
Morality is the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and actions between what is considered good (right) and what is bad (wrong), and most human beings would consider intentionally causing harm to others is inherently immoral, and wrong. There is a segment of the population that lacks the basic human emotion of empathy and feels that knowingly harming other Americans is an ideologically moral imperative, and they are preparing to celebrate damage to the people and economy sequestration cuts will cause when they begin in two days.
According to Tim Huelskamp, a teabagger from Kansas, the sequester is “the first significant tea party victory in that we got what we set out to do in Washington,” and in Washington, teabaggers celebrate the start of eliminating government to advance privatization regardless the harm inflicted on the people. Huelskamp represents one side of what George Lakoff calls the “real moral divide in America” where extreme conservatives see government providing for the common good as an “immoral imposition on their liberty,” and it is Paul Ryan’s philosophy founded on Ayn Rand’s fictional work that Libertarian Koch Brothers support. That teabaggers are celebrating the sequesters’ damage demonstrates their lack of empathy for other Americans as well as sheer idiocy in that their ideological bent for killing government, and other Americans, will eventually contribute to their own demise. However, where Lakoff has it wrong is attributing the lack of empathy to “extreme conservatives” when in reality, it is all conservatives who believe government is inherently bad and worth eliminating so for-profit private enterprise can take over.
Lakoff continues that “conservative’s moral sense requires them to make the government fail in providing for the common good” and that it is a matter of justice to reward those who “selfishly pursued their self-interests, got rich, and avoided taxes that pay for provisions” they, and all Americans, use. The fact that the conservative intent of making government fail is to negatively impact most Americans represents a fundamentally flawed human being that believes those in need must be punished to reward the rich. The Republican anti-government agenda represents the ideological war conservatives have fought for over 80 years to undo the New Deal that helped all Americans, and is predicated on rewarding makers and eradicating takers. However, this new morality fails to acknowledge that makers are beneficiaries of the sweat, blood, and assets of the very people they are attempting to destroy, and make no mistake, their goal is destroying those who are not successful and the sequester is a major victory in the GOP’s two-year war on the economy, people, and government.
Republicans admit the sequester will wreak havoc on the economy, jobs, and the people, and although they feign concern, killing jobs while hurting Americans began at the start of the 112th Congress when teabaggers swept into power promising to “shrink government.” In early 2011 when John Boehner was informed Republican spending cuts would adversely impact children, the working poor, and seniors besides killing 1.1 million jobs, he said “so be it.” If any American thinks Republicans, or their teabagger cohort, are concerned sequestration will inflict damage on Americans, jobs, or the economy, they are tragically deluded. There is a contingent of Republicans who are unhappy the sequester is not four times larger and believe if the GOP had made more Draconian cuts and slashed government more, they would have won big in the last election, and it informs the danger of ideologically pure conservatives gaining power because they see the sequester damage as a major victory in a war to end government.
These conservative idealogues are no different than extremist Islamist suicide bombers. They could not care less how much damage they inflict on the people because as long as they make government fail to reward the makers, they will have achieved a moral victory. Remember, teabaggers and their Republican facilitators were willing to allow a credit default that would have destroyed the full faith and credit of the United States in 2011 that led to the sequester to begin with, and fueled by their sequester victory are emboldened to expand the war on government as a moral imperative.
There are Americans who are lulled into complacency that the tea party is declining in popularity and losing public support, and although they appear to be a small faction within the larger conservative movement, their ideology mirrors Republican philosophy that government must be destroyed to make way for privatization. It is, and has been, Republicans’ moral sense that requires them to make government fail to make room for privatization and it starts with defunding, then destroying programs like Medicare and Social Security because government providing for the common good is an immoral imposition on the wealthy’s liberty. It explains why Republicans cut safety nets that feed children, seniors, and Veterans to make room for more tax breaks for the very wealthiest Americans, and why there is never a shortage of government funds for corporations, big oil subsidies, and the military industrial complex.
America is in a war for survival and despite President Obama’s re-election and overwhelming public support for his agenda, conservatives are on the verge of scoring a major victory in making government fail. With intransigent House Republicans in control of the nation’s purse-strings, there is little the President, or Senate Democrats can do to stop their continued assault besides reject their government-destroying cuts that will result in a stalemate, and more government failure. Subsequently, for the next two years House Republicans have little incentive to stop their assault on government, and the people, and believing it is their moral imperative, they have every reason to finish the job.




djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 9:30 am
Jan Brewer wont be celebrating when the INS cant round up as many of the brown people as they can.Those private prisons will be empty and the stock in them will be falling as hard as the teabaggers jaws hitting the ground
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Sally
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 9:38 am
It is tragic that these morons fail to see that when the middle class goes down, we all go down. Just who do they think is going to maintain roads, make sure they have clean drinking water and air to breathe when the corps take over? The oil and natural gas barons don’t care who dies as long as they have huge profits and keep raking in those tax dollars that I earned. Where is the outcry to end oil subsidies? These companies pay few taxes and rake in billions, and we keep handing them our dollars and our precious land and resources to foul as they will. The GOP has sold its soul to the Devil, and hides behind the Bible and Constitution they have never even read. Woe to Amerika if this is alloowed to continue. Frankly, Bachmann’s ‘reeducation camps’ are looking like a fine plan.
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Leah
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 11:13 am
I think the do see it, but they just don’t care, That makes it even more despicable.
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Mary James
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 9:43 am
what is truly pathetic is these clueless haters cannot see the damage they will be doing to themselves.
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Lynda
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 11:07 am
That is the folly of these lunatics . . . that they only see hard times falling on others and not themselves. I would suggest we fly them to another planet so they can start themselves a little colony of their own (governed perhaps by dear ol’ Newt!) where they could live their own lives devoid of any government interference! However, the means to get them there would, of course, have been subsidized by government (i.e. taxpayer) resources! What a quandry!
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Older_Wiser
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 9:49 am
The welcome mat is always out at the Sociopath Party whose motto is, “Catering to the lowest common denominator”.
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Heychief
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 10:16 am
It’s the starve the beast strategy the republicans spend like drunken sailors on two wars and tax cuts for the wealthly. The first tax cuts ever during war time. Then when the Democrats take control whine about the deficit. Norquist has mentioned this several times. Obama is decreasing the deficit
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/10/12/14399005-us-budget-deficit-shrinks-by-over-200-billion-reaches-4-year-low?lite
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knight4444
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 12:38 pm
You’re absolutely correct!! theres actually been a republican strategy to destroy the government for decades!! Jude Wanniski a well known republican strategist came up with the TWO SANTA CLAUS theory to A- destroy democrats B- destroy the government so big business can use us like slaves!! see this is why I have NO respect for todays republican!!! these idiots have no sense of history!! I guarantee you these smart AS* republicans that love posting their hair brain comments here don’t known who Jude Wanniski was!!! or that their beloved Saint Ronald Wilson Reagan was a pro union DEMOCRAT in the 50′s!! yes Reagan was a neo con!! Todays republican has become uneducated, brainless, no sense of HISTORY morons!!!
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Edward K. Jordan
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 4:00 pm
I had the misfortune of growing up in a Republican household. It is worth mentioning that the GOP of the 1970′s and 1980′s was a different party…still way too right-wing for my tastes, but clearly knew how to compromise, negotiate, and govern. My 80 year old mother who has been a registered Republican her entire life now fears that the GOP has become populated with those who’s intense hatred of government ( government of the people, by the people, for the people – A. Lincoln) is so pathological that they while waving the flag and calling themselves “patriots” are fading into obscurity. She told me recently that they are the “Bull Moose Party of the 21st Century”. Go Mom!
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knight4444
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 6:55 pm
@Edward your mom is a wise woman!! it completely blows my mind that people who call themselves republicans for over 20 yrs can’t see this isn’t a conservative party!!!! it’s blatantly become the bag man for corporations to strip away any law that effects their profit!! now lets be fair many republicans have left the party because they see it as a huge bag of SH*T!! Even Morning Joe publicly acknowledges that ”conservatism has become a “RACKET” a money making mind FU*K for loud mouth religious nuts like Mike Huckabee types to fleece ignorant republican sheep!!! just ask Sarah Palin!! if it weren’t for the republican party she’d be taking orders at a local Burger King! or working as a 5 dollar a day call girl in Alaska!
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Ardyann
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 10:17 am
Even those Republicans that aren’t generally considered Tea Party have signed the Norquist pledge and they are as serious about eliminating social programs as their more straightforward co-conspirators. They are just as adamant about eliminating taxes on the wealthy and show just as much contempt for the American people. None of them want to govern; they want to rule.
If they have signed the Norquist pledge, they have done so knowing that there are times when raising taxes is very necessary–as when wars need to be paid for–and yet they still signed, and they honor that pledge before the one they are required to give to the citizens of this country.
It is time to quit making a distinction between the factions in the party. They may fight amongst themselves as to the depth of their hatred for we..the people and for our government, but it is only degrees that they fight about. A pox on them all!
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Reynardine
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 10:25 am
Authoritarians see weakness as a vice which must be punished, and failure to thrive financially as an infallible sign of weakness. They thus believe in punishing the “weak” in order to keep them punishable, because to do otherwise wouldn’t be “fair”
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The Platzner Post
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 10:45 am
The GOP/Teahadist Party will cut off their nose to spite their face, if they think it will hurt President Obama!!! Sharing on The Platzner Post Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ThePlatznerPost, and Twitter https://twitter.com/ThePlatznerPost.
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Mark Lysle
Feb. 28th, 2013 at 2:56 pm
For any of you who haven’t visited The Platzner Post, I highly recommend them!
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Suzanne Longo
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 11:29 am
Privatizing government? No private company ever does anything without looking to make a profit. Even paying your taxes on-line costs you a fee because you are paying them through a private company.
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Charlie F
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 11:36 am
The Tea Party has only one interest, that is to bring the country to a standstill and see it collapse. We are having a civil war.
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knight4444
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 12:52 pm
News flash!! the teaparty klan will help destroy the GOP!! why do you think Dick Armey took the buyout and left!! See the problem with the republican party is they don’t offer the sane, rational, civilized human ANYTHING!! american is full of deeply mentally ill racist freighted idiots who really have zero interest in living in a society that isn’t 99.9% caucasian and where women should revert back to female sufferage!!! When Saint Ronald Wilson Reagan closed down most of the mental hospitals he knew many of these poor unfortunate souls would be card carrying republicans soon!! lets hope the few sane people in this country (typically liberals) can turn this CRAP around!!!
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Evermore Jones
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 1:51 pm
I love the debate on this site because it gives me hope for the future when I hear/see intelligent people saying/typing intelligent things. I like it most when I see people finally calling this modern republican’t and teabagger philosophy what it is; INSANITY! The fact that it is insanity is not new to me, but was brought into startling relief the other day when I heard a crazy old homeless guy on a street corner screaming some of the very same things that I read on the internet these days. Somehow we need to help these people understand that if you lie to people you are helping to make them delusional in a very real sense.
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Sherlock
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 5:27 pm
Why call these dicks “sick”– that is a real blast to sick people. These Teapublicans are EVIL in every sense of the word. Reality is a video game to them.
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RMuse
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 9:42 pm
Evil…pure unadulterated evil. Good call Sherlock.
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Producer James
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 6:53 pm
You have to remember republicans don’t want to govern…they want to rule. It’s my way or the highway. The biggest problem with republicans is they don’t think about the future and concerned with themselves with just the present. They don’t care about the consequences of their action in the longer term.
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Mark Lysle
Feb. 28th, 2013 at 2:54 pm
If they want to rule, then they can face the consequences once the peasants decide they’ve had enough and begin rolling the guillotines out, and with torches and pitchforks in hand, descend upon Wall Street….
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lm945
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 9:14 pm
They hate government so much, why don’t they move to Somalia. Somalia hasn’t had a functioning government in years.
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 9:23 pm
Move to Somalia?Haven’t you been paying attention.There Is nothing to loot there.Now here, its a grifters paradise
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lilyfur 985
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 9:46 pm
Why are we putting into place a Republican policy, a Republican idea, if we just re-elected a Democratic President, and a Democratic Senate. This is not right. There has to be a solution for what the majority of the people of the United States want.
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djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 27th, 2013 at 9:55 pm
Theres two.First elect a democratic house which leads to the second part, Franklin Roosevelt’s example is useful here. After his election in 1932, FDR met with Sidney Hillman and other labor leaders, many of them active Socialists with whom he had worked over the past decade or more. Hillman and his allies arrived with plans they wanted the new President to implement. Roosevelt told them: “I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it.”
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knight4444
Feb. 28th, 2013 at 12:41 am
Bravo! isn’t knowing history a beautiful thing?! I wish republicans would actually pick up a history book or research history on the internet!!
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Mark Lysle
Feb. 28th, 2013 at 2:35 pm
Republicans picking up a history book? Not unless it was approved by the Texas Board of Education or written by that fraud David Barton.
History – true history – will NOT be kind to the Tea Party of the 21st Century. In fact, I foresee the name of the group either being changed to keep from disparaging the 1775 Boston Tea Party, or confusing the protest movement of then with the corporate whore movement that hijacked the name the instant a black man became President of the United States.
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Mark Lysle
Feb. 28th, 2013 at 2:50 pm
Several things need to happen once the Republicans are out of control of the house:
1. Gerrymandered districts in any state, controlled by either party, need to be addressed. There is NO reason whatsoever for politicians to be re-drawing their state’s districts. Districts need to be drawn by a non-political, non-partisan organization with NO TIES to any special interest groups or entities.
2. The Tea Party Caucus needs to be disbanded, and the movement that inspired said caucus needs to be treated the same way the Nazi Party is treated in Germany today: It should be buried, and buried deep enough that paleontologists 100 million years in the future won’t ever find the fossilized remains.
3. Investigations into Republican intransigence over the course of not just the last 12 years, but dating all the way back to the takeover of 1995, need to begin. The American people need to be shown what damage the GOP has done to our union.
4. The corporate media must be broken up, and the media returned to the hands of multiple, small communications companies.
5. The Fairness Doctrine – rules dictating equal time for all sides of any given issue, as well as rules which expressly forbid deliberately lying to or misleading the American people – needs to be reinstated. That alone will solve all the divisiveness on our public airwaves – Fox News, Limbaugh, Hannity, evangelical exploitation of the gullible, etc. – in one fell swoop. And make it strong enough to withstand any constitutional challenge and fix it so that it requires 2/3 of Congress to repeal it.
Boehner, Cantor, Bachmann, Cruz, Gohmert Pyle, the whole lot of them, need to go, and they need to go NOW. But we have the obligation as American citizens to ensure the GOP is removed from majority control of our House and kept from ever controlling either house of Congress ever again, until they reform their party and jettison the extremists. If the Christian Right want to run for office, let them pay the taxes like the rest of us, and let them run under their own party.
Enough is enough.
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Sherlock
Feb. 28th, 2013 at 2:08 pm
When does obstruction become treason?
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Mark Lysle
Feb. 28th, 2013 at 2:32 pm
Perhaps when we, and I mean those whose minds have not been destroyed by the propaganda peddled by instigators like Fox News Channel, demand that they be held accountable for the damage they have done in the name of “Taxed Enough Already.”
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K
Feb. 28th, 2013 at 2:27 pm
The “Support our Troops” party fails to mention the $3 billion cut to military healthcare…those freeloaders with missing body parts and permanently scarred psyches…
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Koetting
Feb. 28th, 2013 at 10:14 pm
“A healthy democracy requires a decent society; it requires that we are honorable, generous, tolerant and respectful.” – Pickering … To bad there is not any of that here.
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