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JULY
30, 2004 – One of the biggest
charges the Democrats have made against the Bush Republicans is that
they have, in time of war, asked all Americans to sacrifice except
the rich. They cite the
fact that this is the first time taxes have been cut instead of
raised in wartime – in particular, for the rich.
Adding the fact that it is mainly the poor who are doing the
fighting and that neither the President nor Vice President ever
served their country in the military, the Democrats make the case
that the Bush Republicans expect everyone to sacrifice except
themselves, and that their rallying cries to the nation are hollow
and dishonest as they don’t heed them themselves.
Well,
now the man who was asked to head the most important aspect of the
War on Terror, homeland security, has told fellow employees he plans
to step down because he needs more money to put his kids through
college. (see: Ridge
Tells Colleagues He May Retire) At a time when tens of thousands
of National Guardsmen and women have left their incomes to serve in
mortal combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, leaving their families
scrounging to just get by, Ridge has decided his over $170 a year
salary as head of the Homeland Security Department isn’t enough.
There
have been many insults and slights by members of the Bush
administration to those who are sacrificing in the War on Terror and
the unrelated Iraq War. President
Bush tried to cut the pay of those serving, the benefits of those
who have served, and has used our National Guardsmen and women in an
overextended manner for which they were never intended.
And all the while, lack of service by the administration and
their children and their refusing to give up their tax cuts to help
pay for the war has added insult to injury.
But
now we have the man given the greatest opportunity to help his
nation – and even given a great salary at that – and all Mr.
Ridge can think of is greed, greed, and more personal greed.
He
says he is tired – let him tell that to those who have been
patrolling the deserts of Iraq in 120 degree heat for over a year.
He
says he needs to be able to pay for his kids college – let him
explain how $170,000 a year is not enough to do that to those
families who can’t even afford their rent because their
breadwinner is busy getting shot at in Falujah.
This
is the ultimate example of this Bush administration being big on
asking others to sacrifice while they sit aside and reap profits
without sacrifice. If
Mr. Ridge was true to the mantras of the Bush administration, he
would tell his kids to go enlist and head over to Iraq rather
than go to some college – some college so expensive he can’t
even pay for it with $170,000 a year salary.
But
he won’t do that. He
will step away from service to his nation to live as a fat cat
millionaire, reaping much of the money because he can use his time
as head of Homeland Security to get big speaking engagements and
consulting fees. For
Mr. Ridge, being Czar of Homeland Security apparently was nothing
more than a resume builder he planned to use to line his pockets.
What
a disgrace, what a disgusting, greedy man, and how typical of these
Bush/Limbaugh Republicans, who truly care only about their personal
fortunes, and, though they pontificate about how good Americans
should serve, flee from any type of service themselves.
Lazy, greedy cowards
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