As the election creeps closer and Republicans start gearing up for a battle, I find myself more determined than ever to sit this next one out. Obama has proved to be more conservative than Bush, and I will not give him legitimacy by allowing him to count me as a constituent.
Tax Cuts- are the perfect example. Every DEM filibustered them under Bush, but Obama fought for them. This makes Obama not only more conservative than every Senate DEM, but also more conservative than Bush because he made the tax cuts DEEPER. The saddest part is that Obama didn’t even try. He had more than 80% of the people against the cuts, and could have flipped both Scott brown AND Olympia Snow, but he didn’t even TRY! In this democracy, an 80% supermajority against tax cuts for the rich isn’t enough to get a progressive president.
The Public Option- was killed by Obama. He could have passed it since he only needed 51 votes due to the reconciliation rule that he used anyway, but he didn’t. This reveals his conservative nature because the public option was the centrist compromise, with 72% of America in favor, between “no option” and “single payer Canadian style” health care. Obviously 72% of America is not enough for Obama to act like a progressive.
Financial Reform- was a joke. The incentive structure has not changed, and derivatives were not stopped. The same business practices continue. The progressive move would have been to break up the banks. This is entirely logical because the banks would have been destroyed in the free market. The tax payers saved them and should have broken them up so they would not be “too big to fail” the next time around. Obama ran from the progressive stance, showing his conservative nature.
DOMA- is being parroted as a progressive move for Obama. However, I refuse to give him credit. Prop 22 from California is headed strait to the Supreme Court, which is expected to overturn it. This would have happened no matter who was president. Also, Obama is still against gay marriage and in favor of civil unions, the EXACT SAME position as McCain. Obama has failed to fight for gay rights or progressive change.
The Military- Obama has increased the powers in the patriot act, kept the same timeline in Iraq, escalated in Pakistan and Afghanistan, is now keeping political prisoners, did NOT help Middle Eastern democracy, and is taking the conservative position on military tribunals. This is Obama retaining and intensifying the policies that Bush enacted, making him as, if not more, conservative than Bush.
This all stems from corporate influence. Obama chooses the corporate option against overwhelming support for the progressive one every time.
The worst part is still to come. Not only has Obama refused to defend workers rights in Wisconsin, but the House has also decided to defund Planned Parenthood, NPR, and PBS. In the face of this conservative crusade, Obama has been silent. These are basic institutions that provide untold benefits for America, but our “progressive” president is not willing to lift a finger to protect them. Defunding these programs is something that not even Bush was able to do.
The saddest part is that Fox has picked up on this and decided to rub it in our faces.
This brings me to the issue of voting. This political system has proven to be deeply corrupt, where even 80% do not have as much influence as the corporations. I will not give this system legitimacy by voting and allowing them to pretend that I have a say in what happens. The more people who stop pretending that this system is democratic, the less legitimacy it has. I invite everyone to join me in abstaining from this next vote.
P.S. Obama will now go after Social Security too :(
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Helvetica
Since high school I have encountered people who don’t see the value of English class or people who consider English a useless degree. However, I recently saw Helvetica which did a great job of illustrating the power of different texts.
The movie documents the rise of the font that was named “Helvetica.” It starts with advertising in the 50s and how exclamation marks and fake pictures were used to enhance communication. However, Helvetica, which was created to be sleek and modern, was able to stay out of the way of the viewer and the message. These characteristics have lead to a stratospheric rise in the use of the font. It is now used everywhere, from tax letters to BMWs, in order to communicate safety and acceptance.
This brings me to the original point about English. The power of English, and an English major, is in its ability to dissect and shape cultural. Being able to look at the form of a text and how it influences society on an individual level, enables a person to have an invaluable understanding of social forces.
So, I’ll end this first blog with a super-cool video about how influential everyday texts can be.
The movie documents the rise of the font that was named “Helvetica.” It starts with advertising in the 50s and how exclamation marks and fake pictures were used to enhance communication. However, Helvetica, which was created to be sleek and modern, was able to stay out of the way of the viewer and the message. These characteristics have lead to a stratospheric rise in the use of the font. It is now used everywhere, from tax letters to BMWs, in order to communicate safety and acceptance.
This brings me to the original point about English. The power of English, and an English major, is in its ability to dissect and shape cultural. Being able to look at the form of a text and how it influences society on an individual level, enables a person to have an invaluable understanding of social forces.
So, I’ll end this first blog with a super-cool video about how influential everyday texts can be.