Thursday, April 11, 2013
Dear Mr. President.
I am writing
today as one of the "nut cakes" Chris Matthews and Dana Milbank
referred to on Hardball last night. Their commentary and attitudes toward the
"old timers", (the players of 50 years ago, like Senator Sanders,
"the finest Vermont Senator ever to be born in Brooklyn" who perhaps
was relevant in 68 and 69, but who now is just out for "old timers night.",)
was yet another window in to how narrow is the vision of the "insiders" those who are insulated
and out of touch with the lives that real people are living every day. It is
hard to see that reality when one is looking through a $5,000,000 a year
income.
These two followed J. Carney who, obviously following
instructions, wasted a lot of time saying what we already knew about your
programs. He finally did point out your position of being willing to compromise and
seek consensus but not move without that compromise.
As I said in my letter of April 7, I
understand and appreciate this line of approach. What is troubling is that the budget
areas which you seek to use to find consensus are the very areas of life we fought and died by the millions to
create a Government of, for, and by the people to establish and protect.
These are
the areas of our Common Good and our General Welfare. I am thinking not just of
Social Security and Medicare, but all of the programs including the protections
for suffrage, the Union programs, the principle
of free education for every person, veterans benefits, which paid for my
degrees.
You know
these programs well. They have been labeled "social programs" and made
to appear that they are for the benefit of the lazy, stupid, and old, because
the wealthy do not need and do not want any of them. You understand, no doubt, the
price people paid often in blood to get those programs in place. These are not bargaining
chips any more than free speech or equality under the Law are a bargaining chips.
To find
consensus requires Goodwill on both sides. This frequency is not remotely
apparent in the individuals whom you are facing on this field. You have at your
back the love and will of a huge part of the people, not only of these United States
but of the Common People of the world. If we are to be a model of government of,
for, and by the people we need to act that way. The bargaining away of the
issues on gun control was not necessary. We do not have to give away those
things for which we so painfully struggled to gain for all of our brothers and
sisters.
This present
struggle is not going on so obviously on
the dense physical plane as was the struggle in which the planet was engaged in the last
two world wars; however, the stakes, liberty and justice for all, are virtually
the same. It is time to use the so called
nuclear option. What we have gained is not for sale or trade.
lots of love
-tom
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