They didn't know when to quit

"I think of the loneliness, the greed, the overwhelming arrogance of this administration and its stupidity, not knowing when to quit. They've won the game. Ninety-five percent of the pie is theirs; but they want a hundred. And that's where they flopped it up: they didn't know when to quit."

Studs Terkel, from an interview in the November Sun Magazine

The elections are over, thank God. It's been, overall, one of the ugliest elections I can remember. The first election I can remember ever rejoicing over was the Clinton election. I was raised by Republicans, at least my father was a staunch one. My mother, as a Catholic, often wanted to vote her conscience, but I think my father's opinions overpowered hers. So my childhood was steeped in Goldwater, who now looks like a liberal in comparison with the neo-cons of today and the Republicans who pander to the golden cloak of the Christian right when it suits them. Later, Reagan was the family icon, although I always walked to a different beat.

So the Clinton election was the first election where I felt like my voice was heard. And after last Tuesday's election, too, I was glad. However, we can't forget that the Democrats didn't win the election; the Republicans lost it. So unless the Democrats can return to their roots, which to me is rooted in social justice, then we will be no better than what we have just defeated.

I wish I could print this in its entirety, but there is a link I'd like you to take time to read. It's by the respected journalist and social commentator Bill Moyers. He articulates so beautifully and with such great detail the path our country is on, if those in power would just admit it. But of course, as defenders of their status quo, they will not. If you think the trait of denial is strong in addicts and alcoholics, try cracking it in the very rich.

Please read it. I'm mailing a copy of this to my conservative friends and asking them, as they often ask me of their rhetoric, to read it. It begins with education; covers deficit spending (our fiscally conservative Republicans are spending like drunken sailors); covers the concentration of wealth and its impact on us; touches on the reality of our tax system that targets the poor and middle income, letting the rich continue to get richer; and circles back to the need for a true education about politics in our schools. Take a few minutes out of your life and see what Bill Moyers has to say about the direction in which America strides. If it doesn't scare you, and if you haven't thought about this yourself in one form or another, then this blog probably isn't for you.

When I drank and used, my world was limited and I was, as one of my friend's sponsor told him after he did his fourth step, a "public nuisance." Today I owe society a greater debt. I took for a number of years and I owe more than I took. There is interest due on the cost of the years of my addiction. Maybe that's why God kept me alive.

I think, if we keep voting our conscience and hectoring our appointed officials, and make a difference, albeit even a small one, in our communities, then we can do great things. If we don't all try, we as a nation are truly doomed.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1101-33.htm