Sunday, February 27, 2011
Misplaced Anger
Some of my friends ask me why I dislike Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska. I've been giving that question some serious thought. I've decided I don't really dislike her. In order to dislike someone I have to know that person. I don' know Sarah Palin. I've never met her or even seen her in person at a distance. If I did know her I might like her as a person. I can't say.
What I dislike about her is her politics. Now, truthfully, I agree with some of what she says and implies. She is angry that the federal government spent so much money bailing out the Wall Street financial institutions, especially at learning that the managers of these institutions are back in business as usual, paying themselves huge salaries and bonuses, while at the same time the poor people who signed up for the sub prime mortgages that these rascals were peddling are now losing their homes to foreclosure. In addition the federal government has spent diddly squat to help these soon to be homeless persons. They get no bail-outs, no bonuses, no fat increases in salary.
Where Sarah and I disagree is that we are angry at different institutions. She's angry at the government and especially at the Democrats. I'm angry at the plutocrats who, with the vast power that money gives them, have taken control of our government and set its policies to favor their interests and screw the rest of us, Sarah and me alike.
Sarah Palin is the poster woman for the Tea Party Movement. Tea Partiers have been convinced that it's the government's fault that we are in this mess. The government should back off and not interfere so that the people can sort things out by themselves. They ignore the great influence that the extreme plutocrats have on government. They ignore the good that government has done during past recessions. They ignore the great 20th Century President and his New Deal which, although it didn't bring an end to the depression of the 1930's, did provide help for those most affected by it. Franklin Roosevelt did not waste money bailing out Wall Street. He used money to provide jobs for the unemployed. It's true that a good many of those jobs were simply "make-work" jobs and many commentators complained that the money to provide them was wasted. Other jobs created during the New Deal era produced lasting public works, art, mathematical tables, and other useful and valuable things.
I would admire Sarah Palin if she would advocate in favor of using government to help the poor and unemployed rather than doing nothing and letting the Wall Street plutocrats get off scot free. Some of those rascals deserve to spend hard time in prison.
What I dislike about her is her politics. Now, truthfully, I agree with some of what she says and implies. She is angry that the federal government spent so much money bailing out the Wall Street financial institutions, especially at learning that the managers of these institutions are back in business as usual, paying themselves huge salaries and bonuses, while at the same time the poor people who signed up for the sub prime mortgages that these rascals were peddling are now losing their homes to foreclosure. In addition the federal government has spent diddly squat to help these soon to be homeless persons. They get no bail-outs, no bonuses, no fat increases in salary.
Where Sarah and I disagree is that we are angry at different institutions. She's angry at the government and especially at the Democrats. I'm angry at the plutocrats who, with the vast power that money gives them, have taken control of our government and set its policies to favor their interests and screw the rest of us, Sarah and me alike.
Sarah Palin is the poster woman for the Tea Party Movement. Tea Partiers have been convinced that it's the government's fault that we are in this mess. The government should back off and not interfere so that the people can sort things out by themselves. They ignore the great influence that the extreme plutocrats have on government. They ignore the good that government has done during past recessions. They ignore the great 20th Century President and his New Deal which, although it didn't bring an end to the depression of the 1930's, did provide help for those most affected by it. Franklin Roosevelt did not waste money bailing out Wall Street. He used money to provide jobs for the unemployed. It's true that a good many of those jobs were simply "make-work" jobs and many commentators complained that the money to provide them was wasted. Other jobs created during the New Deal era produced lasting public works, art, mathematical tables, and other useful and valuable things.
I would admire Sarah Palin if she would advocate in favor of using government to help the poor and unemployed rather than doing nothing and letting the Wall Street plutocrats get off scot free. Some of those rascals deserve to spend hard time in prison.
