My Political Opinions
Election 2004

DO NOT FORGET

George W. Bush took the Presidency by fraud and abuse of power. Since then, his regressive economic, social and international policies have impoverished our country, caused the death of thousands at home and abroad, and led us to the brink of war.

W. pushed through a tax cut for the rich that turned the budget surpluses built up in a Democratic administration into a deficit. He was alienating allies in droves on a range of important international issues. He made outrageous appointments like that of Attorney General Ashcroft, the guy who lost to a dead man in Missouri's senatorial election. At the beginning of September, 2001, George W.'s approval rating was at an all-time low. Then our nation was rocked by the tragedy of 9/11.

George W. Bush responded to 9/11 as an excellent politician. He comforted the afflicted and gave us a target for our anger — "The Axis of Evil!" The boy who always wanted to fight a war just like his Daddy now had one.

We needed many of the actions that W. took: he got aid to the victims of 9/11, he visited, he served as a visible symbol that We're Still Standing. His approval rating soared.

But he did not call for change to fix the problems in the United States that led to 9/11: faults in the Intelligence services, faults in Congressional oversight, the U.S. record of condoning Israeli actions that were direct violations of the terms of our aid agreements, the School of the Americas and other U.S. terrorist actions, including support of Osama bin Laden. He painted the U.S. as the pure bastion of freedom and her enemies as pure evil. And, God help us, this too was part of why his approval rating soared. We have always supported politicians who tell us about how great we are more than politicians who tell us what we've done wrong.

We responded to terrorists killing innocent civilians for alleged crimes of the U.S. governemtn by killing even more people in Afghanistan, for the alleged crimes of their government.

The Bombing of Afghanistan as a Reflection of 9/11

George W. Bush is not the hero of 9/11. Follow his real record:

The shelter, health and the very safety of poor and homeless people in Seattle is getting worse right now because the economy is lousy, tax incomes are down, and the budget deficit is huge — as a direct result of the actions of George W. Bush.

Do you want to try balancing the budget? have fun: The National Budget Simulation

After 9/11 criticism of George W. Bush or any of his policies was interpreted as unpatriotic, as disloyal to the stricken America. Even criticizing Bush for cutting taxes for the rich and advocating Arctic oil drilling was somehow giving aid and comfort to the terrorists.

Unsure what to campaign on that wouldn't backfire, the Democrats milled around and lost all steam in the drive toward the 2002 elections. Our chances of reversing the nation's nosedive in 2002 went poof.

But as I said in 2000, all of life is a choice of the lesser of two evils, because we live in an imperfect world. Democrats are better for the economy and for personal freedom than Republicans are. Even the "New Democrats" of Welfare Deform are better than the new Christian Right taking over the Republican party. In the 2004 elections, if you have a Green candidate with any chance of being elected, vote for them! If you don't, then vote for the Democrat.

I was appalled to find in my online conversations that, outside of the activist community I usually associate with, the majority of adults expressed the attitude, "The situation is so complicated and overwhelming that we just have to trust our leaders."

That is a completely un-American sentiment. The meaning of our governmental structure, folks, whether you call it Democracy or Representative Democracy or Fred, is that you are the leader. Elected officials are your servants, and if they do not serve according to your direction you are supposed to yell at them, and if they do not shape up you are supposed to fire them.

Our founders did not push for public education because they thought society would be more beautiful if everyone could quote poetry, or that the economy would run better if everyone could work a trade or run a business. They knew that for democracy to succeed, everyone had to be able to read and write, to pay attention to what was going on and take responsibility for it, to select and instruct their representatives.

Our founders did not push for a free press because they wanted to keep up to date on the latest scandals in the theater. They knew that for democracy to work, everyone needed free access to current information about what was going on and what their representatives were doing about it, and a vehicle to carry their voice, to communicate with each other, to build public opinion and to carry that opinion to their government.

The public no longer controls either the educational system or the media in the public interest. Both seem to be deliberately designed to discourage analytical thinking and to encourage consumerism. A conspiracy theory is not necessary to explain this. Any human system will tend toward the least effort for the most immediate reward unless consciously and energetically steered otherwise. We weren't activist in defense of public education and public media, and we have the consequences.

Now we have a new tool, the Internet. Use it actively, to educate yourself and to communicate, and defend it.

Apathy is usually overwhelm. When we don't think we can do something about a problem, it is easier to live if we ignore it. Revolutions are not started by people who despair. Revolutions are started by people who have begun to hope.

I have seen great changes in society in my lifetime. I know it is possible. I have hope.

SOLUTIONS

This is my program for a better future:

I will support any and all politicians who work toward these aims, and oppose any and all that don't.

ElLECTION REFORM

In every election, hundreds of thousands of voters have been disenfranchised — their votes thrown out as unreadable — because of faulty punchcard voting machines. Most elections, however, had a wide enough winning margin that nobody cared. It wasn't important to any politician to look out for the rights of a few hundred thousand voters.

In the year 2000, that changed. Now both Republicans and Democrats are going to be scrambling in the next two years to make sure the votes of their constituents get counted. The focus on Florida also made the realities of continuing institutionalized racism harder to ignore. Not impossible, but harder. It will take great effort, however, to make change come from this.

ORGANIZE NOW!

Democracy Now!Support Democracy, not necessarily Democrats.

W. 4 Years
The President We Didn't Elect

Make sure it's only for four years

Music to Campaign By

 

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