BY NORM ROURKE

Tears filled his eyes as a teenage boy told how he worked part time jobs to buy a laptop to use in school only to see it, his school books and all his family’s belongings destroyed in a fire that leveled the rundown motel where they lived. He and his family are one of many families living week-to-week in motels in the shadow of Florida’s Disney World.

These are the displaced Americans that have fallen on hard times, these are the forgotten kids, and these are families who through no fault of their own are struggling to stay in a cramped two-room motel rental. And their numbers are growing.

Veterans in Los Angeles wander aimlessly near a plot of land that was supposed to be used to build a facility to care for needy veterans. The 390-acre property was donated to the government130 years ago specifically for building facilities to house veterans needing care.

Instead, the Department of Veterans Affairs has leased much of the property to private entities including a golf course.

These are Americans for God’s sake! Why are we abandoning our own?

Instead career politicians fritter away our country’s respect, honor and people while they blather about “values” pontificating political clap trap. They don’t suffer. They don’t get their hands dirty. Their kids don’t wait in a motel parking lot for a school bus or get killed in some godforsaken Third World hole. They don’t shed tears like a husband and father trying to explain to his family he can’t find work.

In short, politicians just don’t give a damn. They’re too busy sucking up to the influence peddlers who line their pockets and running away on vacations to avoid doing their jobs to put America and Americans on a better path. They have no conscience.

Our economy is on the brink of disaster. Politicians can’t – or won’t – agree on anything that will save America. Instead they bicker and squabble and whine like spoiled brats who don’t get their way.

They pretend to be concerned about America and Americans; in truth they couldn’t care less. Why should they? In the midst of a looming economic crisis they take a vacation. After all, they still get paid and receive all their benefits; their jobs are locked in … at least until the next election and even then voters will return them to the lifestyle they have become accustomed to.

Washington politicians and bureaucrats throw out billions to rebuild two-bit Third World countries, but they won’t spend a dime to help Americans who are hurting. The military industrial complex [something President Eisenhower warned against] sweet talks politicians into spending billions on the tools of war. But they can’t build a place to help veterans.

NASA, one of the biggest Black Holes as far as money wasted, wastes billions to find out if a weed grows on some obscure planet. But the politicians won’t spend a dime to improve schools.

They talk about a “global society,” and “insuring democracy” and the all time favorite scare phrase, “keeping America safe.” How does pouring billions into questionable ally countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan keep America safe?

It’s time for these useless people to be replaced by those who will listen to America and think of Americans first.

But we need not worry about how they will get by if finally sent packing; they’ll still have their taxpayer funded golden parachute retirement plans.

– Norm Rourke lives in Beggs, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer