One Song Sally

It's extraordinary when one considers that one party in a two-party system has had absolutely no new ideas in about 30 years. Since the Reagan revolution it is tax cuts, deregulation and more tax cuts. Nothing else. Ever. And just in case we thought something might change after the economy has been mired in economic crisis for three years, the clear answer is NO!

In a speech to the Economic Club of Washington, House Speaker John Boehner again reiterated his dedication to no new taxes, including a clear signal that he will consider letting the Bush tax cuts expire as an "increase" in taxes (Slate). In essence, the message to the American public is fuck you. The GOP is the party of business, the party of the wealthy and the party of no. No new ideas. No tax increases. No cuts to military spending. No regulation of a Wall Street gone wild. And no to pretty much anything Obama proposes; even when it was originally proposed by them.

I feel like a broken record sometimes, but it is beyond absurd that the GOP is considered a serious party in America when poverty rates have hit 15%, real unemployment rates 16%, our education system is in tatters and the future of the country and globe seem in the balance. When a government has run out of ideas in the midst of a crisis, we know we are in trouble. And yet few good ideas are coming from the private sector either. What we need now is creativity, but unfortunately the instrumental rationality that has reigned supreme for over 30 years appears to be coming home to roost ... or really roast the majority of us.