The Dumbing Down of America

from the beginning of time or at least
biblical time taxes were that which
was shed of the working poor
to buy the crowns and palaces of the elite
(was Solomon’s palace more grand than Rome’s?)
so yeah we the people of today
hate taxes and justify our sometimes cheating
the bigger the treasure the bigger the cheat
like Art Linkletter who bragged his savings
in buying land in other countries
and making more riches off the ill gained saved taxes
cheating becomes a national pastime
but the biggest cheat of all
is the true natural resource;
the goodness of our founders
who wisely created a chest for our earned treasures
to build hospitals, schools, roadways, safety
and this new generous democracy
extended our treasures to care for the least among us
by creating a system of the graduated tax
“what ever the market will bear”
had created a privileged class
and an underprivileged class
all peoples benefit from our infrastructure and democracy
the rich could not get richer without it
in 1967 already
an English professor, in Sufferin, New York (at least)
allowed that America was rich enough
to give every individual minimum means to live
automatic with no middlemen administration
38 years and why have our politicians never considered?
because protestant work ethics which grew from
“by the sweat of your brow”
which became the sweat of the brow and the whip on the back
it is our history that the rich left to their own charity
will feed a few, then off to a lobster dinner
Billy Sunday then Billy Graham
now Pat Robertson that feels The Power
tells the heavy arm of America
to assassinate Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan President
St. Sebastian, the first martyr felt the wrath
of the priestly class because
they fed a few and pocketed the rest of the alms
who pockets now, who pockets now
who accuses who of rewriting history?
you say what
can a guilty one do
but accuse the innocent whistleblowers?
the seekers who opened the door are crucified
in other words
those who most follow the path of Jesus,
the original whistleblower.
His only anger ever displayed
those who changed money in the temple
who changed the words in their Holy Book
who interperted the words of this same Book
the alphabet…to read gave the people the power
what else could one do
presto!
the dumming down of America
and pitty sake don’t require of highschoolers
a second language to graduate
not all poets die in Autumn, Michael,
all seasons hold their own sorrow.