Oct. 14, 2012
Dr. E. Faye Williams
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - As I digest public discourse of the last few days of presidential politics, I think of an old parable about three fish living in an ocean tributary. One fish was smart, one was half-smart and one was stupid. While swimming, they saw fishermen with nets approaching.
The smart fish realized what would happen if he remained in the river and decided to swim to safety. He determined discussing the outcome of the fishermen with the others would only delay his departure and cause him to doubt the reality of his situation. He quickly swam away.
Realizing he was in peril and unless he escaped, he would become food for the fishermen, the half-smart fish pretended to be dead and floated, belly-up, past the fishermen. He was able to join his friend in swimming to safety.
Unfortunately, the stupid fish delayed his departure until it was too late. Although he swam fast and jumped artfully, he was unable to avoid the clutches of the fishermen's net. His final thought as they began to prepare him for the frying pan was, "If I get out of this, next time I will swim for the safety of the ocean."
Like these fish, in a few days millions of us will be called upon to make a decision that will greatly impact our lives, and the lives of children and grandchildren. We’ll vote for President of the United States and choose the future course of our country.
Like the first fish, millions of us can see through the veil of lies presented by Mr. Romney and understand the imminent danger of his possible election. We remember his "misstatements" of the primary campaign and the positions he has taken in the general campaign.
Who could forget Romney's cavalier offer of a $10,000 bet with Rick Perry of Texas; his "I like to fire people,""corporations are people…," or "I'm severely conservative" statements. Have we forgotten his classic, "I don't know what I said, but I'll stick by whatever it was that I said?" For those who say those statements were made too long ago, what about his disparagement of "The 47%?"
Was there anyone listening who did not hear Romney declare his intention to enact a 20% across-the-board tax reduction for ALL? If you don't understand the significance of this tax plan, most economic analysts agree this plan would add 5 trillion dollars to the country's deficit, decrease the tax liability of the wealthy by $250,000 and place the bulk of the revenue burden on the shoulders of the middle-class.
Has anyone forgotten Romney's declaration that class size had no bearing on learning or that those who sought to go to college should borrow money from their parents? Did we forget that while class size and college tuition increase, the budget of Romney's running-mate eviscerates Federal funding of education?
How about the elderly or those growing old? What about a voucherized or privatized Medicare or Medicaid funding reduced to the level of state-managed block grants? Most analysts agree the cost of medical treatment for Medicare eligible citizens would increase significantly and that Medicaid funding could be exhausted by the burden of the indigent ill. Of course, a few weeks ago when Romney said the uninsured could be treated in emergency rooms, I'm sure the nation breathed a sigh of relief!
This election is too critical for us to do anything except be the "smart fish." Rolling-over and playing-dead like the half-smart fish will yield nothing and place us in a position of great peril.
Being stupid like the third fish and voting against our own interests is just like voluntarily sliding into the frying pan. If we do that I can only ask, "Do you prefer tartar or cocktail sauce?"
(Dr. E. Faye Williams is Chair of the National Congress of Black Women. www.nationalcongressbw.org. 202/678-6788)