Obama going soft in hopes of successful re-election

By: Jorge Mendez/Contributing Writer

On Sept. 2, the Obama administration declared that it was stepping down on its proposal to implement stricter clean air regulations, stating that “the commitment of [the] administration to protecting public health and the environment is unwavering” – as long as the right-wing agrees with it, of course.

We have a President who seems to have left his guts at home. The Obama administration was given the opportunity to govern by the people-the same people to whom they are failing to protect from the bullies of the right-wing.

What we are presented with today is deregulation to promote so called growth, but the big picture is the selling out by the appalling United States’ legislative and executive branches.  This government is supposed to protect and serve its people. The environmental policy at hand, which affects the health of the country, is just a microcosm of a bigger vision, a vision which does not include the welfare of the majority, but the betterment of the few that can afford to see the fruits of their seed. This can only be accomplished by skewing a once virtuous democracy into a plutocracy – and President Barack Obama’s “change” is doing nothing to amend that.

Michael Steele, spokesman for Speaker of the House John Boehner, stated that the derailing of the proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulation was “the tip of the iceberg when it [came] to stopping Washington Democrats’ agenda of tax hikes, more government ‘stimulus’ spending and increased regulations, which are all making it harder to create more American jobs.” This is not about the E.P.A., it is not about health and it is not even about jobs. The Republican Party cares only about business, and the three main points in the antithesis of the Democratic agenda presented show just that.

At face value, the abandonment of the proposed regulation seems like a move to please the Republican and business community, keeping Obama’s potential second term in mind. However, the underlying base of it all has a heavier implication on society at large. We fail to see the bigger picture amidst the political smog. It is up to us voters to realize the mockery that these elected officials are creating, deregulating and proliferating to asphyxiate what is left of the working class.

This kind of mentality does not promote good governance. It only exemplifies the struggle of the everyday citizen. It’s not about us, but about which party benefits the most, of course. The President was elected to change our society for the better, but what we have so far is a cat surrounded by wolves. It is not about our health, or our future. It is about the next election, and that is the hole we have to crawl out of.