War Pigs

War Pigs                                                       1048

Tuesday, May 24, 2005-10:47 A.M.

Today, President Bush visits Rochester to rally support for his Social Security plan.  They were planning on closing Greece Athena High School for that purpose (which I found out later was not the case), and at the same time, there is a protest planned at the Liberty Pole downtown, several miles away.  I am disheartened daily by the actions of the Bush administration, which to my view, continuously abuses their legislative power to the profit of the wealthy, and remains unconcerned with the plight of the (shrinking) middle class and poor.

Maybe I feel this way because I work in a field that is particularly low paying, and with gas prices rising the way they do, also becoming continuously unprofitable.  To my benefit, because I have a wife and a child, I qualify for health care coverage; if I didn't, I probably would be hard pressed to afford the five or six medications I currently need.

Bush's Social Security plan is surely an attempt to dismantle and discontinue the program.  It definitely looks like that on the outside.  The whole attitude that is put forth basically sounds to me like "We, the wealthy, are tired of paying for your poor planning.  We don't care if you were unlucky, taken out of the work force by unexpected illness or injury, or for whatever reason, be it low wages, family responsibilities or failed business, didn't have the wherewithal to save, but we're taking down the social safety net.  You're on your own."  It's ugly.  And doesn't the Constitution, in the preamble, say; "We, the people, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure our blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America?"

Thank you, Schoolhouse Rock.  I hope you sang along.  I hope everyone in the room agrees that promoting the general welfare means ensuring that the elderly who can no longer produce in the workforce don't go wanting.  And I think allowing payroll taxes to be invested in the stock market is a pretty shady way of "ensuring" that.  If the stock market was such a great way to make money, how come everyone doesn't do it?  We might as well divert payroll money into blackjack and roulette.

Anyway, Today, a member of the House of Representatives was quoted on AOL's front page as taking umbrage with the comments of comedian Bill Maher on his HBO program.  I did a little looking of my own, and decided to write to the honorable Spencer Bachus.  The e-mail reads like this:

 

To the Honorable Spencer Bachus:

Dear Sir, I would like to respond to your comments regarding comedian Bill Maher on HBO. I respectfully disagree with your opinion that he should be taken off the air. His comments notwithstanding, he expressed an opinion which is constitutionally protected free speech on a subscriber service network. While his comments are hardly championable, as a sworn representative of these United States, I believe it is your duty to protect his right to speak. I am a resident of New York State, and plan on visiting Alabama this summer, which I greatly look forward to. Thank you for your time. Ralph Tetta 134 Cameron Street Rochester, NY 14606

Bachus remarked that Maher's comments were treasonous, and that he didn't want to prosecute him, but wanted him off the air.  I believe that this is the core problem with the current administration; they are unwilling to listen to dissenting views, and when one pops up, the speaker is either crazy, misguided, or hates America.  I believe that to speak out against wrongful conditions are one of the best things you can do to prove you love America.  I also believe that our founding fathers understood the importance of debate and discourse to improve conditions, and protected them first and foremost in our Constitution for that reason.

I also believe that denying a citizen the right to speak violates the oath of defending the Constitution, and while not necessarily treasonous, is definitely grounds for removal.

I'm going to Alabama in June.  This ought to make things fun.  If I stop writing, you'll know they got me and buried me in Cooter's back yard.

God Bless America!

Ralph Tetta

Rochester, NY