Total Loss of Trust in our Leaders
In a moment of historic drama in the Capitol and on Wall Street, the House of Representatives voted on Monday to reject a $700 billion rescue of the financial industry.
The vote against the measure was 228 to 205. Supporters vowed to try to bring the rescue package up for consideration against as soon as possible.
Stock markets plunged sharply at midday as it appeared that the measure was go down.
House leaders pushing for the package kept the voting period open for some 40 minutes past the allotted time, trying to convert “no” votes by pointing to damage being done to the markets, but to no avail.
Supporters of the bill had argued that it was necessary to avoid a collapse of the economic system, a calamity that would drag down not just Wall Street investment houses but possibly the savings and portfolios of millions of Americans. Opponents said the bill was cobbled together in too much haste and might amount to throwing good money from taxpayers after bad investments from Wall Street gamblers.
I am not a financial analyst. I do not actually know how severe the market problems are. No one has ever shown me, or anyone other than a select group of Congressional Leaders behind closed doors, the extent of the crisis. Yet like thousands (millions?) of other Americans, I’ve been calling my legislators to tell them to vote NO on the bailout.
I don’t know if anyone’s really taken this into account, but there are only so many times you can cry “wolf” and have people take you seriously. Furthermore, there are only so many times our representatives can lead us down into a dead-end because they believed the cries of “wolf” and still enjoy the faith of their constituents.
I don’t mean that snarkily either: a number of politicians on both sides of the aisle have been rolled by Bush, several times. Some examples are Iraq, tax cuts, NCLB, the surge, FEMA and Katrina. For the past year, both politicians and their constituents have been hearing nothing but bullshit, utter steaming bullshit of the rankest order, from this administration. Democrats especially have watched their own reps and senators roll over for Bush, only to see those reps and senators made to be fools for rolling over.
Fact: there is a well-earned dearth of trust in the DC establishment. Since when have they been right on ANYTHING in the past 8 years, Democrats OR Republicans?
Again, not saying this to be snarky: after 8 years of government not doing its job and worse, blatantly lying to the people, the people no longer trust the government to do its job. An example: does anyone really think Conyers is going to start impeachment hearings? Last I heard, the bill was in Conyers’ hands: any progress so far?
Another example: anyone know when Katrina victims get to go home? Another example: when will Nancy Pelosi put impeachment on the table? Another example: why didn’t the Democrats stand up for our civil liberties instead of passing FISA? Another example: when do we come home from Iraq, and where are those weapons of mass destruction?
I could go on at length, but don’t want to be a pedantic little twat. In a graphic that makes the stock market collapse look like a playground slide, Gallup shows quite clearly thatour leaders have utterly lost the faith of their constituents. 50% disapprove of the congressional Democrats’ handling of the crisis, 58% disapprove of congressional Republicans’ handling: that’s not leadership anyone can believe in, and that’s as good an explanation as any as to why no one’s buying this bailout.
