Mid-term Democracy

   If Tuesday's mid-term elections are to be decided on the issues of peace and prosperity, the Republicans haven't a chance.
   On foreign policy, the GOP is unchanging.  It's still war for oil.  Global warming?  A figment of tree-huggers' hallucinations.  Palestine and Israel?  Israel is a good customer.  Follow the money.  What if it's American taxpayers' money?  Money is money.  How about Islamic fanatics? Nothing can be done with people like that. Have you heard about the Arab Spring? It's not in season.  You've heard about revolution?  Yes.  There was a nice one in 1776. What about life for the people ruled by Arab kings, Sheiks, and Emirs. Hey, they've got the tallest building in the world over there. They've got big time tennis and golf tournaments.  You can't say that about a lot of countries. What  about the Pentagon?  It's a nice building.  May need expansion.  What about Chinese balance of payments? China's a good customer. What about export-import imbalances with China?  China's a good supplier.
How about American troops in Germany, Japan, Korea, and hundreds of other outposts around the world?  We're supporting economies in those places.  So what do you say about U.S. fleets in the Mediterranean, the Indian and Pacific Oceans?  Well, there might be another Achille Morro, and you can't always tell about Indonesian plane crashes.  What about the Department of Homeland Security;
you're supposed to favor small government.? Well, there's an awful lot of bad people out there.  Americans?  Well, a lot of them weren't born here. What is your estimate of the total cost of U.S. military expenditures? It's published as part of the President's annual budget.  Does it include the cost of wars in Iraq and Afhganistan?  No, because they may not be over yet.  Who's keeping track?  Well, there's a lot of experts involved.  Bureaucrats?  Aren't you supposed to favor small government?  Well, we're talking a lot of money here.  Or not?  Well, we don't want to tip our mitts to the bad guys.
Ok.  Last item.  How much do we spend on the CIA?  I will answer that directly, and it gives me great pleasure to do so.  Nobody knows.

   Domestically, Republicans want to do away with Social Security, Medicare, and The Affordable Health Care Act.   There are 14 million Americans living in poverty.  Republicans believe they should go to work, but won't raise the national minimum wage.  Women average only 70% of the wages paid to men who perform the same work.  That's fine with Republicans, who countenance U.S business' off-shoring jobs to cheap labor countries, which keeps wages in this country low and flat.  Republicans either don't know or don't care that 73% of the American economy consists of consumer spending, but people can't spend so much when wages are flat, pay rates for equal work are unequal, and millions are poverty-stricken.  The wealth disparity between the top 1% and the other 99% of Americans is shocking and unprecedented.  The U.S. economy can neither thrive nor survive such disparity, but Republicans appear not to notice.  And speaking of disparities, when will Republicans stop their pretense of concern over government spending even as they condone tax code loopholes that permit corporations and wealthy individuals to evade paying their share of American taxes by stashing their money abroad?

 The feminine is now and has been for some time the majority gender in this country.  Women must accelerate their advances in the professions, in business, in education, in government, and in all other areas in which they have been confined or restricted.  The rising stream of feminine power and influence must gather into a mighty torrent.  Freedom is women's birthright.  To nurture is their destiny civilization's good fortune.  Women will make the difference on Tuesday.



 Corporations and and wealthy individuals