sophiaserpentia (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophiaserpentia) wrote2009-04-09 01:33 pm
sophiaserpentia) wrote2009-04-09 01:33 pm
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i am becoming increasingly frustrated with and mistrustful of the obama administration
This week alone, the Obama Administration has:
Actively fought efforts to undo telecom immunity and hold the government accountable for past and present spying on private citizens. This is of course the opposite of what Obama promised when he campaigned: he vowed to make government more transparent, more accountable, and more respecting of civil liberties, and as time passes, this is turning out to have been an out-and-out lie.
Actively sought to forever immunize the government from ever being held accountable for wrongdoing, whether for torture or domestic surveillance. On these issues the Obama administration has so far been to the right of Dick Cheney.
Extended Wall Street's plunder of the American people to the FDIC. The FDIC is a relatively small fund (capped by law at $30B) which is now tasked by the PPIP (the federal program buying up toxic assets from flailing banks) with insuring over $1T in toxic asset purchases. If they lose money, they plan to assess fees from the banks they're insuring... unless those banks are bankrupt, in which case they'll simply ask the Treasury Department to print them the money. Put another way, the Treasury is holding its door wide open for bankers to take as much money as they want, keeping whatever profits they make and not having to worry about any losses they incur. Said bankers will also never have to worry about sleeping under a bridge or living in a tent or applying for food stamps. Meanwhile, if the FDIC becomes defunct because of this latest bizarre development, who's going to cover our measly little bank accounts in the event of a sector-wide banking breakdown?
Actively fought efforts to undo telecom immunity and hold the government accountable for past and present spying on private citizens. This is of course the opposite of what Obama promised when he campaigned: he vowed to make government more transparent, more accountable, and more respecting of civil liberties, and as time passes, this is turning out to have been an out-and-out lie.
Actively sought to forever immunize the government from ever being held accountable for wrongdoing, whether for torture or domestic surveillance. On these issues the Obama administration has so far been to the right of Dick Cheney.
Extended Wall Street's plunder of the American people to the FDIC. The FDIC is a relatively small fund (capped by law at $30B) which is now tasked by the PPIP (the federal program buying up toxic assets from flailing banks) with insuring over $1T in toxic asset purchases. If they lose money, they plan to assess fees from the banks they're insuring... unless those banks are bankrupt, in which case they'll simply ask the Treasury Department to print them the money. Put another way, the Treasury is holding its door wide open for bankers to take as much money as they want, keeping whatever profits they make and not having to worry about any losses they incur. Said bankers will also never have to worry about sleeping under a bridge or living in a tent or applying for food stamps. Meanwhile, if the FDIC becomes defunct because of this latest bizarre development, who's going to cover our measly little bank accounts in the event of a sector-wide banking breakdown?
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But on matters of civil liberties, human rights, accountability, transparency, sunshine laws, i've long been concerned that there is no difference between the major parties at all. When the Democrats won Congress in 2006 they did nothing to reverse Bush's abuses in these regards. Now the Democrats have the White House too, and they are not reversing the abuses, they are actively trying to make them worse.
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Of course I'd point out that the very structure of the government, including the constitution is that kind of plea...but still it underscores the flawed premise behind reformist liberalism. A politician's first allegiance is always to his own power over.
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The ruling political/financial class, Obama included, apparently hasn't read the memo yet.
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Two Things...
On the issue of human rights and "secrecy," I'll just point out to you that "Homeland Security" comes up for renewal soon, and Obama's real position regarding governmental violation of citizens' rights and of war crimes statutes won't be fully on display until then.
Please note, however, that the Obama Administration's ploy regarding torture MAY be to let the Europeans deal with it entirely. Under EU legal provisions regarding "crimes against humanity," if war criminals are not being prosecuted in their home countries, European courts, including the International Commission on War Crimes in the Hague, MUST begin proceedings against those criminals, whether they are residents of the EU or not. This is the trap that Pinochet was caught in, and, frankly, I can't see Obama telling his European allies that they may not investigate and try these folks who are, increasingly, his political enemies. Extradition might be an altogether different matter, but, I assure you, there is plenty of evidence against Yoo, Cheney, et. al. over here in Europe--and particularly in the U.K.--to make a full-blown war crimes trial in a European court possible.
And that's my prediction regarding what will actually happen: the impetus for investigations will come from over here; the legal processes will begin over here; and Obama's Administration will stand by and let it happen. It's actually a brillinat way of dealing with the problem.
I also think that two months is not enough time to judge any Presidential Administration, but I do agree with you that the signs are not good regarding Obama's fiscal policy. You have not said, however, what you'd have him do: should he nationalise the banks, as Sweden did? Should he only worry about the fiscal crisis and let all the other aspects of his "stimulus" plan wait?--things such as health care reform, school reform, etc.?
There's one other issue, too, that I think his is miles and miles away better on than any previous Administration of recent memory: he appears to be finally standing up to the Zionist Lobby and informing the Israeli Likudniks that they must abide by the "road map," demolish "settlements," and adhere to a "two state solution."
Re: Two Things...
I think Obama is probably being misled. Or if he may now be thinking, "in for a penny, in for a pound."
You have not said, however, what you'd have him do
I'm not really an expert on finance. However i do think, based on what i know and understand about the situation, that it would probably be cheaper and in the long run more effective to nationalize insolvent banks, or let them go bankrupt, and then house and feed out of work bank employees, than what we're doing now. Then turn around and invest the $1T in Main Street instead. With that kind of money we could have the best infrastructure in the world, the best educational system, total conversion to clean & renewable energy, the best mass transit system in the world, you name it.
Obama's real position regarding governmental violation of citizens' rights and of war crimes statutes won't be fully on display until then.
Actually we already have on record his votes in the Senate to renew the USAPATRIOT Act, with mild civil liberties improvements the Democrats added.
It's actually a brillinat way of dealing with the problem.
We'll see what happens on that. My gut feeling is that AG Holder will balk at giving any assistance to European prosecutors whatsoever. I certainly don't expect him to direct the FBI to arrest any Bush Admin people indicted in Europe for war crimes.
It may be a brilliantly pragmatic way to solve the problem, *if* he quietly allows it to go forward. Time will tell. I think tho that it is not a particularly satisfying way to handle the issue. The US should be seen as standing by its stated commitments against torture.
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