A NEW WORLD ORDER?

The revolutions and protests sweeping the Arab world are an amazing experience for all of us. I can only hope that the final result is peace and freedom for the Arab people. We have supported dictators too long in order to satisfy our addiction to oil. We have to move toward supporting the wishes of the people of these countries for freedom and find other sources of energy. These countries say that they want democracy. I hope that they find it.

Ironically, while they are calling for democracy, our American democracy of more than 200 years is evolving into an oligarchy. We are being ruled by corporations and banks. The two percent of the population at the top has more than 90% of the wealth of the country. And we have just passed a law giving them tax breaks while our economy is collapsing, and the majority of the states as well as the federal government are facing bankruptcy. Now the new governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, is trying to outlaw collective bargaining by the unions. There is no need for this move as the unions have agreed to negotiate with him. He simply wants to do away with unions. In the name of budget cutting, he wants to take total control. People who work in the private sector have already suffered many losses through job outsourcing, the system of hiring everyone on a part time basis in order to avoid paying benefits, health care, and vacation time, and simply cutting jobs. In the past people in private business made much more money than people in the public sector. But now, the people in the public sector are doing a little better. Rather than trying to help the unemployed, the Republicans want to pit the people in business against people in the public sector. Rather than taking the approach that everyone needs help, they want everyone to suffer. They have destroyed the jobs of people in the private sector. Now it is time to destroy the jobs of people who work in the service occupations such as teachers, fire fighters, police, nurses, etc. This is not of any benefit to our society.

We need to cut the budget. We spend at least two billion dollars a week on the war in Afghanistan. We have been there more than 10 years! That is longer than the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, or World War II. This is simply untenable. Support our troops and bring them home. They are suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome and are exhausted. Afghanistan has destroyed the armies of many countries. We must leave. Then we must tax the rich. They need to pay their fair share of taxes. They are upset that the poor don't pay taxes. Well, the poor don't even have enough food to feed their children. Forty-three million people are on food stamps. Half of our children in AMERICA are living in poverty. Something is very wrong in this country.

Wake up America. Unregulated capitalism is evil. That is what brought us 18 hour work days seven days a week and child labor in the 1900's. It is what destroyed the entire world economy in 2007. We cannot allow any more of this. The rich have to pay their fair share of the taxes and feel their fair share of the pain. As democracy is being born in the Arab world it is dying in America.