Extremism rears its ugly head in Norway and D.C.
By now, you are well aware of the tragic events Friday in Norway, in which more than 80 people were killed in an apparent attack by a reported right-wing extremist.
Apparently, this overzealous Christian was acting out on his belief Muslims are taking over the world, and wanted to launch a one-man war against the spread of Islam.
Like most terrorists, this man will warp his religion to justify his actions. As with the terrorists who attacked the U.S. in 2001, he will fail, at least in the minds of rational individuals.
Regretfully, equally disturbing extremism manifested itself with some federal legislators, albeit with different results.
House Speaker John Boehner decided Saturday to take his ball and go home, walking away from the ongoing deficit reduction negotiation so essential to keeping this country’s economy afloat.
Proceeding Boehner’s 6-year-oldesque temper tantrum, President Barack Obama had negotiated a seemingly acceptable compromise with the “Gang of Six” Senators.
According to that agreement, nearly $2 trillion of government spending would be cut, which is what Republicans have been clamoring for. However, it did include eliminating some corporate tax exemptions and closing loopholes in the tax system.
Therein laid the problem.
While the tax rate, which is what determines how much taxes you and I pay, would have remained unchanged, the extreme GOP members claim-ed closing loopholes essentially raised taxes for the extreme wealthy. And those extremists aren’t going to budge.
Remember that forementioned Gang of Six? It’s six Senators, three from each party, and they managed to find common ground.
That initial agreement called for $2 trillion in additional revenue. President Obama, recognizing the political corner many Republicans have backed themselves into, decided to knock off an additional $800 billion off that previously agreed figure. But it wasn’t enough.
Why? Because with extremists, whether they are armed with a gun or a microphone, there is no compromising. It’s their way, or no way.
I initially thought the Tea Party was only going to destroy the GOP, or at least it’s chances in the next election. That is proving to be true as a recent CBS poll indicated 71 percent disapprove of the Republican’s handling of these negotiations, compared to 58 percent of Democrats and 48 percent of Obama.
However, that Tea Party extremism is threatening to destroy the nation. If the debt ceiling isn’t raised, anything with federal support from national parks to Social Security will be jeopardized in the short term. In the long term, the United States will pay higher interest rates thanks to a lower credit rating, which believe it or not, can result in you paying higher credit card and mortgage rates.
Democrats have come part way. They agreed to massive cuts and even reduced the amount of revenue from what Senate Republicans requested.
However, Tea Party extremists such as Boehner, Presidential hopeful Michelle Bachmann and our own Steve King refuse to compromise. They aren’t happy with getting 60-70 percent of what they want. They want 100 percent.
Rhetoric surrounding this debate is equally nauseating. Critics of raising the debt ceiling equate it to a shopaholic increasing their credit card rating. However, that wasn’t a problem when it happened 17 times under the Republican Icon Ronald Reagan. That’s right, 17 times. And as for our out of control national debt, where was the GOP outcry when George Bush was increasing it by record amounts just a few years ago.
British business secretary Vince Cable summed up this debacle by stating “the irony of the situation at the moment ... is that the biggest threat to the world financial system comes from a few right-wing nutters in the American Congress.”
How extremely true.
Gregory Orear is the general manager/editor of the Red Oak Express and can be reached at publisher@redoakexpress.com.