I was ready for the “fiscal cliff.” I had my parachute neatly packed by mental process. I called my parachute “indifference.” There was really no reason to care greatly because there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. It was if gangsters had knocked me out, put me in cement booties, and dropped me into the ocean. As I was sinking to the bottom of the sea I had to ask myself why I spent all that money on swimming lessons?
We will face this “cliff” again very soon. Spending cuts, and what will be the cuts, will be the question. So, this is what I would like to say to the political right wing, and I would not have to speak too loudly to be heard by them. It is simply this: I have worked for a paycheck since the early age of 16 and I do not wish a penny of that money to be cut from my Social Security check. I earned it. No one has entitled me, or given me any of this money. I earned it. And I’ll be hammered if I’m going to give it up without a fight. I earned it.
You see, even if I did not earn it, I think the government’s duty is to aid and abet its citizens. I mean, what’s a government for if it doesn’t at least aid, abet, and protect its citizens? I think the right wing, in its diehard stand to protect the very, very rich, is barking up the wrong tree. The most recent presidential election surely must have shown that. So, you have to ask … where are the cuts coming from?
While I’m really not making a strong suggestion, you might keep in mind we have more generals in our military than almost all the rest of the world combined. Do we need that many generals? I’m sure we can find a way to do without many of these people with stars on their shoulders. We also would be cutting loose a lot of money. This is one very small suggestion. Our government is a quagmire of pork-barrel politics. It’s time for Congress (both parties) to get very real about this.
So, I guess my indifference is not total indifference, because I’ll be watching, and writing and fuming and fussing.
It’s time for the Congress to forget they are Tea Party favorites, GOP, Democrats, or anything else that falls outside those names. Be real and, when you get to be real, may God have mercy upon us.
Ronn Mott, a longtime radio personality in Terre Haute, writes commentaries for the Tribune-Star. His pieces are published online Tuesday and Thursday on Tribstar.com, and in the print and online editions on Saturday.
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RONN MOTT: Cliff parachute
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