Republicans’ Attempted Coup d’etat

These Republican lawmakers and a few deluded Democrats are secure in the fact that they don’t have to collect unemployment checks, or worry about how to put food on their dining tables –in fact most of them worry about not eating too much steak and drinking too much wine– Millions of Americans don’t enjoy such privileges.

[Black Star News Editorial]

“The time for talk is over,” President Barack Obama declared yesterday, reacting to the games being played by Republicans and a few wayward Democrats, who have been obstructing his economic rescue plan even as the house is burning. “The time for action is now, because we know that if we do not act, a bad situation will become dramatically worse.”

It’s hard to imagine that things can get more disastrous; but they will, unless the economic rescue plan is passed quickly.

At the end of the day, the proposed $900 plan will pass. Then there will be more–many more. Until the job losses are arrested and net gains are registered.

Already more than 4 million Americans are collecting unemployment: Millions more will be on the same boat in just a few months, if companies keep laying off workers at the rate of tens of thousands as has been over the last few weeks.

Misery will increase as Americans fail to feed their families or hold on to their homes. Inevitably, crime will escalate.

But sensible Americans will not tolerate record unemployment, hunger, homelessness, increased crime and even violent protests on the streets. Yet, all these are realities, if lawmakers in Washington, almost all of whom are multi-millionaires are allowed to continue playing games with American lives.

If the Republicans had some humility and decency, they would not want to be seen obstructing measures meant to correct the disaster created over the last eight years. Bitter from their electoral loss in November, the Republicans have decided to become obstructionists even at the expense of harming working Americans. It is a very curious type of revenge.

These Republicans are secure in the fact that they don’t have to collect unemployment checks, or worry about how to put food on their dining tables –in fact most of them worry about not eating too much steak and drinking too much wine– or how to pay for their health insurance, or how to give small presents to their children, or worry about ever losing their homes to foreclosure.

Millions of Americans don’t enjoy such privileges. They need a bill that will pump money into creating American jobs; not billions for Iraq, an oil-producing country will billions of dollars in its own national reserves.

When Republicans claim they are exercising responsibility over the nation’s finances, Americans need to pose the following questions: where have you been for the past eight years when we had a Republican in the White House?; how do you propose to create jobs for us –seeing that you don’t have to worry since you have one thanks to the taxpayers– without spending money?; did you not know that your inattention to our domestic economy while you were spending $2 trillion in Iraq would have serious consequences?; and, didn’t Barack Obama just win an election a few weeks ago?

It has nothing to do with economic discipline: Republicans surrendered that argument over the past eight years. So, why would they prevent the president from wanting to keep Americans employed and in their homes?

It will take some time before all Republicans accept that President Obama is in the White House because he won; so some Republicans are attempting a silent coup d’état to prevent him from ever governing.

Americans who crave for economic recovery must not tolerate this blatant attempt to usurp the will of the voters.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *