Champagne corks are popping up and down Wall Street as Republicans assumed leadership of the House Jan 3rd. An economic Iron Curtain has descended across America now the Republicans have taken control of the House of Representatives. Not since the Great Depression has there been such a sharp divide between corporate America and the working class.

The American Fascist Party, also known as The Republican Party, were prepared to throw unemployed Americans under the bus by denying them unemployment payments. Fortunately this was extended, but at a cost of negotiating a tax break to the richest Americans, who make up 2% of the population.

Being thrown under the bus is bad enough, but when the bus backs up and runs over you again, now that's really bad. The first item on the Republican agenda was to renege on the promises which got them elected. It's always best to get broken campaign promises out of the way early, so the real business of running the country can begin. A hundred billion dollar budget cut promised by Republicans was the first to fall.

I think the Republicans are amazed that American voters actually believed them. I did.

Just like everyone else, I go to work each day. I see it as a duty, a responsibility, and if your lucky like me, you might actually enjoy it. But it seems like a one-way street. Is the idea of the social safety net promised to workers, in jeopardy, as economic policies change?

Retirement pensions and government health care are no longer guaranteed after a lifetime of work. Military, Public Employee and Government subsidized pension plans are on the chopping block. What do old people need money for?

It's quite possible that the US and Mexican border fence still being constructed, will be used to keep American citizens from illegally crossing into Mexico. An understandably anonymous US military commander has compared the Afghan War to a never ending 'Tom and Jerry' cartoon. I like Tom and Jerry cartoons and don't see the analogy. If I did compare the war to anything it would have to be a Marx Brothers skit. Like Diogenes walking the streets of ancient Rome with a lantern, looking for an honest man, I'm still trying to find someone who knows why and what we are doing in Afghanistan. My great-grandfather fought the Boers, my grandfather fought the Huns, my father the Nazis and I had a minor role in bringing down the IRA.

My family tree is full of people who fought to bring something down. Who or what are we bringing down in Afghanistan?

Past conflicts, Vietnam excluded, all had clear and attainable objectives. From where I sit, the only objective we seem to be reaching in Afghanistan is giving Al-Quaida some R & R in Pakistan until we all give up and go home. The Taliban will return to Kabul and resume their despotic regime.

These people have lived there for a thousand years, what's a couple of more years to them?

Removing Saddam Hussein from power upset the geo-political food chain, and now that Iran has no viable border enemies and is now allied with Iraq, we have to contend with them. Israel could launch pre-emptive strikes, however without support from NATO this would end in failure. The Iranian Revolutionary government regard diplomacy as a sign of weakness, and it is inevitable that we confront them militarily.

Until we make the cost of going to war, a price far too high for many nations to pay, the American and European presence in the middle east will continue for a long time.

Across the Pond Follow 'Across the Pond' on Twitter: www.twitter.com/fraefife