Keeping The Issues in Focus
Hadiza
Wada, DBA
…November 13, 2010
When the cult of fear takes hold, no one knows where it will
strike next. We have carried on our
pages an in-depth analysis of the manipulation of the greater society through
image creation and/or destruction.
In other words the use of media propaganda to paint grim images away from the
reality that the manipulators detest.
Recently in the United States, the ultra conservatives are
banking once again on old age dogmas to evoke fear. We have heard alot about such words
like “Socialism.” The Democratic
Party’s efforts to come up with much needed legislations such as the healthcare
reform, for example, has been described by the conservatives as socialism. And as the 112th congress convenes
with a Republican Majority in January, be ready to hear such words being used. Such words may not mean much to the
younger generation of Americans, but to people who lived during the era of
McCarthyism or cold war from about 20 years ago for example, it evokes a
different response.
Do the ultra conservatives need some cover for their prejudices,
one may ask. Yes, and there are many
reasons. The most apparent and undeniable is politics. In politics people who want to win
must attract votes from all groups in order to tip the scales in their favor. For that reason, the language around
times of political activities change.
Such ultra conservatives, most of who now run under the shadows of the
Tea Party hardly care about the welfare of the middle or working class. Nor do they care much about minority
races, women, immigrant Americans who are not Anglo-Saxons (national origin
bias).
When you remove the name calling and get to the fact of the
issues that evoke the socialism tag, you realize the concerns are real. The United States has the largest
economy and moves the largest amount of money in the world daily through its
financial institutions. It is therefore considered the richest nation on earth. Yet in terms of taking care of its
sick population it ranks the 49th in the world, even below some countries that
are labeled third world. Many
administrations Democrats and Republicans in the past have agreed that health
care reform was needed to bring the country in line with other developed
countries, yet when it was introduced by the Obama Administration, it was
strongly resisted by the Republicans, and attacked as socialism by the ultra
conservatives.
Socialism in healthcare for example is actually taking care of
Americans who otherwise will die from common and curable diseases, such as a boy
whose news was carried by the networks not that long ago, who died from
complications from tooth decay. It also helps cover other Americans who may be
middle class but find themselves uncovered for pre-existing conditions (meaning
when one changes health care providers for any reason, or develops an
“expensive” disease, insurance companies refuse him coverage.)
So the myth of no choice of doctors and long waits in
health care facilities is mainly diversionary. What most alternative systems in
other developed countries share in common is, cutting costs and concentrating on
providing everyone healthcare..
So the labelling of Socialism is actually the usual fear tactic,
known to be used mostly by Republican Administrations.. The fact is, though the intellectual
and more informed members of the society may navigate themselves around such
manipulations, the reality however is, such words do evoke unnecessary fear
among vulnarable members of the society.
The obvious reality is, the United States is a capitalist
society.. It is a market economy. There is no question about that. But in a country where every
institution operates within some set of rules and policy to keep it in check,
the conservatives would rather have financial institutions, wall street and
corporations run free of such rules.
The result of such policy in the past which was introduced by a
Republican Administration in the 1980s was the Savings and Loans banking crisis
of the early 1990s (short term) and the recent market crash and financial woes
that the country is still struggling to shake off (long term).
The second issue that the two parties would have to work out,
once the majority house kicks in is the issue of tax cuts.. It is another issue that
conservatives have viewed through the socialism mirror. The Republicans insist that the Obama
Administration will have to work with them now, and one of the issues they
forwarded was tax cuts for wealthy Americans.
Though the United States is obviously a capitalist economy, the
economic policy of a nation does not mean a significant neglect of the social,
political or even environmental concerns. Individual freedom and the right to
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is guaranteed by the constitution
too.. Without a strong middle class,
even the domestic markets will feel the pinch.
The markets needs a consuming population that feel financially confident
enough to spend on and or borrow from the banks.
So as far as the average American is concerned he has been asked to
make the most sacrifice in lending his tax money to the failing banks, without
any significant programs to help him save his home and or resusscitate his
economic woes and buying power. And
now he may have to endure another gift to the rich, a tax cut.
So the nation awaits the return of a Republican majority to the
House of Representatives in January.
When that happens then we will all see how the drama will unfold.
(c) The Optimist Voice. All Rights Reserved.
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