Democrats, Republicans, Machiavellians & the End of the World

Dear Mr. President,

Well, the world didn’t end yesterday. No black holes, no errant meteors, no cataclysmic events. The end of the Mayan calendar wasn’t the end of the world after all, that was an urban legend, a hoax put forth by those who either misinterpreted or were up to no good. Like the fiscal cliff we’re supposed to go over on December 31 unless there’s a new budget and since Boehner can’t get his party’s crazies to accept your “compromise” plan, looks like we’re going over. I say, better to go over the cliff than a budget that’s more giveaway than compromise—raise taxes only on the super-rich by a piddly 4.6% but cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; keep dividends taxed at 20% and a $3.5 million exclusion for estates but slash education, Head Start and Food Stamps… It would have been a disaster for America. Paul Krugman, in his column yesterday, said the Republican crazies saved you from giving away the store by rejecting your offer. The Republicans refuse to raise taxes—but apparently only on the rich since their plans actually raise taxes on the poor and middle class. They’re hellbent to eliminate entitlements but love subsidies for business, tax exemptions and bailouts, all government largess. It’s only when government helps John and Jane Public that they have a problem. They love war, the only area where government is welcome, since war is good for business and the military protects our business interests abroad so outfits like Texaco and Chevron can plunder and pillage and leave behind a toxic mess with impunity. Republicans have no concept of the common good for either the country or the planet; they fight tooth and nail to make sure regulations are riddled with loopholes and unions are weakened so they can exploit workers, defraud customers, and keep profits high and taxes low. The Democrats? Different only in tone. And then there’s you, Mr. President. You claim to be a Democrat and mouth Democrat platitudes but in deed you’re more Republican than the Republicans. I think you have no loyalty to any party or any State, that you are driven only by a lust for power, that any means justifies your end. I keep coming to the only possible conclusion: you are neither Democrat nor Republican, but Machiavellian: any means, any lie, any promise, to gain power and to keep it. And so you did. Twice. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. So shame on America and God Bless America, she’ll need all the goddamned blessing she can get.