First, our apologies to our few readers for not posting anything relating to our activities here in Granada for the past three months. We've been lazy, we admit it. It's been hot and I haven't found a way yet to be comfortable in the pool with a laptop but I'm working on it.
Today's diatribe has little to do with what we've been up to "down here," rather it deals with what isn't being done "up there" -- "up there" being my native United States of America. Frankly, I'm about as disgusted as is humanly possible. While elected officials, whose only concern seems to be the advancement of their personal portfolios and agendas, go through the motions of acting like they give a shit, millions and millions of U.S. citizens live in a current state of anxiety as to whether they're going to be able to pay the rent and buy groceries next month. The "debt crisis" debacle being "legislated" in Washington at the moment has degenerated into nothing more than petty politics at its most ridiculous. These idiots are not after a fair and equitable solution to this matter, instead this entire sordid nonsense has become a penile measuring contest between Republicans and Democrats.
We, the people, really don't care which of you has the biggest dick. What we care about is "where's the money?" Carol and I began contributing, along with an equal match from our previous employers, to the Social Security system in the late '50's. We continued to do this for the next 50 years, with the hope and understanding that "our" funds were being fed and nurtured, to be available to us upon reaching retirement age.
Well, we held up our end of the bargain, we got old. And we want our money back, emphasis on our. This isn't a "handout" nor are we welfare recipients. This is money we entrusted to our government over decades to be used for our well being. But today, we sit here wondering if the deposits will be made on the 3rd of next month so that we can pay our bills. You thoughtless, arrogant bastards.
How did this all happen, we wonder? Well, I believe that history, several generations from now, will discover that (1) Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone, (2) James Earl Ray didn't do it and (3) the George W. Bush administration pulled off the greatest robbery ever perpetuated on mankind. It began early when billions of dollars changed hands when the US began chasing around the Middle East, looking for "weapons of mass destruction." Lots of individuals, elected, appointed or otherwise, made a sizable chuck of change off that scenario, (What? No WMD's???)
It continued while we sent troops (and support contractors, re: Vice President Cheney's beloved Halliburton) to the far reaches of the planet to hunt down and eliminate "terrorists." Didn't find many but another sizable chuck probably ended up in the Cayman's somewhere.
And finally, in Oct. '08, at the conclusion of the worst administration in US history, the bottom of the scam seemingly fell out -- but not really. Keep in mind dear reader that the money didn't disappear, it wasn't burned or thrown in the ocean, it merely changed hands. About $25,000 that Carol and I had invested in a relatively secure (we thought) mutual fund simply went poof and left our hands, bound for another's. We weren't alone, this happened to millions of fellow Americans.
What has evolved is an attitude by those who pulled off this fantastic coup that they stole it fair and square, they got away with it and they're gonna keep it, the nation be damned. When we read that a corporation like General Electric can produce a profit of 140 billion dollars and NOT PAY ANY TAXES on it is pathetic. Michael Moore's figure that America's 400 weathiest citizens have assets equal to 155,000,000 other Americans is downright scary. And finally, the 147 million dollar bonus given the CEO of a prominent health care conglomerate recently is shameful.
Final conclusion: You sorry sons-of-bitches who were elected to represent the masses had better get your shit together or else the masses are gonna be coming after you with serious intentions. Heads rolled in France in 1789 ...