TEA FOR TWO

Rand Paul is the Republican nominee for the Senate in Kentucky. He ran on the promise

to "...take the country back". Now we know the answer to where he wishes to take it. Paul

has had an interesting post-election week. First, on Rachel Maddow's show, he said he did not

support the 1964 Civil Rights Act because it forces private businesses to end discrimination

against African-Americans and other minorities. Second, he defended BP saying that President

Obama had no right to insist BP be held accountable to pay for all the oil spilled in the Gulf

and the clean-up. Finally, he defended the Massey Energy Company whose mine exploded last

month killing 29 miners. Paul does not believe it is the role of government to affix blame or

demand accountability from private industry. In his mind, corporate America is beyond

reproach. He thinks it's un-American to criticize American business.

Dr. Paul is entitled to his opinion. He is in good company in the Republican Party.

Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, fondly yearned for a president such as Strom Thurmond,

who would have made sure segregation remained in place creating a calmer, more stable and

elite nation. Paul is an intellectual soul mate with Arizona Senator John McCain, who believes

the government should be able to stop anyone in his state and ask for their papers to prove

they are here legally. Paul will fit in nicely with Congressman John Boehner and his fellow

Kentuckian Senator Mitch McConnell who promised Wall Street if they contributed money

to the Republicans, they would protect them from increased government regulation.

BP had no emergency plan if their deep sea well exploded. The company knew it had

problems with the "blowout preventer" and hadn't even tested it at the depths they were

drilling. It has been criticized for sacrificing safety for profits in a number of reports. Massey

Energy miners say they had warned the company about gas buildup in their mines and safety

inspectors had found numerous violations of federal law in those same mines. Dr. Paul

believes to regulate or criticize either company is un-American. He believes the government

has no role in insuring safety in private industry nor is it the governments responsibility to

insure the fair treatment of workers. Dr. Paul believes the free market will solve all problems

and the government should stay out. He does not believe the Constitution gives government

any power over the private sector except in cases of national security or defense.

History proves Dr. Paul is on the wrong side of these issues. Until the early 1930's,

government did allow unregulated freedom in the business sector. For over seventy years,

Jim Crow laws flourished in the South with no government interference. Poll taxes and

literacy tests, approved by state legislatures, prevented most African-Americans from voting

or being elected. The Crash of 1929 was a direct result of banks and Wall Street engaging in

practices designed to cheat the average investor. Child labor was still common at the beginning

of the 20th century. It was the auto industry which for years fought to prevent seat belts and

and airbags from being required in American cars. When given the chance, business has always

put profit over all other concerns. Do you remember the Pinto? Rather than fix the problem of

exploding gas tanks, Ford calculated it was cheaper to be sued by those burned or the families

of those killed than it was to recall the car and fix the life-threatening mechanical problems.

Does the name Toyota ring a bell?

Dr. Paul actually blames the government for the economic collapse of the last two or three

years. There was too much regulation and the Federal Reserve caused the crisis by making

money to cheap. How could you expect business not to take advantage of such an opportunity?

It would be one thing if Rand Paul was viewed as an outsider or a part of the extreme wing

of the Republican Party. However, the opposite is true. His views represent the mainstream

thinking of the party today. Whether it's "Drill Baby Drill" or "Protect Wall Street at all costs"

or defending coal mine owners, Rand Paul is in step with his party.

A recent column in the Wall Street Journal opined that Obama and the Democrats made

a huge mistake attempting to solve "big picture" problems. Obama pressed for legislation to

stimulate the economy and stop the depression from getting worse. He passed healthcare

reform and will soon pass Wall Street reform. He signed a new nuclear arms reduction treaty

with Russia and convinced China and Russia to support sanctions against Iran. He may get

his wish and have Congress repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" very soon. The Journal sites these

examples as proof of Obama's bad judgement. He didn't focus enough on jobs and he caused

a backlash among Americans for whom the "big picture" is dogs playing poker, not government

solving problems. The end result is the election of Dr. Paul and others who want to take their

government back to a time when the robber barons were king and the worker was understood

to be a mere factor in a cruel and inhuman formula for profit. If we haven't learned anything

else, we know human beings are more than numbers on a balance sheet. The question remains

whether independents, women, and minority voters will want to go back with Dr. Paul and his

Republican friends. What do you think? I welcome your comments and rebuttals. Please

send them to lionoftheleft@gmail.com