Opinionated Catholic asks why leftists and liberals aka “liberals” and “conservatives” are so obsessed with the complex of stories revolving around NAACP/Tea Party/Fox News/Shirley Sherrod/Obama administration. When there are far more important issues at hand.
How much will these stories affect the average American personally? With respect to Opinionated Catholic they do affect us if indirectly. Political culture -> elections and policy.
But quite rightly he urges us to pay more attention to the Obama administration ban on offshore drilling. How it will destroy up to 100,000 jobs in Louisiana. And adversely effect national security. As well as the national economy. Two days ago there was a rally in Lafayette which 11,000 people attended. Governor Jindal says it powerfully and without notes or a teleprompter.
Which leads to a couple other thoughts.
In the car talking with my wife. She asked “If we lived in some other part of the country would we feel differently?” I said yes. I would probably think “Sorry Louisiana we care about your jobs and economy and all but you need to make this sacrifice for the greater good. You can always move to another state and/or get another job”. I would not understand.
But here is the other thing. How much is this not how the federal government works? We praise our representatives when they bring home the bacon. When they speak up and intervene on behalf of our interests. Which by the way raises questions about Senator Mary Landrieu.
How often do politicians in both major parties go the extra mile to save some jobs or some way of life in some other part of the country and yes at the expense of the common good? Let us be more specific. How much has the Obama administration done to help save(?) jobs in California? Michigan? and so on? States that are in such bad economic shape largely because of years of bad policies?
How much has the Obama administration done to help save jobs in certain select businesses? especially large corporations? Corporations that are in such bad shape largely because of years of bad decisions?
Do people see the inconsistency here? Oh those poor teachers and government workers in California. Take billions of dollars of taxpayer money and send it to them in the form of “economic stimulus”. Oh those poor workers in automobile manufacturing companies. Take billions of dollars of taxpayer money and bail them out. Let me tell you about the millions of jobs that were saved or created! Let me boast about the “economic stimulus” with specific examples of a few hundred or a few thousand jobs here and there!
But when it comes to the Gulf Coast. When it comes to Louisiana.
By indifference inaction and active obstruction the Obama administration helped turn an environmental crisis into wholesale environmental catastrophe. Which in turn devastates a regional economy still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina.
And then not only doing nothing to help protect the environment and save jobs also doing something to destroy jobs in Louisiana.
Poor California. Poor Michigan. Poor teachers.* Poor government workers. Poor car companies. Poor home owners. Poor this state. Poor that group. Have some legislation. Have some money. At the expense of the common good.
But Louisiana? Bleep you.
*(Disclose: my wife was a state employee and now a teacher. Our family benefits from the very policies that I criticize. Louisiana will have to face the same day of reckoning that other states are now facing.)
