A Crisis of Integrity
From the Secretary-Treasurer, William Lucy
The war in Iraq. The continuing tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Recent congressional votes to cut funding for programs that help the neediest people in our society. In each of these instances, there is a huge disconnect between what our leaders say they value and what they actually do.
We were told that the war in Iraq was about rooting out terrorists and destroying weapons of mass destruction. We were told that resources would be marshaled to rebuild the Gulf Coast after Katrina. And that our leaders value programs that help people who are trying to help themselves.
But after nearly three years in Iraq, it is increasingly clear that our flawed reasoning and murky mission have done a great disservice to our troops and our reputation on the world stage.
Months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Bush administration's failed policies have left the poorest victims of the hurricanes homeless, jobless and hopeless. After Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, politicians flocked to tour the affected areas. They made all kinds of promises to help people rebuild their lives. But they were only promises.
And what about our leaders' obligation to protect the neediest in our society? That's out the door, too. Congress voted recently to cut $40 billion in programs that fund student loans, Medicaid and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, just to pay for more tax cuts for the super rich.
MISLEADING THE PUBLIC. In every case, the disconnect between rhetoric and reality is clear. It's no wonder our nation is facing a crisis of integrity.
In a recent poll by the Harris organization, when asked whether the Bush administration generally provides accurate information regarding current issues, or whether it generally misleads the public to achieve its own ends, 64 percent of those surveyed said the administration generally misleads the public. It's obvious: We don't trust what this administration says or what it does.
Look at the response to Katrina. Days after that storm, Bush gave a speech about how he would "do what it takes" to rebuild New Orleans. Yet most people still can't go home. Whole neighborhoods in New Orleans are still ghost towns. To make matters worse, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is look- ing to evict hurricane victims from temporary housing as quickly as possible.
Look at congressional funding for programs that pay for important social programs. The GOP majority voted to slash funding for these programs, despite all the talk about being "compassionate conservatives." That means struggling families will have to do without health care, many middle-class kids won't get college loans and seniors will pay higher Medicare premiums.
INTEGRITY GONE AWOL. It's not just politicians who lack integrity. In Corporate America, the Delphi Corp., for example, is the latest big corporation to file for bankruptcy protection. And while they are using bankruptcy to justify gutting workers' pay and retirees' benefits, the company's CEO and other top executives are receiving millions of dollars in bonuses to stay with the company. It was management's bad decisions that got Delphi into its current crisis, yet workers are paying the price.
Integrity is the glue that should hold one's philosophy, words and actions together. But in too many cases, it's Absent Without Leave. That means that "we the people" must be the ones to point out our leaders' hypocrisy, double-speak and downright lies.
They may lack integrity, but we must take every opportunity — at the polls, in letters to the editor, in e-mails to Congress, in rallies and in other protest actions — to let them know that it's a value we still hold dear.
