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CounterPunch
September
23, 2002
The Shame of the Democratic
Party
by Philip Farruggio
Let me be as concise as possible. You watch C-Span
or tune in to those "talking heads" shows, you invariably
come across politicians "posturing", especially during
election cycles. Okay, as progressive-minded (a.k.a. practical),
well-read working folk, we know where the Republicans are coming
from. They are candid in their harsh anti-working folk rhetoric.
They tell ya right out loud that they represent the wealthy,
and will do whatever they can, through legislation (or lack of)
to protect the rich and "tax" the rest of us.
Now, with a handful of exceptions, like
Dennis Kuchinich (Ohio), Barney Frank (Mass.) and Jim McDermott
(Wash. State), most Democrats are professional "posturers".
They stand up in the Congress and rant and rave about the need
for prescription drug reforms for seniors ("crumbs"
from the table), while 40-plus million of us walk around with
no health insurance, and another 100-plus million have lousy
inadequate coverage! Where are the Democrats on this issue?
Why do we not hear Senators Daschle and
Gebhardt demanding universal Medicare for every American? After
all, Congress has the best medical coverage our tax dollars can
buy! Instead, they force us to play the "health lottery":
when your "number" comes up and you get too ill to
work, you lose--everything! "Yipee yi yo, isn't the free
market grand!?"
We have an election system so corrupt,
yet all the Dems shout about is "right to vote" and
procedural fiascoes like Fla. 2000. Where are they on the key
core issue a.k.a. money in politics? Why are they not demanding
a National Clean Election law following the Maine model? The
McCain-Feingold bill is, with all due respect, a diversionary
"snail step". Only when we take all the money out of
campaigns will we have true reform .On state and county levels,
where are the local Democrats demanding those same clean election
laws? They can't. They are too busy running around 'sucking up"
to donors to keep pace with the Republicans.
Why are the Democrats so afraid to bring
up the issue of "so few earning so much" while the
rest of the nation struggles? Why aren't they shouting in the
halls of Congress that any nation where 1% of the population
controls over 85% of the wealth is strictly "Third World".
Shouldn't they be demanding either a maximum income ceiling (say
up to a few million per serson), or legislating an income "surtax'
on that elite 1%? Think of all the new schools, hospitals, roads,
teachers, police and firepeople those revenues would create.
Yet, all we hear is silence from the Democratic Party.
Finally, we have, since WWII, been living
in a "War Economy". For decades, defense contractors
have been feeding at the public trough, stuffing their wallets
with our taxpayer dollars. Eisenhower himself warned us all,
upon leaving office, of this "Military Industrial Complex".
That was 1961- 40 years later the "War Economy" is
a hundred fold worse!! Check out how much of each tax dollar
goes into this "black hole". Where is the Democratic
Party to demand less money for defense, less "smart bombs'
and no multi billion dollar"Missile Defense Shield"
con job? Why aren't they asserting that America needs to pull
back our overwhelming worldwide military presence? Think of all
the billions of dollars we'd save, plus what better way to soothe
fractured international relationships? Where is this "jackass"
party to tell the "man who would be President" to "cease
and desist" Iraq baiting and threats of sending tens of
thousands of working class soldiers to die in some middle eastern
"power play"? Instead, they follow him like "lemmings
off the cliff of reason". Few of us admire or respect Saddam
Hussein-- except of course Reagan and Bush Sr. during the "me
80's", when he was busy doing our dirty work vs. Iran. Where
do you think Iraq got all that military hardware from anyhow?
It seems that Ike's warnings fell on too many deaf ears.
Alas, if we had such a Democratic Party
two years ago, American would not be in this current mess. Isn't
it time for all decent hardworking Americans to say "enough
is enough--shame on you Democratic Party!"
Philip Farruggio,
son of a longshoreman, is "Blue Collar Brooklyn" born,
raised and educated (Brooklyn College, Class of '74). A former
progressive talk show host, Philip runs a mfg. rep. business
and writes for many publications. He lives in Port Orange, FL.
You can contact Mr. Farruggio at e-mail: brooklynphilly@aol.com.
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September
21 / 22, 2002
Alexander
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An Entire
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Tom Gorman
The Press & Sabra and Shatila
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Ben Tripp
Advice from a Polemicist
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Tariq Ali
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Why Bush
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Ron Jacobs
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Bush Senior:
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Rep. Cynthia
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Jeffrey St.
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