“It is horifying that we have to fight our government to save the environment.” — Ansel Adams (1902-1984)
“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” — Joni Mitchell (“Big Yellow Taxi”)
These quotations may seem to some to be on the lighter side, but what disturbs me is that these words were uttered decades ago and nothing has changed. The government and its corporate cronies continue to line their pockets at our personal expense. Over these decades we have had both republican and democratic governance, so this is not so much a partisan comment as it is a concern for our inability to care for people, average people like you and me and the many many others who have less than we do.
“The overall federal education budget would be cut by $3.1 billion, or 5.5 percent from 2006 levels. Much of the cuts would come from scrapping 42 education programs totaling $3.5 billion, including programs for the arts, state grants for vocational education, Perkins loans for low-income college students and the Even Start literacy program for poor families. “
Bush’s budget cuts would fall near Main Street (The Christian Science Monitor, February 9, 2006)
NEW YORK – Chief Joseph Estey in Hartford, Vt., won’t be replacing the 15-year-old guns worn by his officers or buying new digital cameras for his police cruisers.
In New York, the Head Start program on the Upper West Side may have to start laying off staff members and eliminate the program for children with special needs.
In Seattle, the fire department, already constrained by a tight city budget, won’t be getting federal funding to put more firefighters on each truck as it had hoped.
More than at any time in the four years of the Bush administration, Main Street will be feeling the impact of the federal budget if the president’s spending plan is adopted.”
No, I am not an isolationist, but there is much to be said for the argument that if we don’t take care of ourselves, we won’t be in a position to take care of anyone else. And yes, our relationships abroad are very important. Mr. Rifftides speaks out for Voice of America (here) and we must consider doing likewise. We also must speak out, vote with our wallets, and vote at the polls. And perhaps most important, we must speak to each other. Common wisdom often suggest that we refrain from discussing religion and politics, but perhaps now, more than ever, we should stick our necks out and engage in discourse. You never know, you might sway an opinion here or there, or at least encourage people to think for themselves rather than simply accept the “spin” presented as facts.