Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:53 pm
*The Following is an opinion column by R Muse*
It is always a curiosity to sane human beings that no small number of Americans hate the government because Republicans tell them it exists to hurt them and damage their chances of becoming rich like corrupt con man Donald Trump. Although most Americans cannot possibly fathom that the only reason they are not ravaged by the rich and their corporations is because of a strong centralized federal government, they do in fact benefit from that government every day of their lives. Whether it is having access to safe medicine, safe food, safe transportation or adequate healthcare, or protection from predatory financial institutions and corporate malfeasance, the federal government works every single day to protect all Americans; it is precisely why inhuman Republicans want it demolished sooner rather than later.
The current fascist administration promotes itself as the only salvation for the American people, but in less than a week it has demonstrated that its only purpose for existing is not to help the people but to eliminate what benefits the people have in a government serving the interests of the population.
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Not only do Republicans and their champion fascist Trump have no intention of ever doing anything for the American people, they are uniquely puzzled about why anyone ever would consider “the general welfare of the people†in making any policy decisions. One doesn’t have to be a student of politics in America to understand that the conservative movement in general, and the Republican Party in particular, has not passed any legislation, made any policy, or promoted any agenda whatsoever that benefits the mass of Americans who aren’t uber-rich and fanatically evangelical.
Of course, Republicans are barbarous and cruel to humanity in general, but there are no instances of Republicans passing any legislation that has any benefit to the people. Their focus is on corporations, the oil industry, the gun industry and military-industrial complex, and of course sating the bloodthirsty evangelical extremists; the rest of the population be damned straight to the proverbial Hell. What is worse is the inclination now becoming a reality that Republicans are so inhumane that not helping the population is not barbaric enough; they are on a tear to eliminate what little protections and benefits the government does provide.
The proof that the basic concept of a government serving the people, or helping those who need it most, is baffling to Republicans was made crystal clear last week and it came out of the mouth of “sleepy†Ben Carson. Carson is the unqualified cretin who Trump nominated to run the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) even though he has no experience or qualifications whatsoever. It is unclear how so many in the media missed a very telling remark by Mr. Carson during his Senate Confirmation hearing, but that one comment explains exactly what kind of mindset drives conservative cruelty.
Carson was asked to weigh in on his potential boss’s despicable executive overreach (order) raising FHA interest rates for Americans fortunate enough to go through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to possibly achieve the American dream and become homeowners. Carson’s reply to a request for a comment on Trump’s savage executive action was to question why President Barack Obama reduced the rate by a nominal .25 percent in the first place. Carson said, “I, too, was surprised to see something of this nature done on the way out the door.” Apparently Mr. Carson can’t possibly imagine why President Obama would think of doing “something of that nature;†something like helping Americans. The concept of a President doing anything for the people was surprising and puzzling to Carson, and an atrocity that ruthless Trump nixed as his first of many instances of tyrannical executive overreach; there is the ‘populist†hero and champion so many idiots voted for.
Now, first it is important to understand that the FHA only “provides mortgage insurance on loans made by FHA-approved lenders throughout the United States.†It is not a ‘government bank’ and does not provide taxpayer loans or impact spending or debt by any stretch of the imagination, or law. And more importantly; it is the only government agency (besides Social Security) that “operates entirely from its self-generated income and costs the taxpayers nothing.†What that means is that terrible Trump’s executive overreach was purely out of spite and an assault on Americans hoping to buy a home; likely many of his rabid supporters.
It is that simple fact that FHA mortgage insurance interest rates, no matter how high or low, do not impact taxpayers or the federal government’s budget, spending, debt, deficit, revenue stream or bottom-line that make Trump’s executive action a deliberate and viciously callous attack on the people. Carson’s puzzlement over why President Obama would do something so “perplexing†to Republicans as helping hundreds of thousands of Americans explains why Republicans and their greedy and vindictive leader have no qualms enacting all manner of detrimental policies on the American people; they simply cannot understand why anyone in their right mind would ever think or act to help the American people they are elected to serve.
Most Americans aren’t aware, unfortunately, that they are all, each and every one, about to feel the effects of a Koch-Republican government. It is true that Trump gets to sit in the White House and will rubber-stamp the impending assault on, and deconstruction of, the very government agencies and departments tasked with protecting the people, but the assault is pure Koch-Republican. Trump is a puppet and a major distraction. And it is particularly noteworthy to reiterate that the Koch-Republican attack on the government is cruel for the sake of being cruel and profitable to corporations and the very, very rich.
Sadly, Democrats are virtually powerless to stop the coming damage and with a Koch-brother Heritage Foundation budget eliminating or severely cutting each and every agency and department that exists to serve and protect Americans, the damage will be substantial. Just think about the cruel and inhumane executive actions Trump has ordered already, and one can get an idea of a nation lacking consumer, environmental, and civil rights protections Trump and his Republican cohort promise will make America their version of great. They are sick twisted individuals to be so intrinsically cruel to their fellow Americans, but they are vapid and morally deranged to be surprised that a President would want to help the people he was elected to serve; at no cost to anyone.
This commentary is the sole opinion of its author.
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
