Come November 2nd, What Will It Be for the Next Four Years? Burger King or McDonald's?
Press Action
Sunday, August 15, 2004
http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/brown08152004/
By Morgan W. Brown
What’s that sucking sound?
Yes, it’s the sound of yet another United States presidential election going down the drain as usual.
All brought to you by the major corporate political parties of the Republicans and Democrats, thanks of course to their little dog and pony (rubber-stamping) show conventions as well as their big fat cat financial contributors, who send them tons and tons of loot.
Not to mention the ever loyal friends of the Dems, seemingly no better than wanna be’s and ever so self-righteous as usual, e.g., the more establishment-oriented Green Party of the United States and some other so-called progressive-minded type of political parties (or so-called Independent politicians). While they give lots of lip service to being an opposition party (or otherwise Independent), they are more than happy to stick with the status quo as long as it serves their interests and agenda for the moment, all in the name of party-building and unity (or otherwise, as in the case of some so-called Independents, who are more focused on their own political ambition, select committee assignments and, of course most of all, job security).
Then of course there is the jointly established and controlled Commission on Presidential Debates, which while it says it is a nonpartisan corporation, is actually bipartisan, as in take your pick, will be it be Republican or Democrat.
Whichever of these two ends up becoming anointed in this process will pretty much ensure four more years of virtually the same old thing, nothing more and nothing less. Let’s not shake up anything and rock the boat or, it may upset Wall Street and wealthy investors everywhere.
It is sort of like being forced to decide between eating every meal for the next four years either at Burger King (as in, the George who would be King, this despite all the Whoppers he and his administration is always trying to sell people on) or McDonald’s (yeah, John Kerry sort of reminds one of Ronald McDonald, doesn’t he, particularly of late?!).
Yet there are those of us who all we really want is a true choice in the matter and hunger for a real and meaningful change both now and for generations to come.
Particularly if we prefer eating at say, Ralph’s and Pete’s Family Restaurant, where there is always lots of really good and wholesome varieties of meals to choose from on the menu and daily specials, including plenty of vegetarian and even vegan offerings as well.
The fact is that not only do some people want something that is honestly and truly different, and even more important, they want something that will indeed be better.
Of course one thing that makes what we would choose something that is much better than the typical fast food offered by corporate politics is that the interests and agenda of those who would be serving us is not centered solely on the corporate bottom line. It would not be based on ensuring profits for wealthy stock holders in some franchised restaurant chain and, as such, they would be more responsive as well as much more accountable, because they would answer directly to the people they serve.
So, if you are someone who finds yourself in agreement with them on the issues they are fighting vigorously on behalf of, consider coming home to what your true core values and beliefs are and standing by them when it matters most.
Vote for the 2004 Independent Presidential ticket of Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo, because these are people who not only actually know what is really cooking, whether it is in Washington, D.C., or otherwise elsewhere at the federal level, but they know what to do about it as well as having the will, guts, courage and conviction to honestly set out and follow through in accomplishing what needs doing.
Maybe then we, as a reinvigorated citizen nation, can begin to put a stop to those who are responsible for draining and sucking the life’s blood out of our economy and country in various ways, including by sending yet another generation of our young people off to fight and die in defense of corporate greed as well as national pride and arrogance.
Morgan W. Brown is an activist, writer and blogger who lives in Montpelier, Vermont. Among the several blogs he keeps, whenever he finds the time, energy and online access to do so anyway, is his Unofficial Vote4Nader Blog.