| THE
BLUE RED
COLUMN
The Mountain Press
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| Those Who Oppose Bush Agenda Get Attacked By: JIM ANDERSON November, 2005 Have Democrats criticized President Bush's policies? Yes, but not loudly enough. Have they proposed alternative ideas? Some, but way too few. The problem is: Democrats are outnumbered worse than a goldfish in a shark tank. Republicans own the whole government: Senate, House, Judiciary, and Presidency. Democrats tried to raise the minimum wage, allow mail-order Medicare prescriptions, raise Pell grants, increase aid to dependent children, and protect workers' overtime. Republicans stopped them all. But kept big tax cuts for millionaires. Those who oppose Bush get attacked, slimed, and bullied. Ask Joe Wilson. Cheney may call you “un-American.” Bush may say you're for the terrorists, against the troops. Rove may “out” your granny as a pawn of al Qaeda and it's off to Guantanamo with her! But America's greatness has always come from its trouble-makers and truth-tellers. Great Americans, like Rosa Parks, always chose the risky path. And changed history. Bush's defenders crow: “Democrats never offer any alternative.” But if Republicans are acting wrongly, why are we obligated to give them a better wrong option? Say you see an angry man on the street, beating a child with a stick. “That's horrible,” you say, “stop it!” But he shouts back: “Not until you come up with a better alternative!” What a feeble defense! When you're doing the wrong thing, there is always a better alternative: JUST STOP DOING THE WRONG THING! Are we polluting the environment? Just stop! Are we bleeding the deficit bloody red? Just stop! Are we fighting the wrong war in the wrong way? Just stop! It's time to save the real America. We the people should kick every cautious, self-absorbed politician out of office and elect outspoken leaders who serve us all bravely. Bravely like the 2,000+ Americans who have died in Iraq. Not timidly. Bravely. -Jim Anderson is president of the Sevier County Democratic Club (www.sevierdemocrats.com). ©The Mountain Press 2005 |