This is what's really "disturbing"

And there it is, folks. Mitch “Gravedigger of American Democracy” McConnell now finds the ballooning deficit “disturbing” and claims that this is a bipartisan issue that should be addressed by reforming entitlement programs. Remember that grand tax deal last year giving trillions in breaks to the oligarchs and a pittance to the middle class and poor? You remember--the “historic” deal that Mr. Trump continues to crow about whenever some negative coverage comes his way? Part of his great economic plan to Make America Great Again that he continues to spew from his narcissistic perch at his ego-stroking rallies? Yeah. That plan.

Mr. McConnell laid bare the true nature of this deal—give the wealthy donor class what they want at the expense of the middle and working classes. The “entitlement reform” euphemism is getting old. Just say what it is and don’t insult our intelligence. McConnell and the soulless GOP will now strongly push for cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and any other programs that they deem to be helpful to the poor schleps who aren’t them all in order to make up for the shortfall in government revenue caused by the very tax cuts that they continue to celebrate. And don’t forget the massive increase in military spending that came on the heels of this tax reform. I find it funny (OK, not funny, really I find it tragic) that whenever a member of the GOP uses the word “reform” it really means that the middle class and the impoverished are about to be hosed again.

Friends, we continue to see a war being waged on the vast majority in our country to further benefit the minority at the top. When corporate profits are at all-time highs, when these corporations off-shore most of their labor and park their money in tax havens, when income and wealth inequality are reaching levels similar to those right before the 1929 Crash, we should be howling in rage. We should be striking fear into the hearts of our elected officials. We should be demanding changes to the policies that threaten to eradicate the final vestiges of the social safety net. But yet, there are far too many who capitulate to those in power. Far too many who shrug their shoulders and remain myopically indifferent or, worse yet, cheer the headsman on as they, themselves, are being led to the gallows.

This is where we are as a country. Wedge issues and identity politics are played by both the GOP and Democrats as the very lives and livelihoods of those fighting to keep all of them in office are threatened. Where are the true voices that speak for the middle class and the poor? Not the Trumpian false prophets, their siren songs luring those who listen for too long into the shoals, nor the directionless Democrats, who once were the paragons of the poor but have sold out to Wall Street money and lobbyist cash. Where are the real voices? We may hear whispers from a few brave individuals, catching a few fleeting words from time to time—healthcare for all, affordable college tuition, unions, infrastructure, renewable energy, educational opportunity—before they are drowned out by the howls of the status quo, gnashing its teeth around words like socialism and radical leftists.

This is where we are as a country. There is a creeping amorality and social disconnect that makes it okay to disparage those who are deemed as not deserving, to denigrate the poor, to disregard need because it is obviously the fault of the needy for just not reaching out and taking the sweet fruit of success hanging from every tree. When those who rule aren’t concerned about the general welfare of those they have been given the responsibility to govern, perhaps it is time that they should no longer be in a position to lead. Perhaps it is time that we, en masse, begin to demand more from those who lead and dismiss the deception, the deceit, the disorientation of manufactured crisis after manufactured crisis. Perhaps it is time that we begin to ask ourselves and each other what kind of a society we really want. Do we want one steeped in meanness, the myth of “me” and militant individualism or do we want one in which we work for fairness and equity, weave our existence together with our neighbors and welcome the idea of a strong general welfare? Assuredly, the road McConnell and the GOP are leading us down is the former. I, for one, choose the latter and will continue to work towards that.