July 31, 2011 Thoughts on our times vs. Shakespeare's times

Tonight we went to see the second of the two summer plays performed by the Kingsman Shakespeare Company.  I really enjoy these outings as we typically meet up with a group of people, spread out our blankets and set up our chairs to have a picnic and a chat before the play begins.  Tonight was no different.  However, I am finding that I pay a lot more attention to the plays and their content than I did when I was in high school and performing said plays.  Now, I am more cognizant of the social commentary Shakespeare made in the form of entertainment.

The first play we saw, Taming of the Shrew, was a glaring insight into the reality that women of the time were really little more than chattel to be married off as soon as possible so they were no longer a burden on their fathers.  Their job was to be obedient to men, regardless of the abuse suffered at the hands of their "lord and master".  Thankfully, we've come a long way from that, at least in most "civilized" countries.  That is not to say that this archaic, demeaning and cruel attitude doesn't still exist in parts of the world, but the fact that it is no longer accepted in many parts of the world is definitely a credit to humanity coming to its senses.

Tonight, we saw Merchant of Venice which really hit hard on the abuse which was inflicted upon the Jews and condoned by the Christians who seemed to see it as their duty under their G-d to berate, abuse, and otherwise mistreat anyone who didn't share their beliefs.  (ok, so the Christians, for the most part, have toned it down in recent years, there are still the Muslims and countless others who see us as less than human.  And this doesn't even take into account the other groups/races/religions who are also seen as beneath others simply for their beliefs. )

Driving home, the kids and I talked about this, as well as about the lovely debt crisis currently baffling our legislators, so soon after they supposedly settled the budget crisis.  What I want to know is, what legitimate issues are they hiding from us, other than the fact that we're wasting a great deal of money on a whole bunch of current and retired politicians who are not going to be around to see our children either struggling with the massive debt, or just succumbing to the debtors rather than perpetuating the madness.   If you ask me, we should not only cut off every single one of them right now, but also take away their medical benefits and any pay they might be receiving for their "retirement".  We should also require them to repay any salary they accepted for doing nothing.  Further, if they accepted any kind of gift or payment from a special interest group which was not comprised 100% of voting constituents (e.g. NOT corporations), the money must be immediately deposited into the U.S. treasury with interest from the date received.   Then, they start figuring out how to pay back the principal on those monumental debts, or go home and explain to said constituents why it's not possible for them to do so.  I further propose that, from here on out, anyone serving in a public office had best have a real job to support themselves because their pay will be $1 per year with no other benefits.  Any Federal or State Senator or Congressman who cannot show gainful employment will be asked to immediately step down.  They will be allowed time off from work in the same manner as military reservists get military leave and may be paid accordingly.  This should encourage them to complete their business in a more efficient manner and allow us to turn the lights off in their respective meeting halls for a good portion of the year.  Maybe they could even rent them out for weddings and bar mitzvahs when the House's are not in session.

I'd love to get the figures on the above so I can do the math and show our elected officials just how much money this could save, and how much of our children's future can be bought back.

Further, I'd like to see money currently being sent overseas to help all of the "worthy causes" be shifted back to our country to feed, clothe and educate our own legal citizens.  As for those who are here illegally, they would no longer be eligible for public education, healthcare or other assistance.  They would, however, have the option to become legal citizens, assuming they could meet all of the requirements including returning to their country of origin and returning after a reasonable waiting period, legally.  They must be able to show that they are financially stable before their return would be granted.

Only after we've taken care of our needs at home, balanced the budget and cleared our debt would I then entertain requests for aid to other countries and causes.  At that point, I would focus attention on areas where humans suffer abuse at the hands of other humans. 

Amazing what a little injustice can do to my thought processes, isn't it?

Love and light.