OUR  3RD WORLD FUTURE

With the ringing in of 2011, I have been wondering what the future will bring given the lack of interest in what our politicians have been doing for the last 30 years, and more specifically the last decade.  Unconstrained deficit borrowing, wars funded with tax cuts for the rich and bank deregulation starting with Ronald Reagan has us now borrowing almost 50 cents on every dollar that is spent.  Deregulation of the banks and housing industry have sunk the entire system deep into debt that will be paid for on the backs of the working class.  The unions have been attacked by Republicans and abandoned by Democrats, so that now the middle class built on union wages has been almost eliminated.  Our Representation is now controlled by corporations and the ultra-rich to the point that we the people have zero influence on what they do in Washington.  So it’s time for us to try and imagine what type of 3rd world country we want to live in.  I’ll go for the basics.

I would like to see a 3rd world America where the primary education of our children is at a minimum mediocre, being that only the rich will soon have the means to pay for higher education.  That way maybe our children will be able to have a chance at a job that pays slightly above the poverty line.

I would like to see a 3rd world America where good water and food are not so costly that we the working class suffer water and food-borne diseases only occasionally.

I would like to see a 3rd world America where free clinics for medical and dental care happen at least twice a year in Ramona, for those of us that won’t be wealthy enough to pay for health care.

I would like to see a 3rd world America where our government IDs allow us to travel to another town without the necessity of a permission slip from an official.

I would like to see a 3rd world America where the people never realize that they have been sold out on all fronts by those that claim to be good Americans, because people deserve to be happy.

It’s time to look at the future of America, and dream for a better 3rd world.

Dave Patterson
Ramona, CA

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The unpublished letter — Freedom and Responsibility by one of us.

Dear Editor:

As the election, the Christmas and the New Year, and the passion that goes with those, are over may be we are willing to be more reflective with things of enduring nature.

The first amendment of the Constitution gives us the freedom of speech.  Responsibility is the unspoken part of it.  How about we also incorporate human decency and politeness in exercising our rights, as part of the unspoken responsibility.

The second amendment gives us the right to bear arms, forget about the ‘militia’ part now.  Does ‘bear’ means ‘possess’?  If it does, then the display (show off) of those arms in more visible public places makes sense, as they used to do in old Wild West.  Still, responsibility is the unspoken part of it, and consequences are part of the responsibility as well.

If we now consider ‘in order to forming a militia’, it would mean every citizen has that right to be part of that ‘militia’.  That statement did not characterize the qualities and kinds of citizens, yet the practice did, until two weeks ago—all citizens, irrespective of race, color, national origin, religion, and sexual orientation can now form that ‘militia’, a truly national militia.

“Freedom” is constitutionally guaranteed in many ways.  We have the “freedom” to choose what kind of food we would eat.  Here too responsibility is the unspoken part.  If we get sick by choosing (exercising our right) the wrong food, we ourselves are responsible, not the public.

“Freedom” in choosing food also includes choice of a company or a brand for source, modification of source, or of processing, it is constitutionally guaranteed.  Why then the companies, for their brands, are stealing or denying my right by hiding the source, modification of source, and processing information?  The company or the FDA says that the food is safe.  That is not enough.  What do they have to hide?

Should we not direct our anger or frustration about loosing our freedom only towards our government but also to corporate America that produce stuff for our consumption and hold the real power in our country?