Jacqueline Marcus: Do You Want to be Re-Elected, Mr. President?

BUZZFLASH GUEST COMMENTARY
by Jacqueline Marcus

Once upon a time, President Clinton spoke wisely about the connection between world poverty and terrorism. When 97 percent of the wealth is hoarded by no less than a dozen corporate families with 19th century destructive-to-the-planet investments in defense weapons, oil, coal, nuclear, drugs, and health insurance profits, expect global poverty to reach a state of anarchy and terrorism.

Many years ago, President Clinton addressed the problem of unequal distribution of wealth. He spoke about the majority of people around the world who are earning no more than $2 a day, illustrating how easily we spend two bucks on a cup of Starbucks coffee. (Think of the film "Slumdog Millionaire," and the terrorists attack at Mumbai, India's five-star hotel the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, July 20, 2009). When poverty increases, terrorists will target the rich, i.e., corporate expansion and control. Thus the underlying cause of terrorism is poverty.

Rather than implementing a fair economic system that diminishes poverty, corporate America is expanding a complex web of spy-security systems via satellite, cameras, and other devices that make 1984 pale by comparison. It's clear that corporate America fears an uprising from the oppressed. The average, working American who is struggling to get by in a world where a dozen corporate families have hoarded 97% of the wealth -- is now regarded a potential terrorist. Certainly protesters fighting for basic human rights during the turn of the century would also be regarded as civilian-terrorists.

Therefore, if President Obama wants to diminish terrorism, then he must aim to diminish poverty. It appears that Obama has conveniently forgotten that wars increase poverty and desperation, resulting in an escalation of terrorism. The more troops he sends to Afghanistan, the more he increases poverty and terrorism.

When we elected Obama, we believed he thoroughly grasped the connection between poverty and terrorism. President Obama certainly comprehends this causal connection in our cities across the country -- as poverty and homelessness rises, crime and violence increases.

When the nation's treasury is raided again and again for defense contractors, corporate bailouts, and bonuses, when the President continues to wage Bush's wars at the cost of $10 billion a month for nine years, expect poverty, violence, and massive discontent to escalate into terrorism.

As Michael Moore's "Sicko" demonstrated, we see quite clearly how we have the best Congress that money can buy. The insurance crooks offered a million dollars to Hillary Clinton to keep her mouth shut about universal health care. She took the money and obeyed. Corporate America demands, given their investments, that the wars continue, that oil and coal prevails over solar and wind, and that health care remains a very profitable business for the few. They own Congressmen; thus we cannot expect "change" for working class Americans when members of Congress have sealed their Faustian deals behind closed doors. The corrupting stench from Congress is worse than an untreated sewer!

Corporate media refuses to report on the successful health care models in Europe. If it weren't for Moore's films and the Internet, it would be extremely difficult to learn about their public service benefits unless you actually lived abroad.

The other day, on a flight home, I was seated next to a young student. He was reading his textbook, which is unusual, speaking as a retired philosophy teacher; I have long observed that U.S. students hate to read. As it turned out, he was an exchange student from Denmark.

He told me that in Denmark, health care is free and so is his college education. That's right, entirely free except for the book fees. He explained that citizens of Denmark pay high taxes but everyone benefits from the equal distribution of taxes. There is no dire poverty to speak of, no homelessness, no one is thrown out of the hospital or refused care. This is not communism or socialism. They can earn high incomes, and they can afford expensive luxuries without being excessively greedy.

Why do we never see these models by contrast on our network news reports? Predictably, our media's goal is to keep us as ignorant as possible about the European free health and education programs. For example, in France, fair working conditions include a six-month paid leave of absence for mothers after giving birth, excellent childcare facilities and many more benefits.

In my conversation with the young Denmark student, I replied that even if our taxes hit the roof, we would never see a cent of it, we would never benefit from those high taxes. No, instead they would be handed over to the defense contractors to bomb innocent civilians, increasing desperation and poverty, which in turn produces more terrorism; and the remaining treasury monies, that is supposed to be for the public, would go to the same crooks at Wall Street, insurance and drug companies, coal, and oil.

If President Obama's idea of health reform consists of enforcing everyone to buy corporate health insurance policies without an affordable public option, including fines and penalties against individuals who don't buy from the corporate insurance companies, he'll be handing over the next election to a Republican on a silver platter. The insurance boys will be laughing behind Obama's back all the way to the bank. It will not be, to quote Obama's corporate advisor, Rahm Emanuel, a "victory."

Is the President going to have the good sense and moral fortitude to end the corporate wars, to cut defense and military spending so that those billions of dollars can be used for a universal health care system modeled after France, Canada, Denmark, and England instead of waging wars and escalating poverty and terrorism? Is the President really an independent thinker? Or is he taking orders from Rahm Emanuel and Bush advisors?

One realizes that no one President can solve these problems, alone. However, it's within Obama's power to end the Afghanistan/Iraqi occupations, and it is within his power to use our tax dollars, the $10 billion a month, for the very same benefits that everyone else gets in Europe and Canada: Free health care and a free college education for those who've earned the grades.

Mr. President: Yes You Can! If all those countries can do it, why can't we? If you can write a check for $800 billion to Wall Street CEOs, you can write a check from our own hard-earned tax dollars for health care and education.

The suspended question remains: Will President Obama make his Faustian deal in trade of getting a share of that 97% of the pie for himself and his family?

Is it worth sacrificing the last chance we have to turn the country around for a slice of the corporate pie?

Will President Obama be able to sleep at night if he joins those who've hoarded the nation's treasury while our children go hungry and homelessness rises? While students are forced to drop out because they can't afford the hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt loans? While the uninsured are tossed to the streets? While the middle-classes fall deeper and deeper in despair?

Here's a suggestion, President Obama: Please watch Michael Moore's "Sicko" and his new film, "Capitalism." Maybe those films will help you to remember why you ran for office and why you were elected. Please don't let us down.

BUZZFLASH GUEST COMMENTARY

Jacqueline Marcus' book of poems, Close to the Shore, was published by Michigan State University Press. She is a regular guest contributor to BuzzFlash.com. She taught philosophy at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, California, and is the editor of http://www.ForPoetry.com. She is currently promoting green technologies (solar & wind) on the island of Maui. www.GoSolarMaui.com. She is currently working on a new book: Corporate Media and the Erosion of a Civil Society.

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