A Disgrace
AJ Robinson

Recent events have put me in mind of a line from the musical “1776.” It’s near the opening. John Adams speaks of how one useless man is a disgrace, two useless men form a law firm and three or more become a Congress. That surely describes our current Congress. The thing that gets to me is a recent blurb I saw online where the republicans said that they would be the best at protecting Social Security and ending gridlock in Washington. It immediately put me in mind of something else, a little piece of literature called “Nineteen-eighty-four” and the how language can be used as a weapon to say the opposite of what it means.

That surely describes the GOP.

Right now, everyone is talking about how the GOP is poised to take over the Senate. The House is a given, what with how they’ve gerrymandered the district to insure they win a majority. I have to wonder: What is it people think the GOP will do if they win the Senate? Do they really think they’re going to protect Social Security? Maybe this will end gridlock.

Really?

I’m no psychic, but here are my predictions for what will happen if the GOP wins the Senate. First, they’ll move forward with their plans to sue the President; over what, I have no idea. How he can be both lazy and a dictator, I’ll never know.

They’ll pass more votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will go nowhere, as the President will simply veto such bills, but the GOP will keep at it.

By the way, each vote will cost US a lot of money. Huh, and here I thought the GOP was the fiscally responsible party. Oh, but no, every republican President has increased the deficit not reduced it. Obama’s done that, not that anyone has noticed.

Impeach Obama for what.

On top of suing him, they’ll also impeach Obama, more money wasted on nothing. Then they’ll be more cuts to the social safety net. They’ll cut Food Stamps, unemployment and cut Medicare and Medicaid.

The GOP will blame Obama for all of it. Next, they’ll be inaction on a number of vital issues. They won’t take up immigration reform, deal with tax reform, address fair pay for women or the Minimum Wage, talk about jobs or investment in infrastructure, and they certainly won’t deal with Global Climate Change. The GOP will ignore Voting Rights, as will foreign policy issues. Instead, they’ll wait for Obama to take a position on Jordan, ISIS and countless other matters and then say he’s wrong, without explaining what they’d do differently.

Sort of like the ACA. They’ll talk about replacing it, but never give any details.

Education cuts are almost certain and none of Obama’s nominees for government positions will get to a vote. Heaven help us if a slot opens up on the Supreme Court! They will never approve anyone Obama selects.

What the GOP will do is push their usual agenda. Tax cuts for the rich and corporations, repeal of the Minimum Wage, new Draconian laws to control women and their reproductive organs and crush voting rights.

Why are voters dumb?

I am rather perplexed that the voters are dumb enough to let the GOP get away with this and are considering putting the GOP back in control. After all, we did that back in 2000, and the Great Recession was the result. Do voters really have such short memories that they don’t remember all this? Are the voters so dumb as to believe all the stupid political ads the GOP has been spewing?

Here’s a little tip for you, people, the term “ad” is short for “advertisement.” In other words, a commercial, like what you see while watching your favourite television show or a sporting event; and a thirty second spot comes on trying to convince you to a certain brand of soap. By definition, an ad is less than truthful.

Anyway, maybe I’m wasting my breath. Still, I wanted to pass on my views on what the GOP will do if they get control of Congress. Can anyone contradict me?