The hidden "free market" agenda

Different versions of the story of Joe Republican (see below) have been around before. What's new is that the Republicans, especially Mitt Romney, are claiming their financial success is all based on their own efforts and that they should be "congratulated" for being super rich. This is the end product of the decades-long drive by "free market" extremists who see every individual as a separate entity acting alone rather than in a community of others. In my history classes, I used to talk about the balance between "the one and the many." That's what all political systems are about. How do individuals reach their greatest potential while also protecting the society as a whole? On one extreme, there are no individuals - only a mass of people following directions and not acting independently. On the other extreme there is the "every man for himself" attitude which the Republicans have been promoting since the 1980's. I shake my head when I read articles in the paper about cuts in social services and education as if that is the main point of the article. The writer may present some analysis of the state (or federal) budget, but no one seems to be telling the background story. The goal of the "free market" extremists is to dismantle and destroy all things "public" and thereby disengage individuals from the society as a whole. Once we are disconnected from each other and have no unselfish loyalty to the group, we are easy targets for those who tell us to fear and hate each other. Every election is a "turning point" of sorts, but this year could well be the point of no return as far as regaining a strong democratic form of government focused on empowering individuals to reach their highest potential. The eroding of our sense of community has been going on for so long, we may not be able to rebuild it. One good sign is that faith groups are resisting the destruction of programs that feed the hungry and protect the safety of children. But the debate can not be just about where money should be allocated. We must face the reality that a few very powerful individuals and corporations have no loyalty to the society as a whole and want the 99% of us to be as poor as they can make us so we will be thankful for any crumbs they toss our way. The Great Recession of 2007-2009 was not just because greedy money managers went on a gambling spree. The goal was also to pull the rug out from under the middle class and turn us into beggars. So while we're arguing about school funding formulas, cutting aid to the needy to pay for Pell grants, etc., the real story is much larger. We are missing the forest for the trees by focusing on budget details. Someone has to pull the curtain back and expose the Wizard who is manipulating the levers of power. Once the citizens see what a sham the whole "free market" thing is, we'll be able to address the root of the problem. This is gardening season, and we all know you can't just trim back Bermuda grass. It will travel underground and pop up somewhere else. We have to get to the root of the problem presently before us. Do we want to be "free and independent" to the point of purifying our own water, building our own roads, inspecting our own meat, educating our children at home, burying our legal documents in the back yard instead of trusting the county recorder of deeds, and accepting whatever salary our employer is willing to give us? Or do we want to stand up to the powerful interests that are sucking the life out of our beloved community like the leeches they are. The choice is ours. A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOE REPUBLICAN Joe gets up at 6 A.M. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised. All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it, too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry. In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some cry-baby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside, and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor. Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays, and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a workers’ compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune. It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression. Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe also forgets that in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state-funded university. Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the tax-payer funded roads. He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification. He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to. Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self -made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."