The Tea Party is clearly about to become the party of the rich, and heartless… The Party of the Mayflower!
Sarah Palin is making a case that the problems in the American economy may well be caused by those who consider work an option, and opt to sit it out.
Sarah Palin was addressing a number of “Michiganders” during mid-May of this year, as the guest speaker at the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan. She said: “In Europe, socialism is collapsing,” “Europeans thought they could have their cake and eat it, too! In Europe, work has become an option, not a requirement….” “Our president is still marching us toward European socialism ideas and national insolvency. … Like Europe, Obama thinks bills pay for themselves.”
Similarly the outspoken Mr. Rush Limbaugh is thinking in a similar vein. Addressing the issue of “entitlements”, and speaking of the economic woes in Greece, Mr. Limbaugh rants: “Parallels? Damn right there are!! They have been enjoying more generous government benefits than they can afford. No mass rally and no bailout fund will change that. Only benefit cuts or tax increases can.” “…. Benefit cuts over there are already causing riots.” Rush can speak up a storm. A few moments later he said: “All right, Greek workers today called a 24-hour strike on May the 19th, the latest in a series of protests against planned pension cuts. By the way, they’re not eliminating anybody’s pensions! They’re just asking the pensioners to agree to have them pared down a little bit, and of course the leeches are gonna go on a 24-hour strike to oppose this, and they’re not doing themselves any favors. “
Limbaugh and Palin seem to equate socialism, and European Socialism, with the spending of money. In fact as has been stated, Obama, in step with the vast majority of economists, knows that in times of depression, money must be spent to produce jobs, and to increase income to the government in the long run. We see that the economy is rebounding, and the supply of available jobs is on an upswing.
Palin in expressing concern that “work has become an option, not a requirement” wants us to believe that Americans are sitting at their leisure, refusing to work. And does not her statement suggest that we must take the bull by the horns and force these citizens to work?
The deficit was not caused by would be workers sitting home. Some might even suggest it was caused in part by the G.W.Bush plan to return the surplus to the people and they would “spend it!”; a highly complex and involved strategy indeed – a strategy designed to buy votes. Then, G.W.Bush, following the attacks of 9/11, staged an unwarranted pre-emptive attack on Iraq, costing trillions of dollars, and unimaginable bloodshed.
Sarah Palin has a history of bad sentiment toward working people. Prior to the impulsive attempt of Republican Arizona Senator John McCain to place Ms. Palin in the Office of Vice-President of the United States, following her election as Mayor in the town of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin had a run in with a local public librarian. She asked that librarian, one Mary Ellen Emmons, if she would “be all right with censoring library books should she be asked to do so”. The librarian responded that she would definitely not be all right with it! A few months later, Palin fired the librarian. However after a wave of public outcry, Ms. Emmons was allowed to continue.
If these prominent Republicans, both associated with the new and continuing “Tea Party” movement, feel so strongly that the problem in The States is linked to entitlements, then one would have to wonder – Do any of those individual Americans, waiting for hours to hear the Tea Party call, have concerns about their someday need for Social Security? Are they uniformly opposed to Medicare, Medicaid … healthcare for every American? Is seems unlikely.
Adopting the style of the controversial Limbaugh, one might say: “Can’t you see it!?” The poor and destitute, the sick and infirm, the old, all dying in the streets! Pack them up! Toss them into the Boston Harbor!! … Tea, anyone?
First published by John Lake at:
http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/sarah-says-workers-should-be-sitting/page-2/#ixzz0o7PNqbwC
