Paradise Lost

Why the United States has truly lost it's way

In this years Presidential election cycle there has been fraud, deceit, lies, deception and outright collusion to undermine a Presidential candidate. In other words for the nations highest office this election already has turned into one of the most dishonest and distasteful episodes in modern times. We already have a country on the very verge of insolvency. This to a point where at any moment our whole financial house of cards will come crashing down sending us and the rest of the world into a cataclysm of economic devastation. And, yet what do our two most prominent Presidential hopefuls offer as solutions to avoid the most destructive economic calamity of our times? Not much I am afraid. While one candidate pinpoints much distress in our nation and the world today while the other offers a more rosier picture no one has even mentioned the facts that have already placed the United States on the endangered nations list.  

 

It is not only our Presidential aspirants that would rather offer platitudes and halve measures that completely dismiss the urgency of implementing safeguard measures that would stave off economic disaster but practically every one else seeking public office as well. Everywhere you look today the power brokers of not only high finance, but corporate conglomerates, and entrenched office holders continue their strangle hold over the American public. While they continue to reap exorbitant amounts of wealth the rest of us are getting poorer everyday. Now, when it takes millions of dollars just to be able to launch a political campaign opens up the flood gates for more corruption, fraud, and malfeasance. Lost in the fray are the ideals and possible solutions that would greatly elevate everyone's quality of life. This is the reality of today.

 

Someone once said that to change the game that's played, in this case the political games that all office seekers now have to play, one has to play the game and win the game in order to effect change that eliminates the current way our political system is run. While one candidate states he is the only one to effect change no one can deny the fact that the political process we have today will more than likely continue costing even more money. This is true for both candidates, Clinton and Trump. The power brokers have set the rules making it virtually impossible for someone that has the best ideals, ideas, and solutions but can't even break into the spotlight to gain access for more of the public to be aware that there really is a better way.

 

This past years Democratic primaries showcased that it was possible for someone to skirt around the power brokers hold on the political process.  Bernie Sanders turned his movement into a national phenomena igniting the passion of new voters young and old alike. A passion for our democratic process that has been lost since JFK.  In order to suppress this groundswell of national support the power brokers in the Democratic party stepped in and in a blink of an eye Bernie Sanders stepped aside. Yet, clouds of suspicion continue to linger over the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton. 

 

In a year that has seen one disaster after another, a year where too many of our citizens died needlessly, a year that has seen the world tremble under violent terror and a year where to many have to face each day more impoverished than the day before it is time for we the people to band together to become one nation and not be funneled into secular groups pitting one against the other. Our political process today is not only flawed but corrupt. To restore our nation to the way our founding fathers intended we the people must not tolerate a political process that has become the embodiment of corruption, deception and deceit.

 

Too many times our elected officials fail to do the work of the public. Considering all the bills that make their way through Congress today you can bet your bottom dollar too many are passed not for the betterment of the majority of the public but for special interest groups, lobbyists, and corporate CEO's. The bills that would make a difference in the lives of so many people never make it outside the halls of Congress. Too often State and Federal legislatures have ignored or withheld passage of bills that the majority of citizens supports. It is not only their own constituents either that support passage of a particular piece of legislation. But, all across the country we have seen mass public support for a specific bill only to have our elected officials refuse to acknowledge that support.

 

A case in point: this past November Senator Warren introduced legislation to offset the misdirected way the cost of living increase to Social Security is calculated. This bill was called Save The Benefits Act. In it specified that each eligible Social Security beneficiary would receive a lump payout of over $550 to cover this years cost of living if the annual cost of living increase was calculated fairly. This past December over 75% of Americans supported passage of the Save The Benefits Act. Of that 75% over 95% of actual seniors on social security supported passage. It is no surprise that with the cost of living today every senior citizen needs that increase to just cover their day to day expenses.

Today, there is no Save the Benefits Act, it died a fast and silent death at the hands of the Congressional Committee on Finance. It never had a chance because of the Republican majority that has kept the American people hostage by their refusal to pass this and other much needed measures that would greatly benefit not only our seniors but the majority of the public as well. Now, when you have the Medicare Board of Trustees mandate just recently a 23% increase for all those enrolled in Medicare Part B programs that increase from $121 per month to now over $150 per month with a minuscule pittance of a COLA increase in this years Social Security benefit our seniors relying on Social security have seen a drastic decrease in their retirement incomes. That COLA increase of just a little over $2.00 per month really is a slap to the face for all those who worked all their lives.

It has been for quite some time now that the audacity of our elected officials especially the Republicans is more evident today for their overwhelming reluctance and even a down right refusal to allow the Save the Benefits Act to pass. It is just like their refusal to acknowledge Global Warming and Climate Change when there is more than enough scientific evidence to support that our fossil fuel industries are it's prime cause. All one has to do is just look at all the natural disasters occurring all over the world and especially right here in the United States.  It should come to everyone's attention that when there is an overwhelming support for any piece of legislation whether it is for Social Security, medical marijuana or climate change and the legislature refuses to pass legislation in favor of that support proves once again that our democratic process has been corrupted and compromised.

These are serious issues that need an urgency to resolve. The longer our elected officials continue to ignore the rule of democracy and resort to a self perpetuated cause where money flows to power that power is then corrupt. What we have today is not a represented government of the people and for the people but a government bought and paid for by the all powerful few. A self serving bureaucracy drowning out the voice of the people. This past years primary especially the Democratic primaries proved once again the gross amount of corruption, fraud and deceit that occurred.  

We have to remember even though there is mass support for a candidate or a piece of legislation that support  won't turn into a realization unless it is followed through with action to ensure it's passage or election. When indifference and apathy out weigh resourcefulness and resolve as we have seen even when there is an actual consensus that a bill or candidate has merit it is no wonder then that the powers that be and our legislators continue to ignore and over rule the voting public. In this years Democratic primary was a perfect example of allowing the establishment of party leaders commandeer and swing one predetermined candidate over the clear choice of the people. Meanwhile the public and our senior citizens are left facing the fact that this election boils down to the lesser of two evils. We are also left facing another day of financial uncertainty. Do we have only ourselves to blame for the quandary we are in? One has to wonder!