It does not seem possible that I have not posted here for three years but there you have it....retired and on the go. However, I have been so frustrated lately, like many of you, with the government shutdown that I found my way back to the place where my opinion counts....this space because it is mine!
My frustration with the current state of government is the failure by the Democrats and the media to communicate what is really going on. I understand the media. Each station has its own bias and they throw it a smattering of what the other side says but no one, I repeat, no one pulls it together and clarifies the issues. Even the Democrats are not very good at delivering their message mostly because they enable and excuse their counterparts. I know. I am one of them. But I am better now and ready to talk about what is happening to our system of government.
There are two events that are important.
1) passing the budget
2) raising the debt ceiling.
First came the budget and the Republicans were all about cutting spending and they went toe to toe with the Democrats ending in the Democrats caving in and giving them the austerity budget presented by Paul Ryan. People have forgotten or never knew that the budget presented by the Senate Democrats and President Obama was for 1.058 Trillion. The Republican's proposal led by Paul Ryan was for 986 Billion. This Republican budget makes permanent the sequestration level of cuts. And guess what?
The Republicans WON!! The Dems agreed to their figure of 986 Billion. This is important...!!! The democrats AGREED to the Republican budget!!! So, it's over right? Republicans win. Democrats give in. Game over. Not!
NO, no, not really because then the Republicans attached to the budget a condition that Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act be DEfunded. So when the Democrats agreed to the Republican demand for a budget at sequestration levels, the Democrats thought the game was over but it wasn't. The Republican team added time on the clock and a new goal post.
This was not acceptable to either the Democrats or the President and by the way, is unprecedented in history. There have been negotiations on the budget but never about funding legislation that had passed the Congress, was signed into law and upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court. The Republicans made the defunding of the Healthcare Act a condition of passing the budget.
This is contrary to our form of government. We are a Democracy, the only pure one in the world and to continue that system, we have to rely on the respect we pay to our laws, even those we don't like.
Well, this moved us to the deadline on point #1 and that shut down the government. And now, we move to point 2, the debt ceiling.
This is something that affects the global economy and our standing in the world. As we moved day after day with the government shutting down because it doesn't happen in one day. We have to turn out a lot of lights and let people out as we lock the doors. But that moves us closer to the deadline to raise the debt ceiling and suddenly, we have two financial issues held hostage by the Republicans. AND it is the Republicans. Make no mistake about that. They wanted the austerity Paul Ryan budget and THEY GOT IT!!!! It reminds me of a kid asking for an cookie and when he gets it, he asks for ice cream!! Well, the idea to defund Obamacare as a condition to pass the budget went South when the date for sign up came and went without the world ending and when the public said we do not want the government shut down over heath care. The Republicans got the message and stopped mentioning "Obamacare."
However, that did not bring the Republicans around to the point of accepting their win on the budget. The new goalposts are about conferencing/negotiating on a wide range of issues. That is code for entitlements. The R's moan about the lack of willingness by the D's to negotiate. But they fail to tell you that when the budget was first put into play in early spring, the Democrats asked the Republicans to conference on the issue. The Democrats asked and asked and asked and the Republicans said no, no and no. This went on for months and it was the Democrats who caved in and accepted the budget offered by the Republicans. No compromise....complete capitulation. But that was not enough. Not for the Republicans. Nothing is enough, it seems.
Now, the R's whine, let's negotiate. What about? Oh, a broad range of important financial issues, they say. Really!? Again, code for entitlements. And here we are up against the debt ceiling deadline. So the latest is from the R's....they will agree to a short term 6 week extension if the D's will negotiate on the budget. The government remains shut down and the items for negotiation are....what? Now, what I have done is give you the outline of what has been happening for the past several months and now I want to clarify, if I can, what I think it all means.
This is about government and it goes all the way back to the beginning of this country. Are we a collection of individual states, each with its own set of laws or is there one unifying Federal government that is above and more powerful than the states. Remember, we fought a civil war over this and the remnants of that are still with us.
Recently, Bill Moyers, in a column gave the opinion this is all about secession. And I think he has a point. We know it isn't about health care because no one mentions that now so what is it? A group of people, call them whatever you want, but they do not believe in government, at least not a Federal one. They do not want to give money for anything that is not local and controlled by them. Nothing for education, health, taxes, rules or regulations that interfere with them pursuing their lives and business.
Most of us realize that big government can be a problem and we must be vigilant about it but we also accept that if many things were left to each state to decide, we would have a very different country. One thing for sure, we would no longer have a Democracy and there would be more borders than those between Canada and Mexico. It would feel more like the old West with guns and vigilantes deciding what the law and punishments were. Women would do as told and go back to the idea of "barefoot and pregnant". And if you are a person of color or gay or female, well, think about it.
I believe some of this has to do with being afraid, the fear of the change that is happening in this country. We are not really a white, Christian, male society anymore and that is frightening to many. We are culturally diverse with different religious beliefs and free under the law to be treated equally. Doris Kearns Goodwin at the Gettysburg 150th celebration this summer talked about what makes this country different from others. It is the only country based upon an idea, that being one of equality and freedom. We are constantly being called and challenged to live up to that ideal and it isn't easy.
In summary, this is not about a budget or health care, this is about our form of government. The belief that we can all live without the federal government is the reason for this shutdown and a convergence of numbers and events have brought us to this point where a small group of people have shut down the government bringing this great country to a halt. You can hear them on TV saying, "It isn't so bad is it?" If the Federal Government stopped being what it is then 40 individual states take over. It is not progress it is isolation and regression.
This is a crisis of historic proportions and I pray Obama is up for this task. I think he is but he will need a wisdom beyond his years and strength of purpose that he has never exhibited before.
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