In just a few hours, the U.S. Government will have to decide whether or not to default on our debt obligations or simply raise the debt ceiling. In the light of Greece officially defaulting within the European Bank and Italy & Spain close behind, our Representatives, Senators, President, lobbyists, and every organization is using this moment to further agendas that have been trying to get passed for a while.
But where's the incentive to do the right thing? What is the right thing?
I feel we should raise the debt ceiling and not be put in the situation that Greece, Italy, and Spain aree facing. I believe insanely profitable corporations and wealth individuals need to pay taxes at the last Great Depression tax rates. I no longer want my tax money being spent on troops & the expensive wars of Iran & Afghanistan.
So, now what are my options to see this change through as a person without any political connections, who works a normal job for normal pay, and lives a small life? Call my Representative & Senators and tell them "raise the debt ceiling." If huge numbers of their constituents do the same thing, then the Representatives & Senators should vote as their people demand. Elected officials assume by appeasing their constituents that their constituents in return will vote them back into office. What if my Representative is a Tea Party member who has no intention of running for re-election. What is their incentive to listen to their constituents at all? If they case the "wrong" vote and the economy become worse, why would they care? They won't be on The Hill for the aftermath.
Where's the incentive for the rich to pay more in taxes? Using the old Plantation model of land owner & slaves, where's the incentive for the land owner to be good to slaves or even pay them? I'm sure we'd all agree we'd rather be in the position of the land owner & rich than being the poor slave who works ungodly hours and receives little or no compensation when the land owner makes record profits. What would motivate him to distribute his wealth evenly among the people he governs?
What's the incentive to be the public figure who finally pulls the plug on the Wars in Iran & Afghanistan? Every day the media claims Iran has forged an agreement with al Qaeda to move money, arms, and fighters through Iranian territory to terrorist groups in Pakistan & Afghanistan. Either this is a Rupert Murdock spin to keep us scared or it's real. If it's real and we get attacked again, do you want to be the public figure who said, "we don't need troops in these countries anymore"?
