Pondering America

America's mythology lies among its spaces. Sometimes it's the open sagebrush of the Great Basin of the west. Other times it's the lush and forested Shenandoah Valley, part of the great inland valley that stretches from Canada to Georgia.

Our shared heritage is of individual achievement and expansion across the land. From the founding of the colonies, through the industrial revolution and the great magnates of wealth, Americans celebrate that individual achievement. America also tends to ignore the sting of death, theft and hatred of "others" that helped make that wealth and progress possible.

The myth of the individual in an open land is powerful.

What powered that myh, however, was also the dedication to seek justice. To form a nation where the people decide what constitutes fairness and justice, and protects people from individuals who seek to impose their rule upon others.

It's obvious that things often go two steps forward, then a step back, in a progression of adjustments to maintain peace and order in society. All steps forward can result in unintended consequences, as can all steps backward. This push-pull was understood centuries ago when the Chinese described Yin and Yang; the understanding that opposing forces in nature are also complementary, interconnected and interdependent.

In America today the forces that have consolidated power believe that society has gone too far. Power today believes that we must "return" to that which was lost. So what is it that government has caused to have been lost?

I guess one thing might be today's Supreme Court ruling castrating North Carolina for their racist gerrymandering of Congressional districts. Conservatives certainly oppose that ruling, which basically tells them they have to act honestly and above board. Horrors!

Devon Energy Center in Oklahoma City

Then there's rules trying to clean up the environment. Outraged are the Republicans that there are rules to prevent them from the release of hazardous chemicals. So, now that Scott Pruitt has taken over the EPA, Devon Energy changed its plans to install systems to stop emissions of hazardous chemicals, like benzene a known carcinogen, from their operations. It seems they  figure they can just pay a $25,000 one time fine and just continue to pollute because the "new" EPA is having their enforcement funding slashed to the bone, and ole' Scott doesn't mind one bit if it "frees" the hands of business. I wonder what it costs Devon to have their windows cleaned on their tower?

Oh, yeah, don't forget climate change is a liberal hoax, made by the Chinese according to Trump,

Then there's the Trump budget to be released tomorrow cutting $1.7 trillion dollars over 10 years. The big changes: Gut Medicaid for the poor, throwing 10 million off health insurance, plus chopping off the Children's Health Insurance Program and Social Security Disability Insurance, along with slashing SNAP (Food Stamps).

The WaPo als reports that School Lunch Subsidies, Council on Homelessness and Habitat for Humanity are on the chopping block.

How else can you fund the tax cuts for those millionaires?

So what will America be like when the sick and poor are dead broke. I guess they just move into the plain DEAD category.

It's all about Making America Great Again. You know, like before the Civil War.