ALL THINGS THAT MATTER: March 2015

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Red Shift

Science minded folks are aware of the Red Shift in astronomy; proof that universe is expanding as objects moving away shift their color spectrum to the red. But the red shift I speak of concerns politics, not the stars. In this case, the red is the right, the GOP. And this tone of red is not very pretty.

From tax relief, the social net, to health care, people programs are being assailed. "Since taking control of the House in 2010, Republicans have crafted dozens of bills ostensibly devoted to "streamlining and simplifying" the federal government. They've pushed them through the lower chamber, promising to cut red tape and create jobs. But on Tuesday, they let the cat out of the bag. These bills, it turns out, are essentially efforts to undermine Wall Street reform and Obamacare while greenlighting pollution" (Huffington Post 3/19/15).

We see it everywhere: assaults on collective bargaining, tax breaks for the wealthy, attacks on renewable energy in favor of oil, cuts in welfare, health care, and even new waves of racism and bigotry. The goal is to undo rather than do, tear down rather than to build up, stonewall rather than moving forward. Basically, the system is a mess. There is no conservation, no support for helping those in need, no support for real job creation, no helping people get back on their feet, no protection for the environment, nothing for education, and nothing to help job producing small businesses. The focus is on the top. This is not being a conservative, it's being extreme right wing, oligarchic ... wrong.

Of course, we are not alone, this shift has happened elsewhere, most recently, Israel. In this case, the shift may put an end to any hope of peace and may result in war. Moving to the extreme of the political spectrum, in either direction, never turns out well.

Hold on to your hats, this will not be a fun ride. The shift to the red will not end in a field of poppies.