Inauguration week is going on.
This is such shameful excess, it's difficult to believe.
Yo, Dubya, here's a quarter for the clue phone.
We are at war. A war a lot of people think is pretty pointless. It's the Viagra of Wars, as I am still waiting to see the Big Weapons, the Weapons of Mass Destruction. Viagra creates an effective illision as well that only lasts for a little while.
There are schools here that don't have money for textbooks, teacher salaries, toilet paper, school lunches and school buses. How many schools have eliminated such programs as Art and Music? These programs add to a well-rounded child's education. How many schools can only afford to do Pay To Play for sports?
Tsunami. Need I say more?
The funding from the wonderful week of galas and dinners and the Black Tie And Boot Ball (what a totally asinine name) comes from both corporations and private individuals. Hello, can you say Special Interest Groups? You think there might be a couple powerful lobbiests in there?
Too bad these wealthy individuals and corporations don't do a little local charity. Oh, I'm sure they say they do, but if they have enough money to throw away on stupid shit like a Black Tie and Boots Ball, think what they could do for an impoverished town?
News to George? Many people in this country are not having a big fun expensive seven days of parties this week. Many people in this country don't have jobs or are woefully underemployed becuase it's okay to move jobs to foreign countries. It's okay that the jobs that are created here are not jobs that by doing, you can make a living wage above poverty level. It's okay to let our schools suffer. It's okay that this country still suffers a racial divide. It's okay that kids here go hungry and have no health insurance.
You party on, George.
Ah, I taste grapes. Sour ones. The children-starving-in-Africa was fine when my mother used it to get me to eat my peas, but now that I'm older, and hopefully a bit wiser, I wouldn't dream of critizing people for spending their own money on a good time. I like to vacation for a couple weeks in Maine each year. I suppose I could wring my hands and instead send all my vacation money to Sri Lanka, but all my best efforts, or yours and mine and the nations put together, could never eradicate Need. Need has an insatiable appetite and you can never feed it fast enough or in large enough quantities to even start to make a dent. And so I donated to the Red Cross, and I will take my vacation in Maine this summer, no guilt. I hope the folks in D.C. this week have a wonderful time and make some good memories for themselves. I say it's good thing. So would you, I imagine, if Ohio had gone differently. But it didn't, so be gracious and wish them the best. We've not had a lot of those type of wishes lately.
Posted by: Richard Ames | January 19, 2005 at 10:31 PM
Hey Lisa, brilliant!
Weren't you once a Republican dear?
I used to be one too. It's okay. I think we can be forgiven.
Posted by: Holly | January 20, 2005 at 07:55 AM
Hey I saw this like 2 minutes after I read your post:
http://www.mysinglemomlife.com/blog/archives/cartoon-thumb.gif
Posted by: Holly | January 20, 2005 at 07:58 AM
Word, Lisa. Those have been my exact thoughts all week.
Posted by: Stacy | January 20, 2005 at 08:40 AM
Amen. I broke the numbers down this morning over at my place and its really just sickening.
Posted by: Chris | January 20, 2005 at 10:26 AM
Inauguration week? Oh, silly me, I've been refering to it as "coronation week".
I honestly was considering going to D.C. to protest but I'm kind of scared as to what's going to happen down there, especially the stuff we will never hear about.
Posted by: Amy | January 20, 2005 at 12:35 PM