Soapbox

What Do You Value?

George Bush was elected because he had better “values� than his opponent. We know this because the media force-feeds us this idea every single day. Here are some of the values Bush has shown the country since Nov. 3rd:

~Because George Bush values his friends in the upper 1% income bracket, the first thing his cohorts in congress had to do was increase the “birth tax� on all our children and grandchildren by raising the debt ceiling to record levels.

~Because he values loyalty over morals, his friends in congress felt empowered to change their rules so that their dishonest leader, Tom Delay can retain his leadership position unhampered by petty little issues like ethics and impropriety.

~Because he values immediate gratification over patience, Bush and his administration deliberately misled not just America but the world about proof that Iraq was an imminent threat iin order to start a war. Now the world is loath to believe us even though we have uncovered evidence that Iran is producing nuclear weapons… or have we? The IAEC says this claim is exaggerated, and after what happened with Iraq, who do you believe?

~Because Bush values his friends in the pharmaceutical industry, the American people are no longer sure that the drugs quickly approved by the FDA and hustled on TV won’t cause their hearts to explode or their brains to leak out of their ears.

~Because he values the Beef industry, the bare minimum was done 3 years ago, when “Mad Cow� was first found in the U.S., to protect us from this silent killer. Now it may be back.

~Because he values is friends in the energy industry, George Bush has denied the dangers of global warming, refused to take steps to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and denied states the right to raise their own mileage standards. Now his administration says that wide-spread melting of the global ice sheet is a good thing because it will make it easier to tap arctic energy reserves!

~Because Bush values power, his Attorney General has warned judges not to exercise their sworn duty under the system of checks and balances by judging the constitutionality of presidential decisions in time of war. Because he values uniformity, his CIA director has cautioned his employees to make their facts fit the Presidential agenda, rather than hope the agenda might possibly be shaped by facts.

~Because he values only some lives, he has elevated to position of Attorney General the man who says that torture is OK and who, when Bush was governor of Texas, presented only the pro-death opinions when preparing death penalty appeals for commutation review. He also refuses to allow America to see the coffins of the sons and daughters he sacrifices in the desert sands for an unknown cause.

~Because he values his plans for empire-building, Bush has elevated to Secretary of State a woman who largely ignored warnings by the Clinton team about the danger of al Quaedato focus on Iraq, and dismissed a PDB entitled “bin Laden determined to attack inside US� as an “historic� document.

~Because he values re-regulation at all costs, Bush has allowed media near-monopolies to flourish and has been repaid with a slavish devotion to presenting only his side of the story by the very people we once trusted to expose the truth about corporate and government waste and corruption.

These are the “Values� you voted for, America: hope you like them. As you sow, so shall you reap.