“Don't suspect a friend: Report him!” — Terry Gilliam's Brazil
I don't belong to a political party, and don't normally want to blog about politics. While I'm doing so today I don't plan to make a habit of it, after all, with all the studying I have to do usually I don't have time! But something's happened that calls for a rare exception. On the blog at whitehouse.gov, the web site of a president who claimed in his victory speech on Election Night less than a year ago that he would represent all Americans including those who had not supported his candidacy, it says the following:
There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can't keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
There is something incredibly unsettling to me about an administration that calls for people to forward them material that opposes one of their initiatives. I mean, since when is it the job of the White House to track anyone and everyone who opposes its policies? The questions this raises are many. Does no one in the White House remember that many people who supported Obama did so because he claimed to represent change from *** "So?" Cheney's approach to dissent? Is it really appropriate for the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives to refer to those who disagree with her plan to further nationalize healthcare as un-American? Is that the change we were supposed to believe in?
Ultimately, as different as Bush and Obama may seem as individuals, the fundamental problem has remained the same. Under Bush, those in Washington had far too much political power and control over resources. The Obama Administration has demonstrated that it is no different in its will to hold the power over others. Power attracts those with the will to use it, meaning the problem is not who wields power, the problem is that there is so much power for them to wield. Until the power of Washington is diminished, starting with dramatic decentralization, we can sadly expect nothing but more of the same no matter who sits in the Oval Office, no matter what their intentions. This can't happen so long as people look to Washington for solutions rather than to themselves as individuals. Simply put, we must stop believing in change, and start believing in ourselves.
Next up, another job change.