Anger and Frustration

The room was full of politics. All of us there were waiting and watching the election returns of the May Primary. The distinguished gentleman next to me was observing that "the Tea Party Revolution" was going to be a major factor in the coming election in November 2010. "Whatever passion and anger that is driving that crowd is going to have to be acknowledged and dealt with," he said.

There was more conversation about the world of politics, and he later commented that there was an inevitable merging of government agencies that regulate industries with the industries themselves. EPA regulators become officers in corporations that have environmental issues and corporate officers are appointed to regulatory agencies. Security and Exchange Commission eventually gets identical to investment firms. The people who are supposed to regulate industries are best friends with the people in the industries.

Perhaps that is one of the sources for the anger and frustration of the Tea Party people. Government is not working for the people. I think a lot of us believe that Government is supposed to be on the citizen's side. Government is supposed, we hear so often, to work for the little people. But government is not working that way.
Government is supposed to protect miners from disasters, but the Government agency that regulates mines finds violations of safety issues but cannot make the corporation comply. Government is supposed to protect us from environmental crisis but the agencies that regulation the oil industry do not require planning for disasters. One chance in a thousand is dismissed as "never happen." The Food and Drug administration is supposed to protect us from tainted food, but again and again violations and no action.

There is great joy and celebration when agencies cooperate and capture a terrorists in 54 hours. That shows that government can work. That is what we want. We want government to protect us from the dangers. There is greed and evil in all of us and it is even greater in corporations. There are national problems that only national government is big enough to address. Government is suppose to keep those evil powers in check. But the anger and frustration is that government is no working for us.

The immigration issue is an issue that needs national solution, but Government is not working. Airline industries need to be required to do safety inspections but Government deregulated them. Who inspects sheet rock from China for construction or toys with lead paint? Why does the Auto industry get to tell Congress how many miles per gallon they want? Government is supposed to work to protect the people from pollution.

John Calvin set up the Presbyterian form of government because of the doctrine of depravity of humanity. All of us are tainted with selfishness and pride. The job of the committee is put limits on the temptations of each other. I try to limit your reach of selfishness and you limit mine. As the Supreme Court has just reaffirmed Corporations are individuals in the law. Well, we need some power to be the one who watches the reach of selfishness and greed in the corporations and government is supposed to be that watcher. It is not working or it is doing a very poor job of it. No wonder a lot of people are angry and frustrated and ready to "revolt."