I'm Still Mad as Hell

House Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor

I'm still mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more (see yesterday's blog).  These two top Republicans, Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, said today that Republicans have already sacrificed enough by expressing willingness to raise the debt ceiling.  Wow!  What a sacrifice!  Their party helped to create this mess in the first place by lowering taxes when Bush was in office.  They  failed to consider the advice of then Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to view his prediction of a $5.4 B dollar surplus by 2010 as based on statistics that didn't account for substantial changes in the existing economic relationships that differed greatly from past decades.  To read an interesting article regarding this and other money considerations, see http://aarp.org/bulletin and choose Our Big Money Moment.  

For those in the middle and lower classes, take account of whether or not those cuts have improved your financial situation or your safety.  Most of us have experienced substantial changes in our ability to balance our personal budgets, and fire and police protection have dwindled.  Remember, the economic debacle occurred before Bush left office, not under Obama.  President Obama has faced a perfect storm of disasters since taking office, all of which have worsened the problem.  The failure of large financial firms led to the housing crisis, and to add to an already bleak picture, natural disasters hit globally and stymied the signs of economic hope.  In the US, a major oil spill, tornadoes, and floods resulted in shortages, which increased food and gas prices.  We have but to visit a grocery store or fill the tank to see that the dollar doesn't buy as much as it did a year ago.  President Obama doesn't bear the responsibility for any of that.

The Republican Party also announced that any budget deficit agreement must include action on Medicare and Social Security, and I'm not talking about improvements.  I wrote it yesterday, and I'll repeat it today.  If Republicans insist on tampering with Social Security and Medicare, then their pensions should be placed on the table for discussion as well as Congressional salary increases.  What other organization exists that can vote on its own salaries?  Time for a big change there!  Wake up, citizens of America!  Call Speaker Boehner or Republicans who represent your state, and tell them to make a deal that includes tax increases for the wealthy!