Faceking, I see I was wrong. The Repubs aren't waiting for anything to start doing the blameshifting.
Robust economy- HA! Let's talk about average income with cost of living factored in. A lot of people who were gainfully employed and lost their jobs had to take significantly lower paying jobs in their stead. Almost every retail store I heard about reported awful sales in December, which is what many depend on to save the year.
Sure, I'm bitter. I live in Ohio, why wouldn't I be? We were hit the hardest of any state in the nation by the outsourcing of jobs, and we still didn't have enough awareness of what was going on to go blue. God, I hate stupidity, but I hate it most of all when self-interest won't even intercede. Almost everyone I talked to thought this would be a landslide victory for Kerry, based on economic issues alone. Most of my city is still walking around in stunned disbelief. We actually talk to each other now, and it's not uncommon to get hugs from strangers and supporting words like "we'll find a way to get through this, it's only four more years". The common shock is very real and very apparent. Whoever voted for bush here in Ohio is remaining very, very quiet. I'd like to kick his ass though, apparently he voted quite a lot!
Deficit, if you don't believe it, I can't help you. Nonetheless, it's still true. Your denying it or minimising it bears no weight on reality. It still exists, and we'll still be clawing our way out of it for years. I have worked with the elderly in the past as a cemeterian, I know firsthand how difficult it is for the many who must survive on social security alone. It made me sick to see them have to decide which perscription to fill, or should they eat? (Hmm, buy the pills I need to survive even though bush won't allow me to get them cheaper from Canada, or buy the food I need to survive? Which shall it be?) We all know that Americans pay the highest prices for drugs, even though many are manufactured here. Why? Because the drug companies know they can, and since they were the main contributors ot bush's campain, I doubt we'll be seeing any relief until the day before he steps out of office, then perhaps his filthy cinscience will get the best of him. He'll get to look like a hero even though he protected his own ass the whole time. I asked a man once what would happen if he just couldn't afford to buy his medicine and he said, very casually "I guess I'll just have to die." With the drain of this already strained system (yes, the size of the Baby Boomer generation did most of it), I see no way for it to survive. But why worry about that? I'm not old yet, so fuck 'em.
Yeah, Clinton inherited the tech market, but as I recall, he presided over the decline of it as well! He still managed a fiscally responsible spending record and amassed the largest surplus in history. Fact. It's in the past, you can't change it with words or disbelief. In just four short years, bush has gone from inheriting the largest surplus in history to plunging us into the deepest deficit. I don't have to know any more than THIRD grade math to figure that one out! How many companies did he bankrupt before he got into office??????? Who was the brain surgeon who thought an idiot like that was qualified to run a country? Apparently, he used all the wealth of knowledge he had applied to his former ventures with exactly the same results- not exactly a surprise. Doing the same things does tend to yeild the same results, there's "duh" for ya! He cares about his own pocketbook, and absolutely nothing else. He wants to be popular so he can get his agendas passed. He wants to leave a legacy of his impact. He wants to outshine his father. I think he'll succeed on all counts.
bush doesn't get to cry about Haliburton or Enron, because they were his buddies in the first place! How many of them have been prosecuted? I smell a rat there. Good to know the Good Ol Boy program is till there to protect the, well, good old boys. The rich are sure getting richer, but the middle class is dwindling dramatically. Restaurants are slow, whole chains are closing. Anything that is a non-necessity is hurting right now. Oddly enough, high-end luxury items are faring fine. Hmm, the wealthy don't seem concerned about gas prices, they can still afford Lexuses, they remain unfettered by trivial things like accountability (Enron, Haliburton) and even get to remain Vice President AND pres! Yeah, we're doing great. Sure, I'm no economist, but neither are you! I am a concerned citizen who reads more than the majority of Americans, and frankly I'm shocked at the way this administration has just gotten away with their misdeeds. Election fraud twice, that's hot.
It's the old shell game, misdirect out attention to what he (they) want us to look at, while what's really going on remains behind closed doors. This is not "conspiracy theory", and Freddie's right that the religious right is getting upset about bush's lack of follow through on his promises to them. It was only a means to an end- to get himself elected (har!
, now that it's done, he doesn't give a rats' ass about them. He never did. "Not all who say "Lord, lord" will enter the gates of Heaven". He's a fraud. My only hope is that he exposes himself for what he is. The problem is that even if he does, those who were on his side will have to admit that they were foolish enough to be duped, which isn't likely to happen. So, nomatter what he does, those who supported him will continue to defend their bad decision, just so they won't have to admit they were wrong. God help us all.
And now, I'm slumping off to sew for about 12 hours so I can go out selling costumes tomorrow for about 8 hours to dancers who work in bars that are virtually empty compared to four years ago. You may hate my industry, but it is something of a barometer of "expendible cash". Four years ago I could work 40 or 50 hours to make about 40% more than I make now working 80 to 90 hours a week. I'm here all the time because there's nothing else to do from 4 to 6am, which is my only free time. Geez, I despise that man. I'm tired of feeling haggard. I'm tired of my friends all having to bum money off of each other because we're all so broke. I don't mind working so much because I'm single, but what about people who have families, but they have to take second jobs to keep a roof over their heads? Sure, they're employed, but quality of life is going down the tubes.