Soylent Green

Good day, good people.

For devotees of the English language: Soylent Green is a product, a noun. It is a food made from old, poor, sick, unproductive and vulnerable human beings who have been selected by the decision makers in the federal government and forced to be processed through a manufacturing plant and turned into thin-green wafers for the productive humans in our country to eat. Soylent Green comes from the name of a motion picture made in 1973. It starred Charlton Heston. It is based on a book, Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison. It tells the story of overpopulation and the horrific consequences.

As I walk through life, the good people who read my weekly column respond. I also read a lot and listen to those on television whom express their opinions. It appears to me all Americans would like to have less-expensive federal government. They want economic freedom, survive and be happy. They want fairness in taxation. They do not want to reduce the cost of government by unfairly targeting a particular segment or segments of our society to pay for it — the defenseless, vulnerables and the working Middle Class. They wish to share the burdens equally and consistently with the ability of the taxpayer to shoulder the obligation — the American way. Is fair and equal important and obtainable today in our Me Society?

Our citizens are appalled by the fraud and waste in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs which are in the billions of dollars a year. Why do the decision makers not spend the money to engage in effective prevention which would be far more productive and save more money than trying to catch the criminals after the fact and ineffectively claw back the money stolen?

Preventive medicine is more cost effective too, and that is why we do not have it.

When you care there can be no arrogance in wanting to believe you can make a difference or make a contribution to the betterment of society. Today, if you are not outraged, you are not paying attention.

Is the GOP-Paul Ryan budget plan the first indication of a clandestine step in an insidious plan to implement the manufacturing of Soylent Green?

Abraham Lincoln was a great Republican president. His quote is appropriate as to the Romney-Ryan budget plan and campaign. “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

The crux to solving the U.S. budget and deficit is: who is going to pay for the solution, how and for how long? Some analysis and pertinent parts of Paul Ryan’s budget are:

• Ryan is not a fiscal conservative. A fiscal conservative only spends what he earns the same as any other business man or household. His budget does not do this. He is a small-government conservative.

• Instead of using the T word, increasing revenue, it is all right not to provide assistance for the poor, Medicaid health care for the poor, the vulnerable, food stamps, parents with dependent children and other. The major GOP inaccuracy or lie, your choice, is: when the baby boomers become eligible for Social Security benefits and Medicare, taxes must be increased to pay for their benefits. Under his plan without increased revenue, taxes, the budget might be balanced in 2040 or after.

• It is all right to have the working-Middle Class and the poor sacrifice to pay for his plan so the wealthy can benefit? Working-Middle Class and/or poor are two categories of everyday living Romney and Ryan know nothing about.

• He and Romney never specify the loopholes in the tax code they will eliminate when asked repeatedly. I wonder why? Might have something to do with loopholes used by Romney and Ryan, in the past, and they would like to continue them in the present and future. Then of course, there are the loopholes Sheldon Adelson does not want closed in exchange for all the money he has given to Romney and for the benefit of the Republicans. Then the lobbyists and the special interests must have what they want in exchange for the bribes they have paid. Also, the banks and the financial services industry want their loopholes perpetuated and regulations not enforced which was done during the George W. Bush administration. As a result of the lack of regulations’ enforcement, their absence was a major contributor to the 2008 recession.

• The United States of America was the first country not to have a state religion, and we still do not have one. The candidates for president and vice president must respect all religions and represent all of the people and not foist their religious beliefs on others. What women do not need is for Romney and Ryan to insert their religious views into their campaigns and proposed legislation.

• The apparent head of the Republican Party at this time and presumptive-presidential nominee is Mitt Romney a Mormon. He and Paul Ryan, a Catholic and the author of the Ryan Budget, have inserted their religious beliefs into politics and as a result of their misguided views are oppressing women. Why cannot women be treated equally with men? Men have no right to dictate how a woman should live her life? Ninety-eight percent of Catholic women use contraceptives — a health issue. Yet the Ryan Budget wants to limit access. The budget reduces available health care which women presently enjoy and need. Abortion is legal in the United States. A woman has the right to choose. Any interruption of this right would be another example of treating them like second-class citizens. Dictating to women is unacceptable and leads a logical person to believe that Romney and Ryan believe they are living in a patriarchal society. Patriarchal societies are operated by illiterate and semi-literate men whom oppress, persecute and repress women. What is different about the Romney and Ryan oppression?

• If you take the above law attitude of the corrupt culture of the banks, the financial services industry, the special-interest groups, lobbyists and the corrupt culture in Congress, you come to an inescapable conclusion. If you add the same attitude, ideology, religious beliefs, wealth of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and their election as president and vice president of the United States, we will be regressing and toward a plutocracy or an oligarchy — your choice. Neither are a democracy and the Middle Class and the poor will be abandoned. This would also install a unitary presidency. Can you imagine how much worse it would be if Romney had the opportunity to appoint new members to the Supreme Court — unimaginable? We all want economic freedom, but this does not mean we should allow the corruption on Wall Street, in big business and in Congress to be more predatory and unfettered than it has been, is and will be in the future in a Romney administration. According to the American taxpayer — the present Congress is the worst money has bought.

The Darwin Awards are given out each year to people who say or do the most stupid things. As the year passes the nominations are made on the Internet. Sometimes someone says or does something so stupid they are nominated for an award. I am nominating Todd Akin. He is the Republican Tea Party nominee for the Senate from the State of Missouri. When interviewed on television he stated, “If it is a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist and not attacking the child.” The punishment here should be for Akin who obviously knows nothing about biology and specifically about the reproductive process of women. He is pandering with his obvious ignorance. He is trying to sell what he has in stock. He reaffirmed later he opposes abortion in rape cases. Mr. Akin, Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan are misguided in their lack of compassion, empathy, patience or desire to have any understanding of women and their rights. If Akin wins a Darwin Award, he should be prevented from breeding or voting.

Are we to believe that “legitimate rape” an oxymoron is different from an illegitimate rape? I did not know that rape under any circumstance in the United States was legitimate — did you? And what is the difference between the two? What about the emotional trauma which the woman must live with for the rest of her life? What about having the child of a rapist and being forced to live with and raise the child, see the rapist and relive the event every waking moment? Or, relive it in a nightmare.

Romney and Ryan are definitely connected to Akin. Ryan and Akin have worked together to sponsor anti-abortion legislation. Again, Republicans are trying to insert their religious beliefs into legislation detrimental to women’s rights. The civil war in America will continue until all of its citizens are given an equal opportunity in every area of our society.

Harry G. Frankfurt is Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Princeton University. He wrote a book, On Bullshit. He concludes when you speak about something you know nothing about it is bullshit. There in, good people, describes my nominee, Todd Akin, for a Darwin Award completely. He has insulted the intelligence of his audience and demonstrated his lack of it. The good and smart women of Missouri should consider voting for someone else who will respect the law, them and their rights. I hope the good people of Missouri are smart enough to tar and feather Todd Akin the bullshitter and run him out of town on a rail.

Mr. Akin is entitled to his opinion. One of the many wonderful things about the United States is: everyone is entitled to their opinion no matter how ill-founded in fact it may be, politicians immediately come to mind. No matter what you have done or said, someone will happily reveal the information to your disadvantage when it is to someone else’s advantage. Therefore, it appears Akin will be living alone with his beliefs while other Republicans and their money abandon him on Stupid Island without food or water. Akin’s Republican sin was not his belief for it is a major platform of Romney-Ryan. The sin is the fact he said it and exposed the Republican Party’s position to additional and confirming disdain for its insidious, misguided plan to oppress and repress women. Repression always benefits those who want freedom. Wake up, American Women, do not be duped.

From all I have read, all that I have experienced in my own lifetime, the role of government is obligated to care for those whom cannot care for themselves. How is it the richest country cannot have the will to provide for those whom have contributed to the building of this great nation and now need help, are not receiving it nor will they if there is a Romney-Ryan administration?

Affordable housing funding from the federal government and the states has been cut. Affordable housing projects under construction have been halted. Why is it the most vulnerable, the defenseless, those who do not bribe members of Congress, state legislators, county and city politicians are always the ones to be punished by budget cuts?

Why would you want two people, Romney and Ryan, to be running this country? They are apparently without compassion, empathy, patience with and/or desire to understand the financial struggles of the Middle Class and the poor. It appears to me Soylent Green will be the solution to contributing to balancing Ryan’s budget in 2040 or sometime afterward by eliminating the homeless, Medicaid, the poor and any other unproductive who costs the government money.

The Ryan budget has been passed by the House without specifying how it is going to be paid for and closing which loopholes. The Senate as of this writing has not considered the budget. It is still open to compromise or defeat. It may not be passed, if it is, as presented. It may not end up being as onerous as presented. If the president vetoes it, if passed, there will not be enough votes in Congress to override it.

The members of Congress whom have signed the Grover Norquist pledge not to raise taxes and to maintain tax neutrality have engaged in sedition and have abdicated their responsibilities to their employer, the American taxpayer. These members should abrogate their pledge, remove their obstructive ideology and return to providing the needs of the American people. These members must discontinue being the handmaidens and obedient servants of the plutocracy and/or oligarchy, your choice, whom are running this country and give it back to all Americans including those who built it on their backs — the working Middle Class and the poor.

The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform was co-chaired by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson at the request of President Obama. Mr. Bowles said, “Romney must have a balanced plan that reforms the tax code in a progressive, pro-growth manner and produces additional revenue if you are serious about reducing the deficit by at least four trillion without disrupting the country’s fragile economic recovery and hurting the disadvantaged. The plan must produce enough capital to invest in education, infrastructure and high-value-added research so that the United States can compete effectively in the knowledge-based global economy.”

The president and Congress have enacted more than a trillion dollars of spending cuts over the next decade. But extensive tax reform is necessary. In the year 2012 the tax code will give to the wealthy in the form of loopholes one trillion, three hundred billion more than is collected in taxes. Simpson-Bowles lowers tax rates for all, if the tax loopholes are eliminated extensively.

Simpson-Bowles “. . . broadens the base, simplifies the code, reduces tax expenditures and generates $1 trillion for deficit reduction while making the tax code more progressive. The Romney plan, by sticking to revenue-neutrality and leaving in place tax breaks, would raise taxes on the middle class and do nothing to shrink the deficit.”

We the people must be able to restore dignity to the Middle Class and the poor. This is done by making sure they can receive financial assistance when needed and a job. It will eliminate the degradation and embarrassment of charity and restore their self-esteem. Uncertainty of the future is demoralizing and is the mother of fear. Being productive and supporting your family and nation brings with it self-esteem’s best gift — dignity.

The Ryan budget plan sounds un-American to me. What about you?

Tell me. I want to know why the American-patriarchal society cannot give equal rights to women.

What is your thought on the contribution you can make to prevent Romney and Ryan from implementing their budget plans?

I hope this post will give you something to consider. To be successful you must understand other people’s opinions and care about them.

I care about your opinion. Contacting me with comments and constructive criticisms at Daniel McNeet with honesty and pleasantness their constant companions will always be welcomed. Or, you may click on the Facebook or Twitter icons under the graphic of Operation Downfall at the bottom of the page.

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