was beside the point. So I guess it’s natural that they ran on an “Obama bad; Washington is broken; we’ll get things done” platform. But what they really want to do—block the minimum wage, cut government benefits except to the wealthy, and return control of healthcare to insurance companies—is very unpopular and unhelpful to most and will continue to widen the dangerous disparity of wealth.

Here is my point: it’s not simply about “getting things done.” It’s about getting the right things done. That being the case, I have become a fan of gridlock, because the Republican-controlled House and Senate are unlikely to “do” anything beneficial.

Fear

January 6, 2011 Congress, Consciousness, Economics, Politics, Republicans, Values, Wealth One comment

Now that the new Republican Congress is off and running, I’m becoming more fearful about the planet’s future prospects. As arguably the world’s most dominant economic power, the policies our Congress enacts affect the whole world. The faulty, incoherent, non-rational belief system of the new Republican majority cannot possibly lead to positive results. Only the wealthy will benefit from their policies. The rest of the world’s population will suffer.

So how do progressives—who believe in a more balanced, rational, caring application of our collective knowledge to reduce human suffering—counter this onslaught of self-righteous lunacy? I wish I had an easy answer. But I know the solution involves the reframing of our politics to a more empathetic, HumansTogether attitude that focuses on what we have in common and not on how we disagree. That is the mission of this site.

Fortunately, I believe that there is an increasing awareness that we need this refocusing. Many of the people in my social circle understand that a system based on creating wealth for the few and hardship for the masses is not sustainable. I believe there is a yearning a new kind of idealism and a revaluing of what is important in life away from the purely materialistic.

I also believe that once people start paying attention to the way this Congress behaves, many will recognize their transparent hypocrisy, irrationality and incompetence. But politics is now being driven by entrenched emotions, enflamed by a mass media that makes more money when there is conflict.

The ideal antidote to would be a new sixties movement—a massive rejection of the current value which favors wealth over well-being. This would be a movement based on consciousness raisin; a movement based on peace, love and understanding. What’s so funny about that?