Friday, May 15, 2009

My future husbands

    Stephanie Miller refers to men she admires as "my future husbands." I'd like to steal that label, and discuss some of the men on her, and my, list. Yes, I am not ashamed to admit I have "man crushes." In my case, the future is far more distant than for Miss Miller. Here in the backwater of California, gay marriage is illegal, unlike those liberal states such as Iowa. Besides, these heroes, what I call my future husbands, aren't gay. Details, details. If Keith Olbermann has ever said anything I disagree with, it doesn't come to mind. Russ Feingold is soooo fine. I guess I have to call Barb Boxer my future wife. She is great. Now, at the top of the list: Dennis Kucinich.

    Ed Shultz interview Rep. Kucinich yesterday on his television show. The "K-man" talked about the financial crisis. In words and sentiments a lefty like me could understand, he described the twentieth century American economy. We began the last century with industrial capitalism, and evolved to financial capitalism. Instead of making things which broadens the base of wealth, we trickled up to enriching the pencil pushing crooks on Wall Street. Now, in its latest stage, we are at protocapitalism. In this stage, about one percent of the population owns almost half (40%) of the nation's wealth.

    There is a lot of blame to go around. We can start with Reagan. He began a massive redistribution of wealth with tax cuts for the rich and an all out war on unions. Clinton didn't veto "welfare reform." The irony of terms like "trickle -down economics," which actually trickled up, and welfare reform, meaning the abolition of social services, must be noted.

    I believe that outsiders are in a unique position to cry foul. Racial and ethnic minorities, feminists, union workers, economic outsiders, the disabled, sexual minorities--- we can see that the system is rigged. The TARP program is nothing more than privatizing profits and socializing loss. Like trickle down economics, the name of the program is the exact opposite of what it does. Each of us has to find our future husband and organize. Maybe we should aspire to become the man we want to marry…

    Stay tuned for my next installment on torture: Why Won't Dick Shut his Hole?

No comments:

Post a Comment