COMMENTARY:

Rogue Nation

Time to change the course of U.S. history

by PETER STERN

It is time for the American people to take back their nation from irresponsible and lackluster special interest-motivated elected officials. Impeaching top members of the Bush administration may be in order.

Sep 18, 2006 --The majority of Americans should be unhappy with our nation's growth and evolution--or, if you believe it--intelligent design.

It doesn't matter if you're Republican, Democrat or Independent. It's of no importance if you're middle class or poor, religious or atheist. As Bob Dylan sang during the 1960's, "You don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows."

On the national, state and local levels, generations of Americans will have to struggle to change the last decade of harm generated by wealthy special interests and the elected officials they have placed in their pockets.

Most Americans, individuals and families, are hurting--big time!

For just a few people to achieve vast wealth and power, generations of our children have been placed on a back-burner. They and their grandchildren will continue to pay the price for our folly, which was to permit leaders to squelch or circumvent constitutional laws to gain more profits. The American people have been deceived. Here is a list of some of the ways:

Starting a needless invasion and war with Iraq
Sending our children on missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, which were ill-conceived and absurdly planned with no victory in sight
Cutting taxes for the rich, while spending more than $3 trillion on war costs
Determining many U.S. policies and actions behind "closed doors"
Providing false and/or misleading information and intelligence to the American people
Eliminating urgently needed social programs for children and poorer citizens
Doing little to prevent the diminishing quality of public education
Permitting increased health care costs despite curbing "frivolous" medical lawsuits
Permitting astronomical costs of fuel ---- gas, oil, electric
Permitting increasing costs of tuition for higher education
Outsourcing millions of American jobs and services without providing new opportunities for American workers
Lying to the people of New Orleans and not providing needed emergency financing and services during the Katrina fiasco in a timely manner
Selling off American public lands and ports for special interest gains
Permitting only special interests to bid (or not even have to bid) on lucrative service contracts
Permitting the "sale" of American government to the highest special-interest contributors
Privatizing Medicare programs recklessly and irresponsibly for special-interest gains
Pushing to privatize Social Security for special-interest gains
Increasing voter fraud cases and countenancing lack of voting machine integrity (with these machines manufactured by special-interest campaign contributors)
Cutting financing for public education during the past decade and diverting those tax dollars to other interests
Promoting irrational and unneeded toll road plans to generate more profits for special interests
Freezing gas taxes, which build and maintain roads, and/or diverting gas taxes to other special-interest needs
Providing loose or no enforcement of immigration laws and policies
Permitting illegal U.S. government spying and wiretapping on private citizens.

The list goes on. These are criminal and/or reckless irresponsible actions perpetrated by U.S. elected officials against the American people. There's a Connecticut "cowboy" in the White House who needs to be "lassoed and reined-in." The Bush administration has failed the American people, families and children. It has done so unabashed and without a conscience.

It is time for the American people to take back their nation from irresponsible and lackluster special interest-motivated elected officials. Impeaching top members of the Bush administration may be in order.

It is time to create stronger campaign laws with enforcement capabilities that tell billion-dollar corporations they no longer can purchase "the best government money can buy."

America has become a rogue nation and is distrusted by the world and many of its own citizens.

The Bush administration cannot be permitted to continue to operate as some sort of religious zealots and blatant imperialists. America must be managed as the nation of, by and--foremost--for American citizens.

Where, oh where, has America gone?

Peter Stern, of Driftwood, TX, a former university professor and public school administrator, is a political writer published frequently throughout the Texas community and nationwide. He is a disabled Vietnam veteran and holds three post-graduate degrees. He may be contacted at pstern@austin.rr.com.

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This story was published on September 19, 2006.