Am I Bad?

I have to confess a little secret to you all. There is a part of me that wants to see a government shutdown. It is an irrational thought, maybe even a little sadistic, but there is method to this madness. This is another crisis manufactured by Tea Party wing-nuts. A few weeks ago I mused about the destructive nature of the Tea Party and how prone a political movement based on fear and anger is to demagogues, like Cruz. And now here we are with Cruz threatening to be a one man political suicide bomber, intent on putting at risk the financial standing of our Country, let alone vital supports to children and the elderly.

Considering the fact that the vast majority of Tea Party supporters are white and older Americans (“hands off my Medicare!”), maybe not getting a social security check from the government they hate so much will sober them up a bit. I don’t doubt that there are many Tea Party members who hold onto their anger for reasons other than politics, but I also believe that many Tea Party members are simply uninformed and frightened people. They have these fears and anxieties and a vague notion that someone or something is out to get them or their financial security. They’ve been convinced by corporate princes that it is “Obamacare”, or big government” that will usher in their personal apocalypse. Never mind that it is Obamacare that has already reduced their premiums, provided rebates from insurance companies, and otherwise will provide them with medical security, or that it is the same “big government” that sends out that vital social security check every month.

So perhaps when they don’t get the benefits of government they choose to hate, they will hit bottom like some angry drunk and recognize the piedpipers of self-serving billionaires and demagogues and become reasonable, rational Americans again.

It was that last thought that makes me recognize that thinking that a government shutdown will have benefits is an illusion. My bad…