'Protests' would most certainly be the word of the week as we're seeing them at fever pitch here at home and abroad. Many commentators and pundits are drawing dots to make their own correlations between what it happening in the Middle East and in the Middle West of the United States. The reality is that what they do have in common is the inspiration to have voices heard. However, where as in the Middle East, people are protesting against oppression - socially and economic oppression and in the case of the latter it's a matter of not spending enough on the people. In the Midwest, the fight is framed around the idea that we've spent too much on the poeple and that they need contribute more.
The U.S. United Nations Ambassador, Susan Wright, has stated that our position is that peaceful protests need to be respected and that we stand for democratic reforms that the people in these various middle eastern countries want. In a general sense, whether you are a Republican or a Democratic you can agree with that stance. In the speculative or more hypothetical realm, some of us (American politicians and pundits) would say that stability is the most important element. However, as the rhetoric of freedom is throw around in the country through the airwaves, you have to remember that you can't have it both ways. The United States did not start these protests in the Middle East and really if we support freedom, we have to accept it with all its consequences. Saying that we're for individual freedoms except only the ones we like, doesn't cut. In the case of the middle east and Egypt specifically, if we stand with the people's right to choose their own destiny then we have to accept the outcome. It's hypocritical to say that we support the Egyptian people's freedom, but if the new leaders are not ones we agree with that a dictator should be back in power. Ms. Wright said that in terms of the Muslim Brotherhood, there is no indication that they will take complete control of the country. She continued to say that she and by extension that the Administration has faith in the Egypt people, which by all indications what a more secular government.
Another example would be Jordan, where we've little in terms of unrest but there is some there. King Abdullah is a tremendous ally of The United States, but he is a ruling monarch with final say on all affairs within the country. If the people of Jordan decide that this is unacceptable, then we have to accept the consequences of the outcome. Luckily for King Abdullah, his monarch is moderate and being who he is, the King is trying to get ahead of the unrest by making reforms to appease the citizenry.
In the case of Libya and Iran, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC), on today's program, said he would like to see regime change in both countries. Sure, most people here would like that but by what means? What should be made clear is that the means should not be determined by the United States. Can we lead by example, most certainly, but to impose democracy with a gun as we did in Iraq is not the right way to go about change. The Libyans and Iranians have to determine their own future and what we can do is be there to catch the shoe drop, on which ever side it happens to fall. What we can do and where Senator Graham was correct is that we should put pressure on U.S. companies that do business there and they should not be rewarded with tax breaks, for example, for doing business there. And as we said in last week's column, we find it helpful that Republicans are, for the most part, standing with the President and his position of Egypt.
And succinctly, the reason that Bahrain, a small country of 1.2 million people (the graphic that Meet The Press projected on the program was misprinted as 1.2 billion), is receiving so much attention is because that is where the middle east and the world meet to do business. And when the world's business centers are disrupted, the media reacts.
And speaking of business and economics, there is a $61 billion gap between the cuts that Democrats and Republicans want to make in the United States budget. Senator Graham said that the last Congress was 'fired' (voted out) because they spent too much. The deficit ballooned under the Obama Administration. However, what Republicans do not acknowledge is that President Obama put Medicare Part D, the Iraq war and the Afghan war on the books. These three huge expenses were all off budget under the Bush Administration and not accounted for so when they are put on the books of course our deficit will increase in a big way. To Mr. Obama's credit, he is being fiscally honest about what we're spending and he is trying to adjust accordingly. Now, if the government shuts down, Social Security payments and payments to the troops will not go out. As former Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) said, this would be a disaster for both sides.
The problem with the debt commission and what former Congressman Harold Ford said today on the program about raising the retirement age for Social Security and having a means test for the amount of benefits, is that they are based in the reality of the working men and women of this country. Frankly, these are millionaires speaking and making decisions in a bubble of not having to figure out day to day, week to week, how they are going to pay their bills and feed their kids. The reality is playing out in Wisconsin. The union workers in Wisconsin, as widely reported, is willing to make the financial concessions need to balance the budget, but that is not good enough for Governor Walker. He wants to see the union's ability to collective bargain dismantled. His motivation is political and where Senator Graham is very wrong is that the Governor doesn't have a mandate to roll over these people. A mandate doesn't exist when you only win with 51% of the vote.
We're all for less spending, but steep cuts so quickly will reek havoc on the economy so with that in mind, Senator Dubin (D-IL) was correct in that the House went too far too fast in making cuts. Cuts need to be progressive and not slash and burn. Mr. Gregory said that today's discussion shouldn't be about collective bargaining, but that's exactly what it's all about. If the Mr. Walker breaks the union in Wisconsin, there will be a domino effect in other states. Ed Gillespie, on today's program, said that there should be a vote every year by the people on whether they want a union or not. This is a ridiculous notion and stupid. Simply because if you take Governor Walker's complain that union contract negotiations take too long now, imagine if there had to be an election every year. Those contract negotiations would take even longer.
Also, by eliminating unions, which is the underlying goal here, would lower wages in this country to the point where the middle class would cease to exist and would become the working poor. And a working poor that works to 70 years of age? Rick Santelli, CNBC Editor and cited as one of the inspirations of the Tea Party movement, said today that no one volunteers to take money out of his or her own pocket, but that's exactly what the Union leaders in Wisconsin did. They conceded their money, but the Republican politicians what them to concede their dignity as well. We say don't do it!
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