Hope, change have already succeeded

Wall Street has succeeded in the biggest premeditated heist against the Middle Class in the history of our nation. No one has yet been held accountable. In fact, President Obama had to kinda cut off our finger to save our hand by sending them billions in stimulus money. Nicely done, Wall Street.

With the precision of a swiss watch, the Republican Party deregulated every safeguard which would have prevented this economic ruin of our nation. We weren't paying attention. A middle class action lawsuit in return would be appropriate, but I'd bet they have us cut off at that pass as well.

Presently, the Republicans are trying to cover their tracks by going on the offensive, and it has worked as effectively as their great heist with Wall Street. Meanwhile, the Democrats are scrambling to clean up the mess with their bipartisan love song against the background of the Republican war drums. The result has been the death of campaign reform with the recent Supreme Court ruling, and the death of true health care reform. Chalk up more victories for the Republicans.

Additionally, the Republicans have convinced millions of Americans that our new president is a socialist, and that government health care is the devil. They have denied causing this recession, and proudly stand united in the bleachers, and attack President Obama for spending ransom money to fix what they broke. Unfortunately for the Democrats, they still cannot figure out why it took Eisenhower, and not Ghandi, to defeat Hitler.

Just take a trip down to the Democratic headquarters on Sherman and ask them as I did: "What is your strategy to eliminate the Republican stronghold strangling Idaho?" Again, bipartisan church music.

Unfortunately for the Republicans, they got what they have always wanted, which will now lead to their demise. They went too far. They have harvested the fruits of unbound capitalism and free enterprise: a huge recession that will be felt for decades at the expense of Main Street.

As always, they are trying to cloak their disgrace with unbound denial. Despite the fact that in the last 18 months of George W. Bush's reign, 200 years of America's wealth vanished.

Despite Bush's stimulus package that was designed to delay the recession until he made his getaway, the recession landed right in the middle of his lap, as did the biggest terrorist attack on our soil in history.

Despite the documented warnings his administration still deny, Dick Cheney (who accidentally shot his hunting buddy in the face with a shotgun) now roams the nation telling Americans that Barack Obama is dangerous to America. The Bush disciples blame it all on the Democratic Congress despite all of George's campaign promises. Presently, they blame Obama for his administration's inability to pass anything but hot air and gutwind.

We have finally reached the glorious days of the Republicans' demise. In 1857 the United States Supreme Court declared that all black people could never become citizens of the United States - the dreaded "Dred Scott" decision. This was a serious blow for the abolitionists. However, Frederick Douglass announced "my hopes were never brighter than now." The Supreme Court's decision brought slavery to the attention of the nation, and resulted eventually in its demise.

Similarly, this recession has brought a newfound interest in politics to our nation. While the Republicans continue to pretend to be as innocent and pure as the driven snow, the nation has been rudely awakened by the recession. Americans want answers, and we are finally getting them.

I know, I am one of them. For years, I religiously listened to Republican talk radio. I was one of their disciples. Then they started bashing labor unions.

That was the end of our association. Just as the snow betrays the panther's track, the money trail, statistics, and legislation will reveal the truth. And it has.

We voted the Republicans out in the last election. They did not get the message.

Through this pain and suffering, America is realizing that special interests buying our elected officials is the tragic fault of our system. Both parties have fallen to this disgrace. With the recent Supreme Court ruling, a century of legislative protection was trashed, and like Wall Street, corporations and lobbyists now have no obstacles in their path, except labor unions and the middle class.

Presently, the richest 400 people in our nation are worth more than the net worth of half of America. Our jobs have been sold overseas to the lowest bidders.

While our government system relies on the division of powers, the huge corporations are uniting to own all three branches of government. The Republican Party is fighting viciously for this to continue, and to ensure this will never end.

Independents, Democrats, and third parties must unite with their votes, and continue to harness this hope for change. It is already under way. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you think you can defy the law of physics, try jumping off a building to see if you can fly. The Republicans already have.

Jimmy Pappas is a Coeur d'Alene resident.