THE GOP Version of Big Government
It gets tiresome after a while seeing the pundits, and blow -dried, overpaid hacks repeatedly misrepresenting the choices in this election. A tired, exasperating meme that ought to have expired in its shelf life by now is that a vote for Obama is a vote for gargantuan Government and fewer choices, while a vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for "limited government and freedom". In fact, I already shellacked the limited gov't mind virus, most recently in this blog: http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2012/06/brutal-underpinning-of-limited.html
But this issue goes to the reporting of a false dichotomy as well, such as today's piece 'Voters' Big Choice' by AP staff writer Charles Babington which claims a vote for Barack Obama is a vote for "sweeping government involvement" (decoded from his phrase 'We're all in this together') while a vote for Mitt Romney evokes Reagan's notion of "small government and greater personal liberty". In other words, when 'Mittens' gets in and abolishes "Obamacare", including the provisions that make drug costs for seniors less (preventing them from entering the donut hole too quickly), and disallows insurance companies using pre-existing conditions to cherry pick customers, then y'all will have more "freedom". For sure, you'll have to pay more - for drugs and medical insurance (including for your kids under 26) - but HEY! you'll be free at last!
Obviously, neither Reagan or the AP writer ever heard of FDR's famous quote that "Necessitious men cannot be free men".. Hence, personal freedom is a large and dopey myth if securing it means dumpster diving for food 24/7 to feed your starving kids, and burning bonfires at night to stay warm.
But more to the point, is that the simplistic authors who pair off Romney's "small government" line vs. Obama's alleged "Big government" agenda just don't get it. Look, for one thing, at the fact that Obama has pared back the federal workforce by nearly one third - more than any other president, including Bush 43. Why is it this is never noted when the Reptiles wax forth on how Obama is "expanding" government? Well, because it muddies their simplistic narrative! Had Obama not pared that workforce back, he'd be enjoying an unemployment rate of less than 7.7%.
Meanwhile, Romney's alleged small government plans run into a harsh reality check when one beholds what he actually has planned - which are truly gargantuan government - but in different spheres from Obama's emphasis, e.g. on health care, and saving the auto industry (the linchpin to millions of ancillary jobs). Thus, Romney's announced plans for a 'war on porn' using the Dept. of Justice (see e.g. http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2012/09/hide-your-porn-romney-gop-plan-fierce.html is certainly no "small" government idea, nor is it conducive to personal freedom - given he will need to use Patriot Act linked computer systems to find out exactly what couples, people are buying or using before sending his Kapos to knock on doors - and oh, seize any contraceptives while barging and in searching! Don't believe it? Then you're either detached from reality or have not been closely following his plans.
Then there is the plan to increase Pentagon-Military funding by $2 TRILLION! That is more than 100 times the incomes of ALL the federal workers whose jobs Obama has phased out. Think about that.
Moreover, the Advisory staff Romney has picked - mainly from Bush Junior's retinue, including John Bolton, Condi Rice and Gen. Tommy Franks, to name a few- are all dedicated warmongers with a boner the size of the Empire State Bldg. to attack Iran. They believe such an attack will: a) appease the Israelis and make Mittens' tenure more durable, b) create over 100,000 new jobs to manufacture tanks, new jets, bombs, etc for other adventures (possibly including Syria) and c) Suck up precious federal tax dollars to make it much more unlikely the Dems - if ever again at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue- can use one thin dime for social programs, benefits. Talk about 'starving the Beast'!
Now, if THAT isn't gargantuan government, I don't know what the hell is! But see, because the pundits of the media don't like to play fair - recall NY Times nabob Jeremy Peters spouting foolishiness from his piece ('On Cable News Networks, A Battle of Bitterness') e.g. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/06/us/politics/on-cable-news-networks-a-battle-of-bitterness.html?hp&_r=0 yesterday and taking Rachel Maddow to task for decoding "the logic behind the push to overhaul state voting laws as based on shrinking the electorate "so a smaller number of people get to decide what happens to all of us" and you get the idea! See, it's clever hacks like Peters and Babington who are in many ways responsible for mind-fucking millions of Americans into false beliefs and a vanilla false consciousness which disables their perceptual powers.
But we've known this for years, and one reason why so many millions are also turning their collective backs on the corporo-media empires. They have nothing more to say to us that we can truly use or regard as truthful or genuinely objective. Thus, if any hack (like Peters) truly believes FOX News and MSNBC are on the same level, he is truly a jackass and as I noted - needs to have his press credentials removed forthwith.
He can't be trusted to write or say anything of value, never mind he and his paper may have a thousand "gate keepers" at his disposal.
What Americans need to know going out to vote today, is not that their choice is "big government" vs. "small government" framed as "less freedom" vs. "more freedom" but rather WHICH form or manifestation of big government do you want?
One advanced by Mittens Romney to start more wars and fuel an ever larger military establishment, even as it sets up anti-contraceptive and anti-porn Czars to barge into your homes. OR....a government that works on behalf of all of us - not just the 1% - to deliver better health care choices, and balances competing interests such as education, energy, health and the environment ...for the good of all rather than the select few.
The choice is ours, and hopefully - by the time the day is ended - not that of inhuman, jiggered up electronic voting machines!
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