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"We are not a country of anarchists"
Every so often I paste a fragment of history into my journal. Here's one, from my Senator, Elizabeth Warren:
If you watch the anarchist tirades coming from extremist Republicans in the House,
you'd think they believe that the government that governs best is a government that
doesn't exist at all.
But behind all the slogans of the Tea Party - and all the thinly veiled calls for
anarchy in Washington - is a reality: The American people don't want a future
without government.
When was the last time the anarchy gang called for regulators to go easier on
companies that put lead in children's toys? Or for inspectors to stop checking
whether the meat in our grocery stores is crawling with deadly bacteria? Or for the
FDA to ignore whether morning sickness drugs will cause horrible deformities in our
babies?
When? Never. In fact, whenever the anarchists make any headway in their quest and
cause damage to our government, the opposite happens.
After the sequester kicked in, Republicans immediately turned around and called on
us to protect funding for our national defense and to keep our air traffic
controllers on the job.
And now that the House Republicans have shut down the government - holding the
country hostage because of some imaginary government "health care boogeyman" -
Republicans almost immediately turned around and called on us to start reopening
parts of our government.
Why do they do this? Because the boogeyman government in the alternate universe of
their fiery political speeches isn't real. It doesn't exist.
Government is real, and it has three basic functions:
1. Provide for the national defense.
2. Put rules in place rules, like traffic lights and bank regulations, that are
fair and transparent.
3. Build the things together that none of us can build alone - roads, schools,
power grids - the things that give everyone a chance to succeed.
These things did not appear by magic. In each instance, we made a choice as a people
to come together. We made that choice because we wanted to be a country with a
foundation that would allow anyone to have a chance to succeed.
The Food and Drug Administration makes sure that the white pills we take are
antibiotics and not baking soda. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
oversees crash tests to make sure our new cars have functioning brakes. The Consumer
Product Safety Commission makes sure that babies' car seats don't collapse in a
crash and that toasters don't explode.
We are alive, we are healthier, we are stronger because of government. Alive,
healthier, stronger because of what we did together.
We are not a country of anarchists. We are not a country of pessimists and
ideologues whose motto is, "I've got mine, the rest of you are on your own." We are
not a country that tolerates dangerous drugs, unsafe meat, dirty air, or toxic
mortgages.
We are not that nation. We have never been that nation. And we never will be that
nation.
The political minority in the House that condemns government and begged for this
shutdown has its day. But like all the reckless and extremist factions that have
come before it, its day will pass - and the government will get back to the work we
have chosen to do together.
Thank you for being a part of this,
Elizabeth
If you watch the anarchist tirades coming from extremist Republicans in the House,
you'd think they believe that the government that governs best is a government that
doesn't exist at all.
But behind all the slogans of the Tea Party - and all the thinly veiled calls for
anarchy in Washington - is a reality: The American people don't want a future
without government.
When was the last time the anarchy gang called for regulators to go easier on
companies that put lead in children's toys? Or for inspectors to stop checking
whether the meat in our grocery stores is crawling with deadly bacteria? Or for the
FDA to ignore whether morning sickness drugs will cause horrible deformities in our
babies?
When? Never. In fact, whenever the anarchists make any headway in their quest and
cause damage to our government, the opposite happens.
After the sequester kicked in, Republicans immediately turned around and called on
us to protect funding for our national defense and to keep our air traffic
controllers on the job.
And now that the House Republicans have shut down the government - holding the
country hostage because of some imaginary government "health care boogeyman" -
Republicans almost immediately turned around and called on us to start reopening
parts of our government.
Why do they do this? Because the boogeyman government in the alternate universe of
their fiery political speeches isn't real. It doesn't exist.
Government is real, and it has three basic functions:
1. Provide for the national defense.
2. Put rules in place rules, like traffic lights and bank regulations, that are
fair and transparent.
3. Build the things together that none of us can build alone - roads, schools,
power grids - the things that give everyone a chance to succeed.
These things did not appear by magic. In each instance, we made a choice as a people
to come together. We made that choice because we wanted to be a country with a
foundation that would allow anyone to have a chance to succeed.
The Food and Drug Administration makes sure that the white pills we take are
antibiotics and not baking soda. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
oversees crash tests to make sure our new cars have functioning brakes. The Consumer
Product Safety Commission makes sure that babies' car seats don't collapse in a
crash and that toasters don't explode.
We are alive, we are healthier, we are stronger because of government. Alive,
healthier, stronger because of what we did together.
We are not a country of anarchists. We are not a country of pessimists and
ideologues whose motto is, "I've got mine, the rest of you are on your own." We are
not a country that tolerates dangerous drugs, unsafe meat, dirty air, or toxic
mortgages.
We are not that nation. We have never been that nation. And we never will be that
nation.
The political minority in the House that condemns government and begged for this
shutdown has its day. But like all the reckless and extremist factions that have
come before it, its day will pass - and the government will get back to the work we
have chosen to do together.
Thank you for being a part of this,
Elizabeth