Those three simple words opened the preamble the US Constitution.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
The emergence of the Tea Party has splintered the sphincter of the GOP wide open. Incumbents were ousted in favor of little-known fringe candidates. Dissatisfaction with President Obama metastasized into vitriolic anger, as the middle class was decimated by job loss and house foreclosure. Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck vanguarded the rejectionist movement. Establishment politicians in both camps were shocked to discover that they were on the outside looking in after the massacre at the primaries.
People are pissed off.
“I’m voting for anyone that is not in office.” My brother lives south of Boston. His income has been shrinking with the economy. Clients don’t pay for work. His American Dream is in decline. We had not spoken after he had cursed me out for inviting his son to Saturday Night Live. He has never asked about my children and his wife is a specialist at making barbed comments about them. I crossed their house off my Christmas list, but my brother was my best friend in the world and I love him always.
“You’re going to vote for the Tea Party.” I considered them truly dangerous. “It would be like a vote for the Nazis.”
“You people think that everyone in the Tea Party is a nut.” My brother voted for George Bush senior and junior. His wife had worked for the father. I thought my older brother looked a little like GWB1. “That woman from Delaware said that they were not kooks, but they were ‘we the people’.”
“A catchy line.” She also believed that masturbation was evil.
“Pure founders. These people are everyone.”
“Some a little more nuts than others.” I hadn’t seen a single black in their crowds. Maybe one or two, but they hated that a black man was ruling them, although none of them will admit this by-election is about race.
“They’re fed up with what happened in the last two years.”
“What happened in the last two years was only because we’ve been living a lie.” I call my brother from time to time at his office. He’s usually too busy to answer the call.
“What lie?”
“That you can fight two wars at the same time without raising taxes.” The French monarchy learned the error of that strategy at the guillotine. “Or that the rich will spend their wealth to make everyone else rich.”
“No one wants new taxes.”
“There will be no tax increase this year.” The Bush Tax Cut is scheduled to lapse on December 31. Congress won’t be back in session until after the elections. Any debate between the two parties will take months. The BTC is on its last legs.
“Not if the Republicans take control of Congress.”
“And they did such a good job last time?” I don’t blame the present economic situation on the Bush Tax Cut. Our country doesn’t produce anything. We import more than we export. The dollar was devalued to boost the stock market. “The only reason the economy was doing well was that we were spending money that we didn’t have and now the banks are calling in their debts.”
“Poor people don’t create jobs.” My brother had his own law firm. His employees numbered five. The resumption of the previous tax levels frightens small businesses such as his and the middle-class resist wealth re-distribution in fear that they will not be allowed to enter the ranks of the rich.
“Poor people might not, but neither do the rich.” I’ve lived in Millbrook, Palm Beach, and Beverly Hills. The rich only hire the poor to cut their lawns and cook their food. They want nothing to do with the middle class. The top earners also can’t spend their money fast enough to help the economy, so the money becomes purgatorized in the vortex of wealth. Small businesses are created by small people. Not the rich. “These tax cuts were welfare for the rich.”
“I got money from them.”
“How much?” Most of upper-middle class had received a relief of $1000. Anyone over $200,000 bankrolled 5-figures, while millionaires cashed in 6-figures.
“It helped.” No one likes to talk about their income these days, mostly because it’s smaller than any time in their adult life.
“Sure.” I couldn’t really say a word, since my taxable income hovers around zero. “Every little bit helps these days.”
I offered to service his Gold Rolex.
“I’m sending it to Rolex.”
“It will cost about $1000. My watch people can do the same thing for a fraction of the price and time.” They are artists on horology.
“I feel more comfortable with Rolex.”
“Up to you.” The Thai expression is ‘law ke kuhn’, which means basically has a backhanded meaning of ‘go fuck it up yourself’. We said good-bye and I gave him my cell-phone number. Maybe he’ll return my calls.
I’d like that.
Because my brother looks more like me than George W Bush.