GOVERNMENT SHUT-DOWN ANYONE?

Big drama coming from Washington last week -- will the government shut down, or won't it?  Will our armed services get their pay or won't they?  Will senior citizens receive their Social Security checks or won't they?  The Tea Party was itching for a government shut down, but fortunately, wiser heads prevailed.  Compromises were reached and the government kept on working.  But the challenge is still with us.

 

The rich are still getting richer, the poor poorer, and the middle class is shrinking.

Why?

Because the wealthiest among us -- and the top corporations -- don't pay their fair share of taxes.  It's that simple. This is true at both the federal and state level.  Fair taxes equals good roads, good schools, good health care.  But they have somehow convinced Americans that if the wealthy keep their cushy  tax cuts, we all benefit.  That has never been true in the past, and it is not true now.  Those tax cuts the wealthy receive are making them richer at the expense of the rest of us.

There is a simple solution -- fair and uncomplicated:  a  fair tax code. But it never gets talked about and is never even up for discussion   And why is that?  Because the wealthy corporations own the media.  They simply do not want us to know the truth.  That is why is is important for us to start our own communication systems if  America is to be strong and vital -- and its citizens thriving.

According to Thom Hartman in an April 8 article from Common Dreams, corporations used to pay for 30% of our publicly-collected money.  They now pay for 7%.  No wonder there is a "budget crisis".  And make no mistake, it is one that has been carefully developed over many years. 

So we in this country have a huge problem.  Our founding fathers knew that freedom of the press was critical for a democracy to survive.  And indeed, we do have a free press.  But we also have a press that is corporate-owned  and doesn't really want us to know the truth.  The don't want you to know the wealthy are skating off without equal responsibility, while the rest of us have to have lower quality schools, roads and health care.  And as long as the truth is elusive, we cannot fix it.

That's why it is important for us to educate ourselves and stand strong together.  If those of us who are hurting with this present system come together with one strong voice, we can still get our country back, still have good schools, good roads, and safe drinking water.  But the time for action is now, lest we wait too long.

Let's stay informed, stand strong and assure our government is in the hands of the people, not the corporation.