Chaotic Incompetence
01 September 2007
by Christian McPhate, Contributing writer for AnaiRhoads.org
AnaiRhoads.org - An economic nuclear bomb is looming on the horizon with the United States trade deficit ballooning, the ever-widening mortgage crisis, the slowdown in housing, the estimated $155.5 billion to repair the nations highways and bridges, the Medicare crisis, doctors are not lining up to see patients because of lower reimbursement rates from the government, the $100 million dollar-a-day war in Iraq, China's takeover of our market with tainted products, the unending spiral of high gas prices, global warming, the disappearing middle class and the list goes on and on.
Political candidates scramble to find ways to find their market on the nation's problems, making empty campaign promise after empty campaign promise to find a way to "try" and solve the problem.
The senators and former governors argue back and forth on pulling out of Iraq; the rising cost of healthcare; going to national healthcare; alternative fuels; drilling in national-protected forests; building a wall to keep illegal immigrants out; creating a workers' program for illegal immigrants to "work the jobs that U.S. citizens will not work"; and the raising - no lowering taxes debate.
While the American middle and lower class paychecks continue to shrink as the price of food, gas, tobacco and the rest of our necessitates and commodities continue to rise at an alarming rate, U.S. taxpayers are forced to take a second or third job, more loans, refinance homes, cut food expenditures and numerous other inventive ways to save-a-buck.
Yet, the salaries of our elected officials, the rich, are amazingly high and continuing to rise, widening the gap of the American social classes.
For instance, according to the Examiner.com, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn salary to serve the residents of Texas is 165,200, and he reportedly owns more than 9 investment funds worth between $15,000 and $50,000.
Democrats 2008 candidate for Cornyn's incumbency position Mikal Watts reported earnings of $40 million, as well as owning several high priority investments, two planes and numerous properties, to the Senate last week.
In fact, according to the U.S. senators' web site, the people of this nation gave the senators a per diem pay of $6.00 in 1789, raising it to $3,000 per annum in 1855.
And through the 80s, 90s and into the 21st century, senators' salaries have skyrocketed up the charts, rising from $69,800 to $165,200 per annum while majority and minority leaders enjoy a comfortable salary of $180,100 per year.
And as a U.S. Senator, the politician gets the benefits of never-paying social security, continuing to receive an ample salary after he retires, free healthcare and a pot-of-gold-type Social Security fund straight out of an aged American's dreams, not including the numerous non-reported contributions and "incentives" too numerous to list.
What about the state of Social Security for my generation? There will be none.
The politicians stance on middle class Americans who are overburden with taxes, healthcare, food and gas prices and education—the denial of state-provided children's healthcare to the children of middle class America.
Instead of cutting into our paychecks, how about the politicians start cutting into their own paychecks? Instead of them giving raises to one another every year, how about a cutback in their paychecks? Instead of a special Social Security program for senators, how about they start paying their dues like every other American citizen?
What makes politicians so special that we continue to allow them to live as if they are modern day Olympian gods and goddesses?
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