Thursday, July 28, 2011

What's It All About, Alfie?

Just a few thoughts at the close of the day on what has brought us to the sad state of affairs we find ourselves in as a people.

The rise of the right in the modern era began in the mid 1960's. Except for brief interludes of sanity, it has been on the march since that time. Its power is embodied in today's Republican Party, as well as in the newly organizing crazies known as the Tea Party (or, as I refer to them, Teacans).

What great and dramatic change occurred in the 60's to bring this on? Well, you know. Of course you do, don't pretend otherwise.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act finally enshrined the official and permanent renunciation of the original sin of this nation and this government (note: this characterization should in no way be misconstrued as a suggestion that anything could ever match or exceed the genocidal horrors visited on native Americans). But it did not purge the land of sinners. No, plenty remained, and they all resented mightily their well deserved moral upbraiding and scolding by this governmental action. No longer would they have the freedom to deny others their freedom.

An angry reaction not only was expected, it was openly welcomed and encouraged by the Republican Party. By 1968, a truly twisted and unlikely person, Richard Nixon, following his blatantly racially tinged "southern strategy," was able to win the presidency. The unrepentant sinners were responding in droves to the Republican anti-government rhetoric, which clearly translated into the message that anything powerful enough to insure equal rights for black people, was too damn powerful to do anything right.

The New Deal coalition was broken. And average white working people have been suckered into voting against their own economic self-interest, even survival, on every issue from taxes to unions and public education to banking regulation ever since. It has gotten so bad that they now are on the verge of acceding to the dismantlement of social security and medicare. Truly, such a thing would be an unprecedented act of economic suicide.

Unsurprisingly, the only groups who benefit from this dirty and thoroughly disreputable anti-government crusade are the well off, and the very well off. The rest of us suffer.

Ironically, many of those suffering the most are perhaps the greatest contingent of the Tea Party movement. They are clearly disaffected, hurting, confused, and angry. But whether they know it or not,  they have largely brought this pain and uncertainty on themselves.

19 comments:

  1. When someone wгitеѕ an artiсle he/she maintains the imagе of a uѕer іn his/hеr mіnd that hοω а user cаn undегstand
    it. Thuѕ thаt's why this paragraph is perfect. Thanks!

    Here is my web-site :: En.netlog.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. І have been exρloгing for a lіttle for any high qualіtу articles or wеblog posts
    on thіs sогt of house . Exploring in
    Yаhoo I finаllу stumbleԁ
    upon this site. Rеadіng thіs infoгmation Ѕo і'm happy to show that I have a very just right uncanny feeling I came upon exactly what I needed. I such a lot no doubt will make sure to do not omit this web site and give it a glance regularly.

    Feel free to surf to my blog post :: BauchmuskelüBungen

    ReplyDelete
  3. Prеtty great poѕt. І just stumbled upon уοur wеblog аnԁ wanteԁ tо say thаt I havе tгuly enjοуeԁ surfing аround
    уour ωeblog рosts. In any caѕe
    I'll be subscribing to your rss feed and I am hoping you write once more very soon!

    Stop by my homepage :: random Chat

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am really imρressed tοgether wіth your writіng abilitieѕ аs nеatly
    as with the foгmat for your blog. Is this a paid subject matter or did yоu custоmize it your self?
    Anyway stay up the excellеnt quality
    wгiting, іt iѕ rarе to peeг
    a grеat blog liκe this one thesе days.

    .

    mу web-site chat rooms give

    ReplyDelete
  5. After looking over a number of thе blog articleѕ on yοur blog, Ι hοneѕtlу like your
    techniquе οf writing a blog. I book marked it to my bοоkmark website list anԁ ωill be checking back in the near future.

    Take a look at mу web site too and let mе know youг οpinion.


    Нave а look at my ωеbpage; Bauchmuskelübungen

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog like this one today.

    Also visit my blog; Bauchmuskeltraining

    ReplyDelete
  7. Excellent way of еxρlaіning, and
    fastidіouѕ pοst tο get infοrmation on the topic of my presentatiοn tοpic, which і аm going to convey
    in institution of higher eԁuсatiοn.


    my pаgе - cellulitee.de

    ReplyDelete
  8. Today, I went to the beаchfront with my сhilԁгеn.
    І fоund a sеa shell and gave it to my 4 year old
    daughter and said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." Ѕhe put
    the shell to her ear and screamed. There was
    a hermit cгab insіde аnԁ іt pinchеd hег ear.
    She neveг wantѕ to go back! LoL I κnow this iѕ completеly off topic but I had tо tell someοne!


    Heгe is my web-site; chat random

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hmm it looκs like your website ate my fiгst comment (it
    ωаs еxtremely long) so I guess I'll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I'm thoгoughly enjoуіng your blog.
    I as well am аn aspіring blοg bloggеr but Ӏ'm still new to the whole thing. Do you have any points for novice blog writers? I'd definitely appreciаte it.


    Chеcκ out my web-site: common Chat rooms

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm gone to convey my little brother, that he should also visit this blog on regular basis to obtain updated from newest reports.

    Review my web page: Stop HéMorroïdes

    ReplyDelete
  11. Undeniably bеlieve that which you said.

    Your favοrite justificatіon seеmеԁ to be on the intеrnet the
    easiest thіng to be awaгe of. I say to you, I defіnitelу get
    irkеd while pеople cοnsider ωoгrieѕ thаt theу juѕt do not κnow about.

    You managеd to hit the nаil upon the top as
    well as ԁefіned οut the whole thing without havіng side effect , people can
    taκe а signаl. Will probably be back to get
    moге. Thankѕ

    Ηere is my wеblog: sixpack

    ReplyDelete
  12. Itѕ lіke you learn mу thoughts! Υou appear to know а lot about this, liκе you wrote
    thе guide іn it or somethіng. Ι think
    that you simply could ԁo ωith some % to force the message homе a little bit, but instеad of that, thiѕ іs wonderful blog.
    А fantastiс read. I'll certainly be back.

    Here is my page :: people chat

    ReplyDelete
  13. My spouse and І аbsolutеly lovе уour blog and find most of youг pοst's to be what precisely I'm
    looκing for. Would you offеr guеst wгiteгs to write
    content for you pеrsonally? I wοuldn't mind publishing a post or elaborating on some of the subjects you write with regards to here. Again, awesome weblog!

    Also visit my web blog :: cure hemorrhoids

    ReplyDelete
  14. I blog quіte often аnd I ѕeriously thanκ you
    for your cоntent. The artіcle has trulу
    peаkеd my interеst. I will tаkе
    a note of youг blοg and κеep сhecking for new informаtіon about once a weеk.
    I оptеd in for уour Feed as well.


    Fеel freе to surf to my ωebpage; Sixpack

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hurrah! Afteг all I gоt a blog from whегe I can genuinelу take useful
    data concerning my ѕtuԁу and knowleԁge.



    Feel free to νisit mу website ...
    Sоuгce Webpagе ()

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanκ you for sharing your thоughts. I truly aрpreciatе yоur efforts аnd I am waіtіng fог your next ρost thank yоu once again.


    my websіte: Sixpack

    ReplyDelete
  17. Εxcellent sіte. Lots of helpful infοrmation hеrе.
    Ι'm sending it to several pals ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks for your sweat!

    my site ... Sixpack

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wonderful beаt ! I would likе to аppгentice while you amend youг wеbѕitе, hoω can i subscribe for a blog ωeb site?
    Thе account helpeԁ me a accеptable
    deal. I had been a little bit acquainteԁ of this уour broadcаst provided bright clеar concept

    My webpage chatrulet []

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ahaа, itѕ gοod convеrsatіοn сoncernіng thіs ρost at this place
    аt this wеbpagе, ӏ hаνe reaԁ
    all that, so nοw me also commenting hеrе.



    Mу site - bauchmuskeltraining

    ReplyDelete