Values, Schmalues

Originally posted at Writeindependent.org on February 16, 2012

You’ve heard it from politicians for years: they run on values. Let’s examine these “values” they espouse.

Be conservative with your money. The last two administrations say they want to reign in spending, but look what has actually happened. We’re spending more on war than we can afford, with no end in sight. (See http://costofwar.com/en/)

Never raise taxes, and especially on the wealthy. Instead, let’s “borrow” from our children’s future. Make our children pay for our excesses.

Kids today are lazy. What happened to industriousness? Meanwhile, it’s okay to take money out of our economy in the way of Credit Default Swaps and bailouts when the banks cry “we’re broke!” (See http://www.policymic.com/articles/5787/millennials-it-s-time-for-some-generational-rage/related)

Privatize social security and Medicare. Let’s do to social security what they did in the banking industry: gamble our hard-earned tax dollars in private industry and when the market doesn’t do as well as we expected, have the government step in to bail out the situation, forcing us even more into this “socialized” system we’re trying to avoid.

Tax breaks for corporations. The wealthiest corporations find the cheapest labor overseas. Cheap labor means bigger profits, but also means a tax burden they shouldn’t have to pay. Take that burden away from the corporations, and what do they have? More time to spend money with their families (assuming corporations have children). Meanwhile, jobs have left the USA, the overseas workers live and work in deplorable conditions. Some values!

Win at all costs. I can’t lose this election, so I have to raise as much money as possible for my campaign. If I have to lie, cheat, make promises to the people who are propping me up, it’s all in the name of the game, right? Whatever happened to people who want to serve their country as a matter of civic responsibility?

War is hard and expensive, but we work with the military we have. What about peace? Who runs on peace these days?

The writing is on the wall, voters. If you want more of the same, keep the same congress we have now. Just remember whose “values” you’re voting for.

 

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