False Choice

Image credit: Parody by Cujo359 (See NOTE1)

Every once in a while, some crazy person hacks into Robert Reich's blog somehow, and writes insane things like this:

The returns aren’t all in yet on today’s Republican primaries but President Obama didn’t wait. He kicked off his 2012 campaign against Mitt Romney with a hard-hitting speech centered on the House Republicans’ budget plan – which Romney has enthusiastically endorsed.

The Choice in 2012: Social Darwinism or a Decent Society

Well, I don't really know if someone hacked into his site. After all, it's possible that on the occasional dull day, Prof. Reich just decides "Hey, why don't I write something that's batshit crazy, and see if anyone notices." Heck, there are days I want to do that.

But let's give him the benefit of the doubt. Whoever broke into his site is not entirely wrong there. The Paul Ryan plan for the end of America is a pretty grim piece of work, lacking as it does both a chance of working and any compassion for those who aren't rich contributors.

The problem is that Reichthis evil hacker seems to think there's something in there that the Democrats wouldn't do if they could.

Let's review briefly what the last three years have shown us about the priorities of the Democratic Party.

First up, in the face of the largest financial collapse since the Great Depression, they proposed, and then half-implemented, a stimulus program that wasn't a quarter of what was needed. At the same time, they declared that there was absolutely no reason to think there would ever have to be another one. If someone were deliberately trying to convince the American public that there was no way stimulus spending could work, they couldn't have done a better job than the Democrats did.

Next, they passed, after much deliberation and not much actual thought for their re-election chances, a health care "reform" bill that neither reformed health care, nor made it more accessible to most of the people who don't have access. It did, however, require that millions of Americans buy insurance that they will not be able to afford to use.

After that stirring success, they passed some bank regulations that will do nothing to prevent a repeat of the collapse of 2008, and passed a mortgage "relief" act that was vastly undersized and so badly administered that most of the few people who actually might have been helped have been able to get any help.

Of course, I've skipped over a few things, like the continued assault on civil liberties, the never-ending wars in places that most of us couldn't find on a map, and the nonstop giveaway of our natural resources to the oil companies.

Now, try to think back to 2008 and then tell me, if I had listed these "accomplishments" we would be talking about at the beginning of 2012, how many of you would have guessed that John McCain had been elected President, and that the GOP had a majority in Congress?

Here's how I see the great choice of 2012:

• Social Darwinism
• Social Darwinism, with birth control

Now, don't you just feel so special, living in a country where you can cast your vote for one of these competing visions of our future?

UPDATE (Apr. 4): I couldn't find that picture last night, so here it is now.