Friday, August 13,2010

HERE'S the most "reader recommended" (571 readers at 9 a.m.) comment on Paul Krugman's column today in the New York Times:

Mark E White
Atlanta
August 13th, 2010
12:45 am

How true. Our leaders seem paralyzed by fear of Fox News loudmouths and the relentless selfish "just say no" policy of republicans and so-called centrist democrats.

Clearly our dysfunctional culture of selfish greed and nimbyism continues to slide us into ever further decline. It's all about "my taxes, my Medicare, my personal piece of the American pie.

Only people a shallow, craven culture could easily accept growing foreclosures and record unemployment, but get all lathered up over the abstract concept of a 2% increase in the national debt. And still expect lower taxes on the rich and watch passively as congress protects tax breaks for foreign corporations that outsource work from Americans — but enjoy the benefits of the fiction of American corporate citizenship.

In the meantime our children and grandchildren can't find jobs because there aren't any. Worse, they have to endure self-righteous slander that they are lazy — from the very people who, in their greed, outsourced and gambled away those very opportunities.

Until we finally find it in our hearts to stand with our communities and those harder-hit than ourselves, we are in for a depression as long and cold as an investment banker's heart — and as dark as his conscience.