One of the ways that politicians have gotten away with things in the past has been to distract us from the actual facts.  Sleight of hand is an amazing thing.  It’s found in Saul Alinsky’s RULES FOR RADICALS a number of times:

3.  Whenever possible, go outside the experience of an opponent.  Here you want to cause confusion, fear, and retreat.

5.  Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.  It’s hard to counterattack ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.

11.  Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, polarize it.  Don’t try to attack abstract corporations or bureaucracies.  Identify a responsible individual.  Ignore attempts to shift or spread the blame.

Take a close look at Rule 3 above.  How many times have we heard, “We are unchartered waters, we must pass the stimulus bill”?

Take a look at Rules 5 and 11.  What is being done to Rush Limbaugh now and to Republicans who oppose the stimulus?

One of the cures for corruption in government is an educated, informed voter.  All of us need to become that as quickly as possible.  The above rules are being used against us to take our money and eventually our freedom.