Herman Sillas

VIEW FROM THE PIER
by
Herman Sillas

The last presidential election was historical in that we elected for the first time an African American as our president. Hope ran high in 2008 as President Obama took office, but the nation was in a mess. We were in a war and folks savings were tapped out paying for houses they couldn’t afford after being told by agents that real estate always appreciated in value. Unemployment was on the rise as the fake spiral of increasing real estate values imploded. Home values went down quicker than a buckshot punctured balloon. Foreclosures began wiping out neighborhoods and tearing families apart. It took a while for us to figure out what happened. Government bailed out banks explaining to us that they were too big to allow to fail. Wall Street had to be saved in order for the rest of us to survive. “Someone will pay for this and heads will roll,” our nation leaders said. We didn’t realize it was our heads they were talking about.
This sudden realization brought forth the wrath of people that has not been seen on the national scene since the civil rights days. Tea Party folks sprouted up quicker than wild mushrooms after a steady rain. Their voices complained of big government and taxes. This crowd entered the political arena with anger, slogans, and quickly assembled solutions.
On the opposite side of the spectrum came a noisy group blaming Wall Street and decided to occupy it. This action motivated its supporters to occupy any land that was public. Both political parties stood like deer on a highway looking at headlights as voices in the street clamored for action. The media loved the excitement and fanned it with stories every minute, some true others were speculation. Congress met and both parties blamed each other for our situation. The President gave speeches and more speeches. Meantime we had one hand on our wallet as if something was in it, expecting a solution from Washington, D.C. What a mistake!
See, our forefathers wanted a democracy after defeating England’s monarch and its royal court. Over the years England has maintained its monarch, dukes, and royal court. As an offspring of England, we have created our own type of royal court. Its members are not born into it like England’s; we elect our royalty. After all, we’re a democracy. Our national elected Washington, D.C. folk get titles like “Congress Member” and “Senator,” a monthly salary, a staff to do their biding, office space, free transportation, medical coverage, marshal protection, doormen, luggage carriers, and “donations” by those seeking favors to insure their favorite royalty’s longevity. We in turn expect these lords and ladies to run our country for the good of all of us. Somewhere along the way our royalty forgot that part. When reminded, they treat us like uneducated gullible serfs.
Not so fast my dear lords and ladies, you must return to your domain and explain. What did you do to avoid us losing our homes and jobs? Why were you too weak to stop what happened to us? Explain what you will do now that you know we don’t trust you anymore? How will you provide for all those who fought a war that they had no role in declaring but now seek work at home? How will you pay for all the promises that you have made and reduce our debt?
Our forefathers probably foresaw that over the years a royal court mentality could evolve among the elected and so gave us the power to change its members. Sure they can lie, deny, and promise, but they can’t hide. Make sure you don’t either. Royalty needs to be reminded we decide who is royalty, not a family lineage. That’s the view from the pier.
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Herman Sillas, a San Clemente resident and L.A. attorney can be found most weekend mornings fishing on the San Clemente pier. He can be reached at sillasla@aol.com)