Congress Of What?

The true champion of justice, if he intends to survive even for a short time, must necessarily confine himself to private life and leave politics alone.

Socrates
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I often wonder if there is any nation on Earth for a good man to live in where the government isn't destroying it's own country. I also wonder why anyone would want to get into politics considering how corrupt it is. Even if it is not overtly corrupt with bribes, inequities and influence buying and selling. It is covertly corrupt by the fact that few politicians understand what life is like for the average citizen.

Now we have a nation where politicians can be bought by big corporations. There is nothing new about that, it is that it used to be covert corruption but now the court has put it out into the open as legal practice.

The government is considering digging into Social Security benefits for older Americans thus creating hardships and, in some cases, homelessness. Are their eyes only on government expenditures or on their absurd fear of Socialism? Whatever umbrella their action may sit under it is "government against the people."

I think I would be ashamed to be a Congressman right now. That such measures are even being considered at any time is rabid, bile spitting injustice. What happened to common sense?

The government wastes money on wars we can't win, overfunded useless programs and
Congressmen's extracurricular activities. Greedy Big Business wastes money buying Congressmen to protect their greed. Who doesn't waste money? Last week I bought a quart of apple juice, an expenditure I can't afford.

If they cut back on my Social Security benefits I won't be able to pay my rent, along with thousands of other seniors, and that's a fact. The government will say "move." And who is going to pay for that?

The biggest, fiercest injustice in the land is the irresponsability of Congress and it's failure to face facts. They tell us what the American people want without asking the American people. The last time I was asked what I want by the government was 9 years ago when I had the option to have money taken out of my Social Security to pay for more Medicare.

My quiet, solitary protest is for Congress to stop wasting our money, stop the wealthy corporations from gouging us and not paying their fair share of taxes, stop funding useless programs, put the money to work for the nation. Spend it on improved education for our young, including better teacher's salaries, taking care of the unemployed and underemployed, strengthen the US Postal Service so it doesn't go out of business, and, for mercies sake, continue to provide for us older citizens who for years have voted, paid taxes, obeyed the laws and given our lives working for one American industry or another.

Dana Bate
The Vagabond