GOVERNMENT

After this past week, can we stop saying that government is always the problem? Can we stop the worship of corporate culture? Can we come back to a more balanced view of the nation we live in? Can we say that, yes, government is a necessary part of our national fabric? Can we stop saying that the market is always right?

After what surely will be a trillion-dollar bailout of our much lauded capitalists, can we come to a more realistic view of capitalism?

Can we?

The thing is this...the people who want the use of capital to be a sort of religion are the ones we're bailing out. And their priests are the Republican Party. Too bad we all can't solve our money woes the way John McCain did: marry an heiress.

Government has its problems and issues; absolutely. But the only people who hate it are those who have no use for it: the rich who look at government services as something they have to pay for but, often don't use:

Public schools? Not for my kids.
Police forces? Not when we have private security systems.
Airlines and airports? Not when we use our corporate jets.
Fannie Mae? Not for those of us who buy multi-million dollar homes.
Medicaid? Please...

They pay taxes and believe their money is being wasted simply because it's not making them more money.

But the GOP has always wanted to solve that with "privatization". This has to stop...period.