Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Have You No Decency, Sirs? (An Open Letter to the GOP)

Fifty years ago, when an exasperated Joseph Welch defiantly interrupted the drunk-with-power chief inquistor, sen. Joe McCarthy, and asked, "Have you no decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?," the entire gallery burst into applause, signifying an abrupt end to an era of leaders who had abandoned their oaths in exchange for their own, personal glorification.

In light of recent events, one might say, it's once again time for that question to be dusted off and poised to the entire GOP.

As we've come to expect, the House passage of the Ryan Bill, which, at its core, is nothing more than the GOP's latest installment of How to Cut the Deficit by Helping the Rich and F&%king the Poor, is filled with all the usual ridiculousness brought on behalf of a party that's been deemed "the farthest right they've been in a hundred years." And, if that wasn't bad enough, this time, they're trying to do it on the backs of the sick and the elderly.

The republican plan to cut 6.1 trillion dollars in spending does not ask for a single cent from the richest class. Nor, do they ask for a dime from the defense budget or the big oil companies. Nope. All the spending cuts designed to "save our children's future" will come from the pockets and protection of health care, because, that's where the "real" problems lie.

The republicans of today have no problem whacking medicaid by 1/3, thereby exposing future generations of seniors to financial ruin, while leaving the rest of us to rely on "vouchers," which - surprise - decrease in value over time. Seeing just how far they can go, they continue their assault on reason by suggesting we cut taxes for the upper class, and put them back to where they were when their ole pal "W." was in office.

Is it possible that an entire group of people are this clueless? The early 20th century political journalist, H.L. Menckin, probably said it best when he said, "Not all conservatives are stupid, but all stupid people are conservative."

It's no secret, republicans today are unabashed in their shameful quest to protect the wealthy and the titans of industry. They're so far "off the grid" at the moment, it's easy to believe it would be even more gratifying if this could be achieved while simultaneously taking away what little remaining security those who've worked a lifetime have left.

A good word to define this type of "modern political virus" might be McConnellism. Thus, is there a more appropriate response to this willful abandonment, by virtually an entire political party, of representing their constituents to the best of their abilities, other than, "Have you no decency, sirs? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" Shame on the lot of you. You are no different than the traitors in Braveheart who, for a price, turned William Wallace over to the crown.

But, the democrats don't get off so easy.

Instead of calling the GOP out on their ever-increasing, reprehensible, lack of morality -which borders on plain evil - the dems seem content to debate each of these preposterous issues on merit, thereby legitimizing them. Which raises the question, "Who's worse? The idiot? Or, the one who argues with the idiot?"

Lest we forget, this is a party that, just in the past decade, has given us such memorable gifts as Bush/Cheney, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, and now, the "Three Stooges;" McConnell, Boehner, and Ryan, - and, still, where is our "Joseph Welch?" It certainly seems he/she/they will have to come from the underground, as, our current leaders seem to be too busy going tit-for-tat with idiots. And, in the end, guess who pays the price for that?