When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 1 Cor 13
'Childish things' in this context refers largely to the level of political discussion about the fall elections that is going around these days, although the behaviour of the US financial system and our government is a close second.
(Before the usual wiseguys chime in, this site is intended to include parody and exaggeration as comic relief and an instrument of satire, in addition to seriously dispassionate commentary, unlike the White house and the Congress and Keith Olbermann and Fox News. - Jesse)
Its all personalities, frivolities, simplistic slogans, appeals to the lowest common denominator, avoidance of the serious issues, and not so subtle propaganda. Its time to start acting like this country is in serious difficulty, and the decisions that we make could affect the world for a generation. We are at a crossroads, a moment in history, and we will now decide the fate of the legacy of freedom granted to us by the blood of our forefathers.
This thoughtful piece by Yves Smith expresses the concerns many have over the Treasury proposal fairly well.
Why You Should Hate the Treasury Bailout Proposal
One thing is of special concern if you think about it a bit. How could the Bush administration have had even the arrogance to put this clause in the draft in the first place? If you think this is some poor wording or just overreach by Henry Paulson you have not been paying attention to current events for the past eight years.
Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.If this proposal passes, we need to vote out all Republicans and the Democratic leadership, and anyone who votes for this, in the November elections.
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle..."
Edmund Burke
Time to step back, out of the day to day push and pull of arguments, fears, petty jealousy, prejudice, complacency, sloth, greed and envy. Time to take a stand, to do something. This applies equally to America and to the rest of the world.
As in past moments of history, ultimately there will be no bystanders.
