The End of Conservatism

For the past few decades, the Right has proclaimed, "We don't need no stinkin' regulation!" We've been told that the free, unfettered market will always correct itself and prevent disaster while shedding those competitors who are not up to the job. Reagan told us that government doesn't solve problems, it is the problem. However, as the past few weeks have shown, that is a bankrupt philosophy (no pun intended). The very same people who saw government as the problem now have their hands out and are asking for our tax dollars to the tune of $700 billion. The markets do indeed need regulation to prevent the darkest urges of human nature from ruling the day. For years, we have watched while the cost of everything has risen and asked, "How can the economy be doing so well? It sure doesn't feel like it." It has seemed like a shell game for a while now. Alas, the bubble has burst. And it will only cost us $700 billion to fix it.

Maybe the taxpayers do have to pay for this bailout. But it does raise many questions. What about responsibility? Where are the Conservatives who have preached to us about "personal responsibility"? Shouldn't the taxpayers get something for the billions we are being asked to pony up? And why should Henry Paulson get dictatorial control over this money with no oversight at all? Why can't the federal government take partial ownership of these companies and then sell them off at a profit at some time in the future? Why aren't we being told the truth, which is that this is just the beginning? We are in for a long recession and higher taxes no matter who is in White House in January of 2009.

We are being asked to give this the Bush administration another blank check. Why should we trust them now? On Bush's watch we have had 9-11, The Iraq War, Katrina, and now the collapse of our financial system. Even before this latest debacle, this incompetent child has been the worst President in our nation's history. Right up to the end of his tenure as President, Bush is mired the muck of disaster.

Who the fuck voted for this guy? I mean, all you had to do was hear that dopey Texas accent and hear him mispronounce "nuclear" and you knew he wasn't the guy for the job. But you wanted to have a beer with him. You thought, "He's like me". No, he's not like you. He grew up rich and privileged and never worked a day in his life. He avoided military service but acted like he stormed San Juan Hill with T.R. He raised religion up over science (the mark of a backward society - see Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, etc.) and divided the nation over the bullshit social issues while big business robbed us blind. He fucked us again and again and we put him back in power for a second term because we are a scared nation. The only silver lining in all this is that maybe people will start coming back toward the middle so that this nation can begin accomplishing things again.