To: Mr. Whist who wrote (171352 ) 8/14/2001 9:01:06 PM From: American Spirit Read Replies (2) | Respond to The real reason behind not wanting to support social services is, let's face it, conscious or subconscious racism and sexism. Because who needs help more often as a group? Women and minorities. Those who have the least representation in government. And why? Because of educational handicap, lower wages, unwanted pregnancies, fatherless children and urban blight. The last eight years of progress have healed many of these problems but I fear that any long recession combined with tax breaks and refunds to the wealthiest Americans and corporate special interests will bankrupt the social systems and leave only crumbs for those most in need. When Bush talks about compassion, the heartland and empathy it's really just a smoke-screen because that's exactly what he doesn't have and what he's trying to hide from voters. The GOP spin machine are masters of reverse imaging. For instance, you take a president whose favorite program attacks (deregulates) protection of the environment in all 50 states and you put him on a mountain trail or in the redwoods talking about nature. As if he really cares. Gee, what a nice guy, a nature lover. The TV image clouds over the reality in opposition to it. This at least confuses people as few bother reading the fine print in Bush's energy program which opens up every corner of America outside National Parks for potential drilling. And drilling in wild-lands does destroy their beauty and eco-system, usually permanently. Same with clear-cutting. Clear-cut forests remain barren for hundreds of years. Those forests are literally gone. That is another truth the oil and timber companies have spent many millions trying to distort. From their commercials we'd think they are nature lovers wanting to protect speices and plant trees. But whatever they do to protect a portion of the environment is
