Street Roots editorial from the December 10 edition...
The federal response to the American people, both locally and around the country over the past two weeks is disturbing on many levels.
Extending the Bush-era tax to wealthy Americans in exchange for unemployment benefits is a train wreck. The deal, which exponentially benefits the wealthy far more than the middle class, cuts off billions of dollars in revenue that would give local communities the ability to maintain basic services.
As of this week, the deal between the Republicans and the Democrats does not include extensions for the so-called 99ers — the people who have been out of work so long they’ve run through all tiers of unemployment insurance. The total, after state and federal unemployment insurance has been tapped, is 99 weeks. It is estimated that there are currently between two and five million Americans that fall into this category, with the number growing as people remain unemployed.
In Oregon, we face the possibility of a $2.5 billion dollar shortfall that will wreak havoc on human services in the coming year. Locally, we face an enormous challenge with the lack of tax revenue dedicated to creating and maintaining basic services. These challenges are replicated in communities across the country.
These harsh realities are holding poor and working Americans hostage — polarizing people who actually care about finding a fresh solution and a better system. It’s creating extremism in both camps, while not offering any significant innovations for an economy that replaces the current one. It’s ultimately creating blocks of inertia on both the left and the right.
We’re creating an environment where it’s OK to hate government on one hand, and for government to then spy and demonize the American people, our allies and anyone who more or less questions the many policies that continue to drive our country into a dark era. The recent bomb scare in Pioneer Square is a perfect example.
While we are grateful that a bomb didn’t go off in Pioneer Square, that doesn’t mean that the City of Portland and its citizens should cave to knee-jerk reactionaries that want us to rejoin the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Given the track record of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, coupled today with the ongoing enlightenment we have on how our State Department conducts business, SR is unconvinced we are better served by becoming more closely aligned with that kind of bureaucracy.
Recently, our Mayor said publicly that he has more faith under the current Obama Administration and the leadership of the U.S. Attorney General’s office than he did in 2005 (when Bush was in office). We don’t, especially considering the recent cables published by news outlets around the world; we don’t, considering the way politicians have conducted themselves while millions of people, and more counting every day, have little to any prospect of gainful employment or privacy.
We’re wasting time, money and people’s lives. Lawmakers are looking for scapegoats and easy outs before the seats change. It’s a piss poor example to set for people who have been looking for a way out of the government-fueled economic mess for nearly two years. It’s spoilage, top down. We need to send a stronger message. People need help, and they need political representatives in Washington, D.C. who aren’t willing to sell out the people for their own political gain. That’s the kind of help we don’t need anymore.
Saying all of this — we sure do appreciate Oregon lawmakers that are standing strong by coming out and saying they won't support the Bush era tax-cuts and making very hard decisions on behalf of the people. Let's hope the people aren't the ones who continue to pay the price.