it's all talk
6.11.2003
Harper's Index
Excerpt, May 2003
Last calendar year in which the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained in value : 1999
Last period in which the Dow declined for four consecutive years : 1929–1932
Percentage change since 1968 in the real value of the U.S. federal minimum wage : –37
Factor by which Americans' total debt to private lenders for college tuition has increased since 1995 : 4
Can we honestly belive that a tax cut is going to spur this economy along? ¶ 02:35
Excerpt, May 2003
Last calendar year in which the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained in value : 1999
Last period in which the Dow declined for four consecutive years : 1929–1932
Percentage change since 1968 in the real value of the U.S. federal minimum wage : –37
Factor by which Americans' total debt to private lenders for college tuition has increased since 1995 : 4
Can we honestly belive that a tax cut is going to spur this economy along? ¶ 02:35
6.09.2003
Arundhati Roy: "It's a sad thing to say, but as long as we have faith - we have no hope. To hope, we have to break the faith." -- "The Greater Common Good"
Now, more than ever, is not the time for the United States to give up on its people. It is never the time for the people to give up on their United States. The fates of these two entities are inextricably linked, for we are one in the same. We all share the responsibility.
Yes, it does become easy for us to feel powerless; to become alienated from the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court. It is easy to lose all hope in our institutions, our leaders, our economy, our ideologies.
Many who feel powerless rely on faith: the changing of the guard, the revolution of the proletariat, the emergence of a new, greater generation. Having faith was the greatest fallacy committed by Marx; this hardly implies, however, that Stalin had any virtues.
Breaking the faith is necessary for change, but we must not destroy hope in the process.
Recently, Senator Hatch has introduced legislation that will make illegal any form of flag desecration. Outlets for dissent are being dissolved at an exponential rate.
It is easy for democracy to flourish in a healthy, wealthy state. Indeed, its greatest test comes in times of turmoil. 9/11, "Operation Iraqi Freedom," and enduring tension with the Middle East all create burdens for international order, but also creates burdens that U.S. domestic politics must face. To introduce legislation that blatantly violates First Amendment freedoms, now, does not demonstrate a concern for our nation's security but rather a failure of democracy.
As the U.S. serves as the primary actor in cultivating democracy in Iraq, the irony is striking. What message is conveyed to the international community, as the greatest symbol of the "free world" buckles down hard on its own people, in regards to the stability, longevity, and feasibility of a democratic state? What does it say about the desirability of making such drastic political and social changes in unstable parts of the globe in the future?
As our government ventures on, we must remember the example we set at home bears as much impact as our diplomacy abroad. President Bush warned Americans not to be afraid of "those who do not look like you" in the wake of 9/11. To make such a statement, uninformed and prejudicial, indicates a loss of touch with those who Bush supposedly serves.
We, the people, must instigate a new relationship with our State. We must turn out en masse at the polls; this is how we will spark our revolution.
We want honest democracy? Then we must invoke it through its most basic tenet; free elections. The electoral college will not be dissolved until "we, the people" mandate it with our constructive votes. 50% turnouts hardly imply interest in change, let alone active involvement. We must prove that we do not have faith in our current administration and legislature. We cannot have an honest hope for the future until we can effect a mass response from all Americans.
We cannot discipline other nations until we discipline our lawmakers. We cannot discipline our lawmakers until we discipline ourselves. ¶ 05:19
Now, more than ever, is not the time for the United States to give up on its people. It is never the time for the people to give up on their United States. The fates of these two entities are inextricably linked, for we are one in the same. We all share the responsibility.
Yes, it does become easy for us to feel powerless; to become alienated from the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court. It is easy to lose all hope in our institutions, our leaders, our economy, our ideologies.
Many who feel powerless rely on faith: the changing of the guard, the revolution of the proletariat, the emergence of a new, greater generation. Having faith was the greatest fallacy committed by Marx; this hardly implies, however, that Stalin had any virtues.
Breaking the faith is necessary for change, but we must not destroy hope in the process.
Recently, Senator Hatch has introduced legislation that will make illegal any form of flag desecration. Outlets for dissent are being dissolved at an exponential rate.
It is easy for democracy to flourish in a healthy, wealthy state. Indeed, its greatest test comes in times of turmoil. 9/11, "Operation Iraqi Freedom," and enduring tension with the Middle East all create burdens for international order, but also creates burdens that U.S. domestic politics must face. To introduce legislation that blatantly violates First Amendment freedoms, now, does not demonstrate a concern for our nation's security but rather a failure of democracy.
As the U.S. serves as the primary actor in cultivating democracy in Iraq, the irony is striking. What message is conveyed to the international community, as the greatest symbol of the "free world" buckles down hard on its own people, in regards to the stability, longevity, and feasibility of a democratic state? What does it say about the desirability of making such drastic political and social changes in unstable parts of the globe in the future?
As our government ventures on, we must remember the example we set at home bears as much impact as our diplomacy abroad. President Bush warned Americans not to be afraid of "those who do not look like you" in the wake of 9/11. To make such a statement, uninformed and prejudicial, indicates a loss of touch with those who Bush supposedly serves.
We, the people, must instigate a new relationship with our State. We must turn out en masse at the polls; this is how we will spark our revolution.
We want honest democracy? Then we must invoke it through its most basic tenet; free elections. The electoral college will not be dissolved until "we, the people" mandate it with our constructive votes. 50% turnouts hardly imply interest in change, let alone active involvement. We must prove that we do not have faith in our current administration and legislature. We cannot have an honest hope for the future until we can effect a mass response from all Americans.
We cannot discipline other nations until we discipline our lawmakers. We cannot discipline our lawmakers until we discipline ourselves. ¶ 05:19
