I can't help it. It bugs me. When I tune in to listen to hate radio, the one thing that is like nails on a chalkboard is the continuous reference to the liberal elite.
The liberal elite.
It bugs me but it rings so untrue that I impulsively let out an exhaled snort of laughter.
Liberal elite.
Who?
Me?
While this administration panders to the top 1% of this country, what he has referred to as his base (he-he-he-he), and caters to the corporate machine, the minions on the airwaves squawk about the liberal elite.
First we didn't have a plan.
Then we didn't have leaders.
Now the party is being run by the fringe extremists - not to be mistaken for the Islamic fascist extremists.
And those that speak out, are usually shoved under the category of the liberal elite.
Once again the attempt is being made to sure up the image of "golly, gee, shucks and gosh" that the neocons have been selling for over six years. You know, the regular folks. Not those bookish, pseudo intellectuals on the East coast. Not the old money, ivy leaguers. Not them. The ordinary fella - the guy who goes and gets a cup o'joe at the local gathering spot. The gal that volunteers in the young children section of the local church. The grandma who bakes freakin' apple pies for the fire station. You know, the people in Norman Rockwell paintings. The ones that don't exist anymore. You know. Middle America.
But you see, I'm middle America. I am considered "middle class".
And believe me, I am so not an elite.
I am a regular mother of two, divorced and remarried, with pets, with a mortgage, with two cars, soccer, football, theatre, debate, volunteerism, and responsibilities. I add to this certain personal principles that I can't seem to shake like - animal, environmental and human rights activism. I believe I am pretty middle of the road as far as my class assignment goes.
But unfortunately, we are going to be making some serious changes within the next year or so. You see, the plan was that I would stay home with the boys at least until my eldest turned 16, and then I would go back to work part-time. Both boys would be in high school, and it would be a lot easier to ensure that each has a ride or a way to get to extracurricular. But now that the price of gas is forcing us to pay twice what we were paying before (I don't know how that works out but it does), groceries are bankrupting us, maintenance on our cars has depleted our savings..so now I am looking for full-time employment.
And I blame it all, every last bit of it on this administration. On its inability to see the middle class, to foresee the increase in oil and gas and therefore everything dependent on it. I am sick to death that we had a wake up call in the 70's with the oil/gas crisis and we did nothing - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING - to prepare for the inevitable. Do I blame the administration for that - no. But all of the actions that this administration has done have been to benefit the elite.
And that's what's so funny and nauseating about the spokespeople for this administration thinking that they can actually call the other side elitist when it is so blatantly obvious the reverse is true. The best thing of all is that people are waking up. The mass mailing by the neocons to all the churches is underway - regarding the "the impending threat" of liberalism. But people are fed up. The are fed up with the constant "BOO!" antics, the continuous scare tactics that exhaust us. We are fed up with the constant hypocrisy and contradiction. There is nothing more maddening - when you are treading water with your kids on your back in a raging sea of uncertainty - to have some smug arrogant suit cluck away your troubles and tell you everything is fine. Everything is not fine. We know. We're here. We're in it. We can see the reality because it is right in front of us. Neighbors that used to drive by, now stop and talk about their anxieties - trying to see if they are alone or if things really are as bad as they feel. That's the thing. You see you have people at the top saying all is good, why you complaining? Economy is great! Jobs aplenty! Be happy! You are doing better! And the rest of us look around and think...no. It's not better. I can't buy what I used to. My salary is dormant and expenses are out the roof. Which economy are we talking about? What jobs? You can't include jobs that pay 5.15 an hour because no one can live on those.
For all the fear mongering, for all the screaming about the liberal elite, there is a huge failure out there to recognize that people, the regular ordinary people, are questioning motives. They are questioning the direction. They are questioning the decisions, the results, the flaws, the greed, the abuse. They are not going to fall for the - against us, with the terrorists - line anymore. They are not going to believe what people say, because so many have lied. So many have misrepresented the truth. People are looking for the truth on their own, and they are finding it. And all the reasons and excuses for the lies are going to fall on deaf ears.
Because almost all of us know - fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me.

Oh and we won't be fooled again.

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