George W. Bush was on the mark when he declared,
"We mustspend money more wisely. We must
spend money on what works."
He was referring to education funding, one of
a half-dozen issues which arose this past week
with the return of Congress to Washington, D.C.
With many of these issues, Bush and some
of his legislative hitmen in Congress exposed
their hypocrisy hour by hour as a fatal child-abuse
scandal 200 miles to the north played itself
out elsewhere on the front pages.
They proclaimed their concern for the American
people, yet their actual actions will only make
life more miserable for the most vulnerable people
in our society if their measures become a reality.
As a preppie future Republican might put it,
I would submit that we can draw a straight line between
Bush-style policies and society's neglect of
Faheem Williams and the two brothers who survived him.
The powers that be in Washington last week swiftly
became locked into a raging political war over
a series of domestic issues which amounted to
acting responsibly or recklessly - a struggle over
whether the other Faheem Williams - of our nation
would have a chance for a life. Literally.
Bush targeted a number of proposals that would
only dig a deeper hole for America while benefiting
the wealthiest, and the more responsible political
figures pressed for steps that would help all
Americans, mostly in incremental ways.
Under the circumstances, senators like Democrat
Jon Corzine and Republican Lincoln Chafee displayed
class as they resisted Bush's crusade to slice
taxes by $674 billion, half of which would comprise $364
billion for the elimination of income taxes on
stock dividends. Most Democrats, independents and some
Republicans took a principled stand.
"This isn't a jobs program, it isn't stimulus,"
Corzine was quoted in The New York Times as saying.
"It is what it is, a restructuring of the tax
system with a high proportion of the advantage going to
people who are already doing well."
That advantage would go to people like Corzine,
who virtually bought his job two years ago with
no political experience. But Corzine stood up
less for his own children than for Faheem Williams.
Corzine returns home on weekends to a suburban
New Jersey home a short drive from the Newark
home where Faheem's body was found on Sunday.
His twin brother and a younger second brother
were found inside adarkened basement of the home
the night before.
To deny that Republican tax-cut policies of the
last two decades has anything to do with Faheem's death
is to be in, well, a state of denial. As the
rich get richer thanks to the firm of Bush, Lott and DeLay, Inc.,
most parents of abused children can't find real
work in big cities which are being starved to death by our
leaders. Certainly, the politicians won't spend
money to sufficiently operate child-welfare agencies
which must confront higher caseloads of child
abuse.
In such an advanced society as ours, one would
think that long ago our leaders would have put their
heads together to improve opportunities for everyone,
whether they live in Newark or Crawford, Texas.
Right now the politicians are bickering over whether
to implement draconian moves or provide limited help.
To put it in preppie terms again, I submit that
they should be devising a sensible plan to rebuild the economy
and target trouble spots like some big cities,
such as Philadelphia,and rural areas like northern Maine.
Bush scotched a chance to help the poor in Washington
by siting the homeland security office there where
it would be convenient for commuting. Instead,
he decided to choose between sites in northern Virginia.
His reasoning is that he didn't want to set it
in Washington because of congestion and its position
as a natural military target.
Makes sense, except that rental rates in Virginia
are more expensive than Maryland, and Tysons Corner
(where two potential sites are located) is no
less congested than Times Square. Democrats are dominant
in Maryland and Virginia has a heavy Republican
influence. Coincidence?
Though moderate Republicans deserve credit for
fighting Bush's plan, Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine was
disingenuous when she urged morefunding for heating
aid. Her vote in June 2001 helped make Bush's
$1.35 trillion tax-cut measure possible. That
vote precluded funds for services such as heating aid for a
state where temperatures plunge in January, and
contributed to her state's $1 billion deficit.
While Bush and pals again want to cut taxes for
the rich, they patronized the jobless with self-congratulations
when their first act was to extend unemployment
benefits 13 weeks. It was action they refused to take
when they ended their last session of Congress
in December.
As Republicans seek to cap jury awards, why aren't theytalking up caps on executive pay and corporate profits?
When you consider that this president seeks to
present Iraq with the gift of democracy, he has proceeded
to dilute his own country of democracy in spirit,
flouted federal laws and drawn accusations of violating
our civil rights. If he won't make a serious
effort to rebuild America, how can he possibly rebuild Iraq?
If this doesn't make you ill, consider what House
Majority Leader Tom DeLay said of the proposed tax cuts:
"I look at the Bush plan as a floor, not a ceiling."
Anything like the kind of floor near which Faheem's
body was found?
Bruce S Ticker lives in Philadelphia