Whining GOPhers and a Loose Cannon President

by Mel Seesholtz | Jan 8 2007

Now that the United States Congress is in the hands of Democrats, the GOP that has run roughshod over everyone for more than a decade is whimpering and proposing a "Minority Bill of Rights." Tony Auth's cartoon captured the essence of this hypocritical, pathetic ploy: "Now remember, do unto others as you devoutly wish they had done unto you."

To be sure, the Republicans and their Christian Right GOPhers do have something to worry about. Their backward looking, theocratic, special interest agenda may well be degutted.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set raising the minimum wage and increasing funding for stem cell research as top priorities. The GOP has always opposed raising the minimum wage. They prefer pandering to big business and big profits for corporate execs at the expenses of the workers who actually create the products and deliver the services. And, of course, there are all those corporate campaign contributions to be worried about.

And how dare Democrats want to explore a science and technology that may be able to cure diseases? The GOP has always sided with the U.S. pharmaceutical industry that makes mega-bucks from "treating" diseases with drugs sold at grossly inflated prices. Curing diseases is anathema to them. As the old saying goes, "More people live off diseases than die from them."

Pelosi wants to cut the price of prescription drugs to America's seniors on Medicare and Medicaid. God forbid people in need should get a break at the expense of corporate profits. How many millions in profit-funded bonuses did the execs of pharmaceutical companies get last year? How many seniors could not afford the drugs they needed last year?


READ MORE HERE