McCain Eats Brains

Anyone who is considering voting for John McCain is a zombie. John McCain and the Republican Party have eaten their brain so much that somehow they think the country is in good shape. The same people believe the economy is strong, the job market is peachy, and the world loves us because we’re America, dammit!

That may be an exaggerated example, but it’s not far from the truth.

The reality is the country is in shambles, the job market and economy are both crumbling at an alarming rate, the housing market is predicted by experts to implode. Our school systems are financially broke and failing our children at the same time. Our air, water, and food are more polluted and dangerous than ever. All of this has happened at an alarming rate over the past 8 years, 8 years under Republican control.

Today John McCain says the country is doing great and he wants to continue the 8 years of destructive policies George W. Bush and the GOP have wrought. If you know someone who supports McCain, or, God forbid, you are one of those people, it’s time to wake up. We’re not here to insult you. Deep down we believe we all want this country to do well and become the strong America we know we can be. But first McCain supporters need to come to grips with what is happening in the real world - to the entire country.

Pleased take a few minutes to watch this speech by Independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. It’s important to realize not only that what Sanders says is true, but that he’s an Independent. He’s not affiliated with the Republicans nor Democrats. He has nothing to gain by endorsing one side over the other. Instead, Sanders is speaking from the heart about the situation we find ourselves in, and the need to fix it, regardless of who steps forward to try.

Now how do we go about fixing that mess?

Well, first we have to admit there’s a problem. Then we have to understand what caused the problem in the first place. That’s easy, it’s a broken system of politics in Washington that works to protect and expand the profits of the richest companies at the expense of America itself.

In the long run, exporting jobs to save money on wages hurts companies more than it helps. Their customers, now out of work citizens, or citizens forced to take a much lower paying job, are not at liberty to spend as they once did when they had a well paying employment.

And in the long run, removing regulations that protected the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat only harms America and it’s citizens. Every citizen, rich or poor. We all breathe, drink, and eat, so by stretching profits at the expense of a few more toxins - who are they fooling?

Instead of switching to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, oil lobbyists convince our politicians to turn food into fuel so we can continue to drive our poor mileage SUV’s on the very food so many people are begging for. And the dirtiest secret of all is that the oil companies are buying up our farmland to grow the federally subsidized crops themselves. Big Oil gets tax cuts to buy our farms, tax subsidies to grow the food, and 100% profits to do it. The end result is food prices around the world have soared and continue to climb. Americans are faced with cutting back on driving or cutting back at the dinner table, or both. And this Winter when the soaring energy prices are felt once again with rising heating oil, many households will be faced with another decision.

The same can be said for all of the other failed policies the GOP, George Bush, and John McCain have enacted and supported. A education system on life support produces under educated children who can’t find those high paying jobs to become valued consumers that keep our economy afloat. At the same time, those high paying jobs are leaving by the boatload to become low paying jobs in other countries. More and more of our children cannot afford higher education. More and more of our children are slipping into poverty, not only wondering where their next meal with come from, but where they will live.

To the wealthy Americans who call themselves Republicans, the mere idea of worrying about food or housing is unthinkable. To those sitting in their ivory towers, where inflation can’t reach high enough to feel it’s effect, the country looks as beautiful as ever. But to the rest of us the world is not so nice. We’ve seen what this country looks like under GOP rule for the past 8 years. We simply cannot afford another 4 years - or 8, under John McCain.

We don’t know that Barack Obama will fix everything. Frankly, the country is so screwed up after 8 years of GOP rule that the Messiah himself would have a hard time repairing the damage. But contrary to what John McCain and Hillary Clinton say, Barack Obama has a very strong track record of doing what’s best for the country and working with Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike to do it. Instead of listening to false ads and sound bites, look at Obama’s record yourself.

Fixing the country will take hard work, but the first step is easy. All we have to do is change the way we think, specifically about how we think about each other.

To big business and politicians, this is a ME World - What can the world do for ME? But for all of us, working mother, productive family, individual politicians, or the largest corporations, this needs to become a We World. What can WE do for our country to make it better?

We need to think and work together as a team, not as individuals trying to climb the ladder at the expense of others. When America is stronger, we are stronger. When America benefits, we benefit.

The world can be a fortunate place for 1% of us, and a struggle just to make ends meet for the other 99%, or it can be a great place for all of us. The choice is ours. What world do you want to live in?