Consumer Society?

Consumer Society.

That pretty well covers it for America and those places of the world where our influence has triumphed ... from the status we desire to the economic engines of the world, consumptions is the fuel that drives all of it.

Yet, I wonder.

Are there other words to describe us?

Or does "consumer" thoroughly trump everything else?

I think it does.

For example, "generous" society. Well, yes, for some, I'm sure, but if consumption is the trump card, so to speak, in the game of life, then I'm going to be concerned about hanging on to what I've got even as I might be threatened by other "consumers" who are taking more of the pie than I want for them, or, heaven forbid, taking a piece of the pie "they don't deserve."

I think a lot of folks feel this toward the poor, when, in fact, it might be more accurate to have these feelings toward the uber-rich who seem to be taking the whole hog right now.

What about "kindly" society?

It's hard to be kind when feeling threatened, and a consumer mentality is always a heartbeat away from fear.

Without wasting any more of your time, I suspect "consumer" pretty well trumps all other words; in fact, it consumes them, chews them up, and spits them out like a farmer spits depleted chewing tobacco.

I think we have to do some serious thinking ... especially people of faith who generally agree that greed and materialism are destructive of both a person's character and that of a society.

Our Congress: Servant of the Wealthy

I decry much of what goes on these days, including some of the worst kowtowing of our government to the wealthy interests of our nation, giving them more than they deserve, mostly on the backs of working women and men, the unemployed and the poor, including our returning vets.

We elect "representatives" to "represent" our interests, but, in fact, our "representatives" are often in the pockets of the wealthy, parlaying their own positions into opportunities of wealth, giving the wealthy in turn a greater share of the American Pie.

While I sometimes think this is a new phenomenon, reading Drew Pearson's Diaries: 1949-1959, reveals a similar pattern in his time, and history makes it clear: the wealthy have always had access to the powers of government that the rest of us simply don't have.

March 9, 1958, Pearson writes:

       "Senator Anderson of New Mexico called me last week regarding the insurance tax loophole bill which he says will give the insurance companies a $124,000,000 tax rebate. I wrote a story on it. What this administration [Eisenhower] and most of the Congress don't appreciate is that the tax loopholes are bigger and bigger for the higher brackets and the corporations, whereas the small taxpayer get his taxes deducted from his salary. This is the situation which helped to encourage Communism in France and Italy."

Despair Over the GOP???

If one despairs of the current GOP, it's helpful to remember McCarthy and his wild rantings, a Commie under every Washington bed and behind every journalist tree.

Yes, there have been exceptions to the rule, but the GOP has been the Party of Crazy for a long time - always hateful of the administration (except when there's a Republican in office), fiercely pro-business and always willing to sell the store to the highest bidder, hateful of unions and America's workers, hateful of women and civil rights and all social security programs, suspicious of higher education and liberal educators, isolationist at times, and other times, wildly militaristic.

With the influx of Southern Democrats after FDR and the emergence of Civil Rights, along came the KKK and its world and life view - guns, hatred of gays ("weakness in a man"), racism of every form, mistreatment of women and children, hate the Union and love Nullification, and these are the guys and gals that voted for "right to work" laws throughout the south because "unions were an invention of the North."

So, let's not be surprised at the GOP ... it is only what it's been.

Dancing with the Devil

The US has always gone full tilt after left-wing agitators, pinkos, strikers, unions, reds and Communists, but generally leaves the right-wing nut-jobs alone. Why? The left poses a threat to American and world monied interests. The right, up until now, has been largely and ingrown and isolated social movement, more bluster than threat. Sadly, right-wing politicians have sought the votes of this alienated sector, by playing up to their bizarre interests for power (not wages, or social security or health benefits) and lionizing the ultimate symbol of their power: The Gun!

Well, when ya' dance with the devil, expect trouble.

Emboldened by several decades of right-wing NRA and t-bag nonsense, these crazy boys and girls are beginning to take themselves seriously, and the only serious they know is bullets and bombs.

How very sad that the monied interests of this nation paid out millions to attack the left and its desires for good jobs and wages and social security, while letting the cancer of right-wing hatred grow unchecked, seeing its then "harmless" rhetoric and back-woods behavior as a useful tool to bash the left and keep America fractured.

Plow Horses and the Second Amendment

Sooner or later
Americans will realize
That the Second
Amendment makes as
Much sense as
Owning Plow Horses.

Which reveals why
The SCOTUS has
Rendered such silly
Rulings of late.

How does one
Rule on the
Need and place
of Plow Horses?

Everyone! Go out
and get yourself
a Plow Horse.

Walk it around
with you at
Starbucks and Wendy's.
Let people see
your Horse's Ass.

Wear cool t-shirts:
"I shovel shit."
"Plow-Horse Love"
"Stay Calm - Ride
A Plow Horse"

Hay, hay, hay.
It's my right.
To have a
Lovely Plow Horse.