Bush, Cheney and their cronies are trying to use again, what Naomi Klein called the Shock Doctrine. Keeping the citizens of the United States in a state of shock in order to push through their agenda.
This time the agenda calls for a $700 billion dollar bailout of those same people who have been looting the National Treasury for years now with no regulation.
What is there to do for ordinary citizens? Yes, write to your Congress people, write letters to the press, but what should our demands be?
Follow me over the jump for an answer:
There are two diaries this morning on the rec list regarding the enormity of the economic problems facing the financial markets and the executive power grab. Here and Here Both ask that you write you Congress person to vote against this bill. This is excellent, but I don't feel like it's enough.
I don't trust this administration.
Many of you may have received the same e-mail I did, from democrats.com.
Congress Must Demand Bush and Cheney Resign
George Bush wants taxpayers to pay $700 billion to bail out Wall Street for its reckless investments in mortgage-backed securities. That's on top of $800 billion for other recent bailouts, including A.I.G., Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Bear Stearns.
The current financial disaster is the direct result of the Bush-Cheney Administration's 8-year policy of deregulation, corruption, and greed.
The Bush-Cheney Administration cannot be trusted to solve the massive problems they created. Before Congress gives the Bush Administration one dime of taxpayer money for financial bailouts, Congress must demand the immediate resignation of George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Henry Paulson and the appointment of Speaker Nancy Pelosi as President until our next President is sworn in on January 20, 2009.
Let's put the pressure on Congress to address the biggest matter first, and that is to get Bush and Cheney out of office. Then we can go about the task of fixing the economy without their thumbs on the scale.
Many diaries here have often called for impeachment. I agreed then. I adore Dennis Kucinich, and he was my candidate at the beginning of the primaries because of his stance on impeachment. I now realize that there are too many barriers and disadvantages to impeachment. There will be obstruction by the administration as they have proven time and time again if we try to go about enforcing the Constitution. The process will take too long and the general election is just a few weeks away.
Impeachment also carries little weight and no real punishment.
No other punishments may be inflicted pursuant to the impeachment proceeding, but the convicted party remains liable to trial and punishment in the courts for civil and criminal charges.
Democrats need to reject the Shock Doctrine economics of BushCo now. No, Congress should not impeach them. Congress should make them resign over this debacle.
Truth is, there are 700 billion (or more, maybe a trillion) reasons to hang the responsibility for this over their heads. And, there is no better time than now to turn Milton Friedman's ideologies upon them:
"Only a crisis--actual or perceived--produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable."
I know that the idea of Nancy Pelosi as President will leave a foul taste in some Democrat's mouths. But will it as bad as the one in your mouth now, today?
Let's start a national call for their resignation. It's time to put a stop to the New World Order and dictator George Bush.
Please sign the petition and include a call for resignation in all your letters and calls to Congress. Do it today.