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The
Religious
Right
Is
AWOL
"The real battlefield today is not abortion. It is not homosexual marriage. It is not Social Security. It is not al Qaeda. It is not taxes. It is not inflation. It is not electing conservatives. It is not the Ten Commandments. It is not the high cost of gasoline." "It is the surrender of our national sovereignty and independence, and the creation of global government. And it is our own political and corporate leaders that are facilitating this chicanery. Furthermore, by refusing to oppose this surrender, our Christian leaders are complicit as well. Pastor Chuck Baldwin |
The View from the Meadow
Observations of the Passing Scene
Political and Social Commentary by Dave Satre
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Foreclosing on America Of all the major problems currently affecting Americans, including the loss of jobs, the increases in the price of gas and the costs of basic necessities, the foreclosure crisis that is costing thousands of American families their homes and, in many cases, all of their possessions, is among the most upsetting. This is turning the American Dream into a nightmare. If the American people don’t wake up soon and demand change this could be the end of democracy as we’ve known it. This is a story of corporate corruption, personal greed and a failing political system that is at the mercy of special interests. Our government is not rushing to the rescue of American citizens, instead, our leaders are pushing to save the financiers and the investors that caused this situation. And the government is responsible for causing this to happen because Congress eliminated the controls over the financial industry that were intended to prevent this. In the post Watergate period, when many Americans first became aware of the outright corruption in Washington, the financial interests began a concentrated effort to gain control over the people. The attacks against organized labor initiated by the Reagan Administration aided the movement by reducing workers rights and limiting wage increases that might have kept the economy stable.
Deregulation, facilitated by the help of the Fed and the Super Bull Market of the 90's, dismantled the traditional rules of banking and financial stewardship. The current foreclosure crisis has now exposed the financial fraud involved in the mortgage industry. It also exists in many other financial markets. Borrowing and lending require integrity --- this is no longer the standard for our financial system. When Congress eliminated the laws controlling usury in 1980 it was the first step among many taken by the government to enable the rich to rip off the rest of us. Usury, the predatory practices employed by the rich to exploit people of lesser means, cannot be allowed in a decent society. The business of lending money at exorbitant interest rates, especially those in excess of the legal rates, reflects the evil in man. It exposes the greed and manifests itself in many ways. Some current examples in the financial services industry include the exorbitant late fees on credit cards, the hidden charges in services and uncontrolled increases in mortgage fees. The practice of usury goes back to the beginnings of man. All religions are against usury. The concept is discussed many times in the Bible, most notably from Christ’s efforts to control the money lenders. He supported the concept of just banking and fair interest. Why aren’t the hard-right Christians rising up and preaching against this? When inflation was out of control in the 70's the devaluation of the dollar terrorized the rich and their pressure on Congress enabled the elimination of the usury regulations. The theme of the movement was the belief that money matters would be best handled by the rich than the government, a basic concept supported by the Republicans’ Project for a New American Century ( PNAC), the Bush’s Skull and Bones Society and the proponents of a New World Order. The result was the elimination the controls imposed by Roosevelt’s New Deal, which were passed because of the business practices that caused the collapse of Wall Street and the depression in 1929. Why doesn’t America learn from its own history? The Reagan administration led the movement, but the Demos fully supported it. The powerful financial interests had been pushing for this for years. Removing the controls over the financiers enabled the practices that are currently bringing this country to its knees. The concept of Free Trade, persistently pushed by politicians and the business community in the form of NAFTA and the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), is tied to this. So is the secretive NAFTA Super Highway currently under construction in the U.S. Our government has failed Americans through its favoritism toward the financiers that is degrading the lifestyles of Americans. Politicians have capitulated to the special interests that finance their political ambitions and this has enabled the out-of-control capitalism that is ruining the country. The rich don't want cheaper fuel and energy costs – they’re benefiting from them. The oil industry is currently reaping the greatest profits in the history of mankind. The Bush Administration’s efforts to expand the petroleum industry’s ability to drill offshore won’t solve anything. It merely expands the opportunities for the rich. When the petroleum industry raised fuel prices in the 1970’s under the guise of a shortage of oil, the government responded by financing the Alaskan oil pipeline. The politicians at that time promised that this would provide a sufficient supply of oil and low gasoline prices forever. That certainly didn’t work out, and neither will the concessions to the oil industry currently being pushed by the industry-backed Bush regime. Politicians don't understand the situation because they are out of touch with the people. Wallstreet and Washington have a cozy relationship cemented by the special interests supported by the current political system, which makes the politicians dependent on their financial support to further their careers. Our politicians are rushing to bail out the financial institutions and support the petroleum industry, but aren’t doing anything for the people affected by this situation. The proposal currently being pushed by the politicians and the administration is to bolster the industry with $300 billion in taxpayer money. This would actually serve to guarantee the profits of the investors and does nothing for the people. When foreign investors first heard of this they rushed in to purchase shares in companies benefiting by the financial support. It is, in effect, a guaranteed, taxpayer backed investment for them. What can be done to fix this situation and restore financial stability in America? The simple solution is to restore and enforce regulations controlling the financial services industry. The first step in the mortgage crisis is to nationalize the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fanny Mae) and The Federal Home Mortgage Corp. (Freddie Mac), placing them under government control instead of private interests. This certainly raises many issues, especially under this inept and corrupt government, but the existing lack of control is responsible for this disastrous situation. Obviously, this will be difficult to accomplish during an expensive political campaign that is generally funded by special interests. Our government needs to curtail the predatory practices of financial firms in this country and reestablish the legal regulations that used to monitor the industry. They need to effectively regulate interest rates, stop the abuse of power by the wealthy against the people and take the money out of politics It’s not like we Americans haven’t seen this coming. The savings and loan scandal, the outright corruption of Enron and its contrived energy shortage are outstanding examples of unabated corruption. Most importantly, the people need to wake up. Voters need to engage in the movement for change and control the political powers by throwing them out of office. We need to exercise the right to vote – the real power of the people in a true democracy. The lock-step Republicans who never question their party leaders also need to wake up. This administration has continuously betrayed traditional Republican values and relied on their unquestioned loyalty to put them in power.All voting Americans need to throw the Bush regime and all Republicans who have supported them out of power. McCain will only continue their policies. Give Obama a chance to make the needed changes. This is the most important election in American history and change is desperately required. This could be the last real opportunity we get to restore traditional American values.
Dave
Satre
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RELATED LINKS
Bill Moyers video interview with journalist and author William Greider. His new book, Come Home America, addresses these issues.
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Free Trade A New World Order
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The Skull and Bones Society
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The NAFTA Super Highway BIBLE References to Usury
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