Recently, a friend of mine, with whom I used to play bicycle polo, Dustin Wickham, wrote
Dear wealthy Republicans: I don’t generally agree with you, but I understand why you vote the way you do. Dear non-wealthy Republicans: You are idiots!
It’s always amazed me how easy it has been for the American public to be convinced to consistently act against their own best interests. Case in point was the recent elections where the mostly working class American voted to get tea bagged. Sure, they are in favor of reduced government, less taxes, for the rich, but how do their ideas and policies effect the average working person. Take the current protests and clashes ocurring in Wisconsin. The Tea Party, “Working Class Party,” is attempting to undermine the power of the union and make it illegal for certain unions to negotiate for higher wages.
A. Unions by principle work in favor of the workers, that’s who they are organized by and where they gain their strength. B. Why would we make it illegal for workers to strike/negotiate for higher wages? How does that even make sense?
In the 80’s there was this great little fairy tale invented that convinced many people that the wealthy and the workers best interests were somehow the same. They called it trickle down economics, aka Reaganomics. The myth was that if we allowed the wealthy to become wealthier that they would in turn spend that extra money in the economy and therefore, the working class would benefit by the extra dollars in the market. Looking back we can see how well this worked. The wealthy got wealthier. The rest of us got screwed.
The giant corporations, that keep growing, wield an amazing amount of power. They hold, in certain cases, more economic power than any government and employ more people. Their owners/CEO’s and the like, make astounding amounts of money. Score yourself a CEO position of a Fortune 500 and you realistically only have to work about five years and you can retire and live like a king for the rest of your days. As deregulation has occurred and the unions have lost power, the middle class has consistently shrunk and, when adjusted for inflation, the average worker’s income has declined. All the while, the wealthy continue to be wealthier and more elite.
Despite what the economics tooth fairy may tell you, the working class and the wealthy share no common interests. The working class can only benefit by exerting their power, forming unions and demanding that they are treated fairly. If we want the middle class to return and for the working American to once again be proud of what he is and where he is going, we need more unions, with more power.
So to all you tea baggers out there, wise up! Unless you are making millions now, your policies are only going to screw you.
In other thoughts, it rained. This doesn’t make me very happy because I would really like to ride my bike tomorrow.
I’ve also decided that I will, in fact, be attempting the Grit Epic Bicycle Race styled endeavor that will be happening exactly one week, seven days, after my befday. It gives me a goal, something to work towards. Right now I think I need that.
In other ideas bouncing around my head…
The last time that I participated in electoral politics was the year the Jefe Bush become Boss of the world. At said time, I actually voted for the dumb ass. Since that time, I have felt no desire nor have I voted for anyone. This is for two reasons, 1. I don’t see choosing between a giant douche and a turd sandwich as being a choice. 2. I see elections as a way to pacify the masses.
Lets start with #2. Every two years we are given a choice (see #1) of who we want to be the boss. Every two years we are let down. We vote for change, we vote for new people who are going to make a difference, we vote for hope. And every single time we are let down and the status quo continues. It doesn’t matter who is in power, the system continues to perform the same way it has in the past.
Quick history lesson, speaking of times after Christ, the first government derived their “legal” power from God himself. Whoever was in power, be it the Pope or a king, claimed to be appointed by god and therefore had the right to act in his name, autocratically, of course. As time passed, and knowledge dispersed, the masses began to understand that this wasn’t the case and the modern nation state was born. The nation state, at least the republics, claimed to draw their power directly from the people. By giving them the right to chose who they would like to make decisions, gave those who were chosen the legal right to make decisions and decree to the masses. This served two purposes, first it allowed more people to benefit and usurp power and second, it appeased the masses through the promise that if you don’t like what is happening, you can vote in the next election.
The fact is, elections never change anything. It is in the ruling class’s best interest to maintain the status quo…
Yes, I realize this video was meant to get people to participate in elections. But take notice of how these women made a change. They were not allowed to vote, but through direct action they obtained what they were fighting for without every casting a ballot. The people hold the power, not the ballot. If we truly want to make a change, we don’t vote, we act.
On to #2. We really don’t have a choice. Choosing between a dumb ass and some fucking moron, is not a choice. The system is set up to maintain the status quo, to maintain the balance that allows the elite to be elite. Try getting someone elected without millions in campaign funding. By putting two people in front of us who will do the same basic thing, they are telling us we have a choice but not really giving us one. Fortunately, we do have a choice. We can participate or we can act. If the government draws its legal basis for existing on the fact that the people are giving it power by choosing who will govern, let’s take that power back. If we are not given a real choice, then let us vote for that person who is best suited to govern you, you. That’s right, everyone should vote for you. And not you, as in the person reading this but for themselves. There is a quote somewhere, that someone smarted than I said, that said person had met very few people of adequately governing themselves and not one single individual that was capable of governing others.
So vote for you!
I don’t expect many of you to agree with what I am saying, but I would like to know what you think…
Let’s ride.
P. L. and R.