Wednesday March 2, 2005 Democratic musings on a sunny day

I guess the Republican solution to the Social Security and Medicare looming problems is to cut the taxes on the rich, drive up federal spending by privatizing government support services and issuing non-bid contracts to their friends and supporters, and let each poor soul buy whatever services he can afford.

Once the Social Security system is in the hands of the brokers and insurance companies, we will all be much better off (just ask the British about their private investment retirement plan).

Have you noticed how well the defense manufacturers are doing while we have kept this war dragging on? When we have no decent enemies left, we seem to create new little ones to pick on. This constant defense against real or imaginary foes keeps the armament manufacturers quite happy. Now we have the nouveau security defense companies coming into the lineup for their portion of the largesse due to the Homeland Security contracts being issued.

Years ago we, in the construction business, always marveled at the contracts awarded by the military at the end of the fiscal year – just to finish off any monies left over from their budget. If it could be painted or replaced it was, no matter that it had just been done the preceding year. They had to use up the budgeted money or their budget would be decreased the next year. Now that much of the support service is being let out to private corporations, that is likely to escalate.

Now that we are spending very much more than we are taking in, without attempting to curb the costs of the supply side corporations for armaments, health care, drug costs, and energy suppliers, we will need to either cut back on services to the public or raise taxes on the poor or extend the retirement age or even extend the social security taxed income to all income. Or we could stop making wars and save a bundle. Maybe we could tell Europe “It’s your turn to keep the peace.”. We could ally ourselves with all the North American and South American countries and build our own economy here without Europe or Asia. Once we found alternative fuels instead of oil, we could tell the middle east to keep their oil and go back to tending their flocks.

Or not. Sometimes it’s nice to dream.
Let's pretend that the rich aren't getting richer and the poor aren't getting poorer.
We don't really need a Robin Hood, do we?