Budget Cut Protesters Slightly “Off Target” by Philip A. Farruggio

by Philip A. Farruggio
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
April 19, 2011

Image by ra_hurd via Flickr

The Tuesday April 19^th Money Section of USA Today newspaper has the lead headline: Could U.S. default on its debt? It goes on to say how the S&P simply warned that a downgrade in our nation’s credit rating is possible if ‘the USA doesn’t get its house in order.’  Segway into the many grassroots demonstrations nationwide to protest the expected states’ budget cuts. As an activist myself, I welcome and salute those who turn out (many for the first time) to protest budget cuts for essential services. We read how the unions, especially the ones in the firing line of these cuts, are out there holding signs and making noise. Good for them! Yet, there is a concerted lack of powerful viable solutions offered at the same time. Why? Well, to this writer, and to others who can ‘see through the hype ‘, it is the Democratic Party that is behind many of these (so called) grass roots protests. Why do I say that? Well, look at the facts:

Who is in the White House? Mr. Obama, a Democrat. Who controls the Senate? Democrats. Who continues voting for both the bloated military spending and the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan? The Democrats, along with their ‘Worse of two evils ‘compatriots the Republicans. Zoom further forward and see who is ordering the shelling of Libya and CIA infiltration into the rebel camps? You got it! So, on the one hand, we have good and decent grass roots Democrats sounding off and rallying against the budget cuts etc… yet silence on the aforementioned occupations and increased military spending.

We have an empire that is in its last stages… and the FAT CATS know it! What they are doing is gobbling up all they can, through the subprime con job and the phony wars, which only add to the coffers of the Military Industrial Complex companies they own and control. Get it? They sit and laugh as they see the protestors standing and shouting for more money for education and other services. Meanwhile, what really matters ( to them ) is the fact that the Two Parties they control stay silent on the military budget and flag waving propaganda spewing forth from the media that they themselves own! Get it? So long as we remain  in those three countries ( I add Libya to the mix ) with our hundreds of thousands of soldiers and mercenaries, and continue to drop those million dollar per bomb bombs, the funds keep going out of Washington and into their  greedy hands .

What needs be done is for our good neighbors who are 100% correct as to the budget crisis to join with we activists who are 1000% correct on the phony wars, occupations, torture and bloated military budget. After all, since over 50 cents of each federal tax dollar goes to the Military Industrial Complex, with each soldier in Afghanistan costing us over one million dollars per year , our good friends need to ‘ connect the dots ‘ and stand with us. The protest movement should include what is now known as The 25% Solution AKA cutting the military budget by 25% and sending the savings back to our states.  The time for being used as pawns in partisan politics is over! We either Stand Together or Fall Apart!

Philip A. Farruggio is son and grandson of Brooklyn NYC longshoremen. A graduate of Brooklyn College, class of ’74, Philip has been an anti war activist since the Vietnam War. He has over 250 columns posted on various sites, including, most recently, Dandelion Salad and Dissident Voice. Philip can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net.

see

U.S. Foreign Policy Should be Consistent and Honest by Dennis Kucinich

Waiting for the Spark by Ralph Nader

Throw Out the Money Changers by Chris Hedges

Inflation Hits Money and Lies by Joel S. Hirschhorn

Don’t Cut Entitlements – Cut the Military By Timothy V. Gatto