It is Time to Finally Fight Back.

As a senior citizen I lived my whole life I knowing America was far from perfect.  I knew the flag wavers and uber patriots exaggerated the greatness of America to aid in their agendas of acquisition.  But I also knew that unlike most nations our system was designed with the capacity to improve and develop.  I saw with my own eyes the passage of civil rights laws.  I participated in an anti-war movement that was not crushed by rolling tanks and guns as would have happened in so many other nations. I saw a nation begin to protect its water and its atmosphere and recently even the weather.  And I saw health care for the poor, for the elderly and finally an attempt at providing for everyone. Even before I was born there was social security which provided a financial floor for everyone. 

All these were bitterly opposed by the republicans. From the time of the votes on social security they opposed every one of these advances.  The basic republican/conservative philosophy is to allow no imposed sharing.

Now after the so-called compromise on the debt ceiling crisis, the credit rating of the United States of America, my nation, our nation has been lowered.

The United States was not threatened with a downgrade in our credit rating until the republicans created the debt ceiling crisis and the democrats went along.  Our deficits are a real concern but the ratings agencies were not threatening. Downgrade was not on any one's radar.  It can not the have been the amount of debt that stimulated the downgrade. The unconstitutional willingness to call into question the public debt of the United States has caused real fear that congress could actually decide to default and that U.S. Treasury bonds might not be redeemed.
We have a president who still believe he got a compromise.  He is likely to continue on his outreach to republicans.  Where is the American leader who will demand victory over those who created this crisis and are destroying the America I have know my whole life.

We are all in for a tougher struggle.  The elderly will need to work longer, if they can find employment. Our adult children who are already struggling with employment will push on with the knowledge that they will not have even the social benefits their parents enjoyed.

I have always been a proud American.  I would have always defended our homeland.  Now we have been attacked from within.  The only legacy I can leave my children and grandchildren is to fight back.  There is no compromise with an enemy who is on the attack.  And the republicans and the democratic fellow travelers who have attacked my America are now my enemies.

Melvyn Polatchek