"For all the citations of (Thomas) Paine and his lines, conservatives do not — and truly cannot — embrace him and his arguments. Bolstered by capital, firmly in command of the Republican party, and politically ascendant for a generation, they have initiated and instituted policies and programs that fundamentally contradict Paine’s own vision and commitments. They have subordinated the Republic — the res publica, the commonwealth, the public good — to the marketplace and private advantage. They have furthered the interests of corporations and the rich over those of working people, their families, unions, and communities and overseen a concentration of wealth and power that, recalling the Gilded Age, has corrupted and enervated American democratic life and politics. And they have carried on culture wars that have divided the nation and undermined the wall separating church and state. Moreover, they have pursued domestic and foreign policies that have made the nation both less free and less secure politically, economically, environmentally, and militarily. Even as they have spoken of advancing freedom and empowering citizens, they have sought to discharge or at least constrain America’s democratic impulse and aspiration. In fact, while poaching lines from Paine, they and their favorite intellectuals have disclosed their real ambitions and affections by once again declaring the "end of history" and promoting the lives of founders like John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, who in decided contrast to Paine scorned democracy and feared "the people".
"THOMAS PAYNE and the PROMISE of AMERICA" by Harvey J Kaye
referring to the "Gilded Age" of 1890’s "…the richest 1% of the population received the same total income as the bottom half of the population and owned more property than the remaining 99%"
"THOMAS PAYNE and the PROMISE of AMERICA" by Harvey J Kaye
And, while we may think of the late 1800’s as the "bad days" of "robber baron" capitalists and monopolistic trusts, it’s sad to know that TODAY the statistics ARE EVEN WORSE!!!
(American’s are) "…becoming "neo-imperialists" who, driven either by "hysteria" or by a belief in their own "omnipotence", seek to "unilaterally" impose their will upon the world."
George McGovern
Airplayn's Hangar 