[GPSCC-chat] article to run in Milpitas Post on Sept. 6

[Rob Means]

Other Voices article

If we look to the federal government to solve our problems, we may have 
a long wait ahead of us. That's because the Republicans in both the 
House and Senate have stalled and subverted all Democratic attempts at 
change that would help working families. In a time when we are 
surrounded by economic, environmental, and social crises that demand 
change, the federal government is gridlocked.

It truly is remarkable that, on the night of President Obama's 2009 
inauguration, the most powerful Republicans in Washington gathered to 
plot a strategy to ensure that the President and the Democratic Party 
accomplish nothing, or at least very little. In his book "Do Not Ask 
What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives", Robert 
Draper describes the night that began Senate Minority Leader Mitch 
McConnell's recode of nearly 300 filibusters since then. Roughly 200 
occurred during the two years when Democrats controlling Congress sent 
over lots of good legislation to the Senate for approval. The Senate GOP 
also held up 79 of the President's picks for the U.S. Circuit Court and 
Courts of Appeal for no good reason.

Senate Democrats, and even a few Republicans, did pass a comprehensive 
immigration reform bill. It stalled in the Republican-controlled House 
when, in a closed-door meeting, House Republicans basically refused to 
bring the Senate's immigration reform bill up for a vote.

With so much time on their hands NOT passing good legislation, what are 
the Republicans doing? They have been working to repeal what little the 
Democrats accomplished in 2009 and 2010. Obamacare was passed so that 
more Americans could have access to lifesaving healthcare at affordable 
costs, but Republicans have tried 40 times to repeal it. Republicans 
voted to cut billions in spending from the SNAP food stamps program 
which, over 10 years, would result in nearly 3 million Americans losing 
food assistance and the ability to adequately feed themselves. 
Statistically, this is “screw the kids”. (Children represent a 
disproportionate share of the poor in the United States; they are 24 
percent of the total population, but 36 percent of the poor population.)

Since 2007, the foreclosure crisis has displaced at least 10 million 
people from more than four million homes across the country. In 
response, Republicans have repeatedly screwed the homeless by cutting 
funding to homeless shelters and blocking legislation to help homeless 
veterans. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the 
Republican-driven sequester has pushed as many as 140,000 more American 
households into homelessness.

Republicans also spent time on abortion bills, phony “scandals”, and 
budgetary hostage taking (both budget ceiling and sequester types are 
explained in a brief article at http://snipurl.com/27mhrz2).

And Republicans are getting better at their obstruction! In 2013, during 
the first 6 months, Congress has only passed 15 bills that were signed 
into law. This is 8 fewer than in the first 6 months of 2012 and 19 
fewer than 2011.
At one level, you could say “man, those guys play some serious 
hardball.” At another level, say the level of patriotic support for 
one's country, or a longing for the common good, another response is 
evoked. Mine is to speak out against a Republican strategy that kills 
job growth, stops aid to small businesses, hurts women’s ability to gain 
equal pay for equal work, and cuts benefits for seniors and veterans.

If most of this information is new to you, perhaps your news comes from 
one of the six corporations - Time Warner, Disney, News Corporation, 
Viacom, Comcast, and CBS – that control roughly 90% of the media in the 
U.S. and have a self-interest in ignoring real news and dishing out 
infotainment instead. (To be better informed, watch Amy Goodman's 
“Democracy Now”, Thom Hartmann's “The Big Picture”, or Bill Moyers' 
“Moyers & Company”.)

Washington has served the rich these past 30 years while turning its 
back on the middle class. The US political economy has been trending 
toward greater inequality and poverty and a diminished capacity to 
respond democratically to meet the social, economic and environmental 
challenges we face.

So, what do we do to restore our democracy and rebuild the American 
dream? Do like the City of Milpitas! Do what you can with the resources 
you have. For example, to help residents transition away from carbon 
fuels, make it easier for homeowners to install solar panels. Grease the 
skids of the permit process. And do such a good job of it that the State 
of California recognizes and honors your City.

Thank you city leaders and staff who made this happen. Bless you. And 
keep up the good work.
-- 
Rob Means,1421 Yellowstone Ave., Milpitas, CA 95035-6913
408-262-0420h, 408-262-8975w, rob.means at electric-bikes.com
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