Nasty

You want to know something folks, our government is nasty. But the thing is, when it comes right down to it, it's people. Just really nasty, low down, mean, fucking people. And they have so much disrespect for us. We are nothing but pond scum to them. Yet we vote them in. Then we vote them in again. And again. And we pay so much so that they can live the life. Fancy offices, chauffeured limousines, Secret Service protection, lavish parties, five-star restaurants, free first-rate healthcare,  fully vested pensions, salaries ten times the “poverty level,” and the ability to grant themselves pay raises...

...While we pay so much in income tax, sales tax, property tax (even if you live in an apartment, part of your rent is based on the owner's property tax), gasoline tax, communications tax on our phones and internet service, utilities tax, and I'm sure others could add to this list. We work in an extremely stressful economy that is strongly skewed in favor of the employer. I believe that this is deliberate, and that the true U.S. unemployment rate of 30% is designed to bust unions, eliminate the minimum wage, take away benefits, and keep those who have jobs in a perpetual state of uncertainty and fear. You can argue whether workers' rights have any place in a free market system, but I think they are a necessary evil. Yet we work under these conditions to feed our families, have a decent place to live, provide an education for our children, see a doctor when we need to, maybe take in a movie now and then, and after all that, put away a little something for a rainy day. And for better or worse, my retirement plan hinges on winning the lottery or being struck by a meteor on my 65th birthday.

There are some people who say they do not believe in “conspiracy theories” because the politicians are too inept. In many cases this may be so, but their staffs are not. Their staffs are culled from ivy league colleges who graduated at the tops of their classes. The lobbyists who represent the special interests are not. These are the shrewdest, sharpest operators that money can buy and are backed with unlimited funds. The generals are not. They are highly intelligent, highly capable strategic tacticians who command hundreds of thousands of expertly trained and motivated troops. The special forces, black ops, spooks and mercenaries are not. They know more about the art of killing than I am comfortable going to bed with.

And for some reason, it is not enough for the government to just let us live our lives in peace. They want to crush us under their heels. Shred the “unalienable” liberties guaranteed us by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They want to bleed us dry. Bleed our wallets, and then bleed our bodies.

Just a lot of very nasty people.

"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."

George Orwell, 1984