Peace On That

Imagine if you will a war between the Red army and the Blue army. The generals of both armies have decided on a scorched earth policy and have commanded the troops to destroy everything in sight and return all valuable materials to the their respective command post. The dutiful soldiers do this. They engage in battles that decimate each other’s brigades because each side has a mentality of take no prisoners.

The war rages on for years with both sides taking heavy casualties and each army winning and losing battles along the way. They do not recognize the exercise in futility that they wage because the generals motivate them with speeches of world domination and how they fight for a just cause whenever their morale begins to spiral downward.

Back at the respective command post of the Red and Blue armies, the generals communicate with each other on how they will divide the “spoils of victory.” They devise plans to ensure that the war rages on so they can enrich their pockets and the pockets of their commanders. They sell the acquired materials to companies at a discount that then turn around and sell the same materials to the families of soldiers for a significant profit.

As a soldier, how would you feel knowing that your general is communicating with the enemy that he commands you to fight? This is what is happening in Washington DC with Democrats and Republicans. Do not be fooled by the bantering that takes place over the Supreme Court nominee and the War in Iraq. The real action is taking place with pension laws, tax laws, campaign laws and a host of other mundane activities that Congress has control over.

Politicians did a great job of dividing Americans on “red button” issues. In fact, they did such a good job at it that they no longer worry about the unethical actions of comrades and have given corporate America total access to the point that special interest groups are writing their own laws.

I suggests people read the Special Report in Time Magazine on pensions called Broken Promises. It will illustrate how the Congress is creating laws that destroy the protection of American workers by allowing corporations to jettison their pension and benefit plans. It shows how it is legal for a CEO of an organization to retire from a company after 30 years of service when in actuality he only worked at the company for less than five years. It shows how that same CEO retirement package was protected to the tune of $4 million while a worker with 30 years of actual service at the company walked away with $47.

This is your government at work. So while we banter back and forth over Iraq, abortion, gay marriage and a host of other social issues, the Congress is selling itself to corporations and selling us down the river. While I am more than willing to debate the hot topic issues, I’m not overlooking the fact that Congress is not doing its job when it comes to protecting the American people. So while we engage one anther, lets remember that there is more to the political landscape than Red and Blue… there is also green.