A winter of discontentment
Monday, 15 March 2010
Fazal M. Kamal
As the United States economy continues to flounder -- even though some incipient signs of resuscitation have begun to manifest themselves -- and the effects persist with their strains on economic, societal and political spheres, the people -- as their frustrations, discontent and anger rise -- are increasingly discerning faults with whatever is going on in the nation's capital. (Of course, all this is exacerbated by the incessant stonewall negativism of the opposition Republicans.)
According to a new survey by McClatchy-Ipsos, an overwhelming majority of Americans think that their federal government is gridlocked by partisan infighting and turf battles and can't accomplish anything. "Overall, the poll suggests a level of disgust with politics as usual," said Clifford Young, a senior vice president with Ipsos Public Affairs, which conducted the survey.
"Americans are basically angry at incumbents and Washington", Young added. "This isn't necessarily directed at any one party. I have my doubts about whether the Democrats will be obliterated (in the November elections). Yes, they'll lose seats, but there is a general backlash against all incumbents."
Four out of five Americans, 80 per cent, said that Washington couldn't accomplish anything because of fighting between the political parties and branches of the government, the poll found. Only 17 per cent disagreed. The sentiment is deeply held: Fifty-one per cent strongly agree that gridlock renders the government impotent. It's also felt across the political spectrum, with 81 per cent of Republicans, 80 per cent of Democrats and 79 per cent of independents agreeing that the government is bogged down.
A story in McClatchy Newspapers said, the ranks of people who think the country is on the right track hit the lowest level since President Barack Obama took office last year -- only 34 per cent. Almost twice as many -- 60 per cent -- said it was on the wrong track. The country's mood improved at first under Obama, with those saying that the country was headed in the right direction rising from 42 per cent shortly after he took office to a high of 55 per cent in early May. It's dropped ever since, rooted in anxiety about recession and unemployment, as also disgust with Washington.
This scenario is the dark backdrop against which Barack Obama launched his do-or-die push to have his healthcare reform bill passed by Congress. He has gone on the offensive to promote his reforms by taking his case to the American people as he speaks to them at various public rallies across the country. At one such meeting in a highly spirited speech he denounced the insurance companies stating, "They continue to ration (health) care on the basis of who's sick and who's healthy," and pointedly asked his Republican critics, "You had ten years. What happened? What were you doing?"
President Obama's offensive attracted warnings that this could lead to unfavourable consequences in the upcoming elections for Democrats who support the reforms. Nevertheless he continued to shrug them off, instead declaring that failure to fix the healthcare system would leave intact a broken $2.5 billion care structure that is ravaged by avaricious medical insurance companies who, he said, would continue to raise premiums every year and "will keep doing this for as long as they can get away with it."
Meanwhile, as Politics Unlocked reported, mud slinging, finger pointing, booing, hissing, fear mongering, angry picketing mobs…President Obama's healthcare reform push has brought out the worst in the Americans over the past year. The mere mention of a public option sends otherwise rational people into a frothy-mouthed frenzy complete with wailing and gnashing of teeth. Republicans, Democrats, and pundits trade jabs like prizefighters. Just about everyone has something to say about health care reform, and a whole lot of it isn't nice.
Given this milieu one schoolboy, McKay Hatch, appropriately started a club in his Pasadena, California, school that has grown into an international movement. Hatch began a "No Cussing Club" in 2007 after he tired of hearing his peers using profanity. The group, which began with 50 middle schoolers, now boasts over 20,000 members, with clubs in all 50 states of the U.S. and several countries. Politics Unlocked said, "Many people don't want that much government intrusion into their lives, so it's little wonder that critics of the no cussing measure say it attempts to rein in free expression …. Sponsors insist the idea is simply to create awareness of how our words and actions affect others, and in today's heated political climate, that's a message that can benefit us all."
However, having a dysfunctional system is not Washington's prerogative alone it seems from a poll taken in New York State. According to the results of the Siena Research Institute survey, approximately seventy per cent of New York residents say that the state is at its most corrupt and dysfunctional ever. "After the last two years," explained Steven Greenberg of Siena, "voters think that Albany (the state capital) has given new meaning to the word 'dysfunctional'." In addition, fifty-four per cent of registered voters felt "embarrassed" to live in New York. If this isn't a manifestation of extremely strong voter sentiment then what could be? Could it also be the feelings of people in other countries?
Simultaneously, as the country as a whole and individual states face financial hardships and shortfalls and as they exert squeezes on their budgets and allocations to the different sections of the government, resistance and dissatisfaction are being voiced by every segment---from teachers to firemen to nurses to medical technicians. Many of these organizations are not only lobbying politicians against the budget cuts but some of them are also taking out advertisements in newspapers stating their positions to win support in these contentious times from the electorate.
For one example, the New York State Nurses Association published an ad recently saying, among other things, "The numbers are astounding. $1 billion in proposed cuts to healthcare facilities and services throughout New York State. New York's registered nurses understand the complexity of allocating public funding during such dire financial times. But the state's fiscal crisis cannot be allowed to result in an unprecedented healthcare crisis …. To us, this simply isn't acceptable. Tell Gov. Paterson and the State Legislature that underfunding equals understaffing. Demand access to quality healthcare for all New Yorkers."
On the other side, a coalition calling itself Employers for a Healthy Economy and funded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and some other trade groupings, said it would buy between $4 million and $10 million of advertisements aimed at defeating the Administration's pending healthcare legislation. According to The Wall Street Journal, the business groups are getting assistance from health insurers who are also running their own ads countering Democrats' argument that insurers are largely to blame for the escalating costs. Obviously, big money will do what it always does: protect their primary interest, i.e. their right to ever-increasing profits.
Reshaping news
A recent Pew Research Center survey has shown that 26 per cent of Americans get their news on their mobile phones with 43 per cent of those who are under fifty years of age saying they are mobile news consumers compared to 15 per cent of older respondents. The study found what was becoming common knowledge, i.e. technology has been changing the news business and the method by which consumers relate to it. This latest shift is led by the rising popularity of cellphones that can easily access the Internet.
Of the 37 per cent who said they use their mobile phones to go to the Internet 72 per cent said they check the weather reports with current events coming in second at 68 per cent. However, about 60 per cent got their news both from online and off-line sources, while 80 per cent of respondents said they receive news from emailed links. Nevertheless, the survey also demonstrates that a large segment of people do not depend on one source only for their news with 46 per cent saying they use four to six different kinds of media on a typical day.
Fazal Kamal
As the United States economy continues to flounder -- even though some incipient signs of resuscitation have begun to manifest themselves -- and the effects persist with their strains on economic, societal and political spheres, the people -- as their frustrations, discontent and anger rise -- are increasingly discerning faults with whatever is going on in the nation's capital. (Of course, all this is exacerbated by the incessant stonewall negativism of the opposition Republicans.)
According to a new survey by McClatchy-Ipsos, an overwhelming majority of Americans think that their federal government is gridlocked by partisan infighting and turf battles and can't accomplish anything. "Overall, the poll suggests a level of disgust with politics as usual," said Clifford Young, a senior vice president with Ipsos Public Affairs, which conducted the survey.
"Americans are basically angry at incumbents and Washington", Young added. "This isn't necessarily directed at any one party. I have my doubts about whether the Democrats will be obliterated (in the November elections). Yes, they'll lose seats, but there is a general backlash against all incumbents."
Four out of five Americans, 80 per cent, said that Washington couldn't accomplish anything because of fighting between the political parties and branches of the government, the poll found. Only 17 per cent disagreed. The sentiment is deeply held: Fifty-one per cent strongly agree that gridlock renders the government impotent. It's also felt across the political spectrum, with 81 per cent of Republicans, 80 per cent of Democrats and 79 per cent of independents agreeing that the government is bogged down.
A story in McClatchy Newspapers said, the ranks of people who think the country is on the right track hit the lowest level since President Barack Obama took office last year -- only 34 per cent. Almost twice as many -- 60 per cent -- said it was on the wrong track. The country's mood improved at first under Obama, with those saying that the country was headed in the right direction rising from 42 per cent shortly after he took office to a high of 55 per cent in early May. It's dropped ever since, rooted in anxiety about recession and unemployment, as also disgust with Washington.
This scenario is the dark backdrop against which Barack Obama launched his do-or-die push to have his healthcare reform bill passed by Congress. He has gone on the offensive to promote his reforms by taking his case to the American people as he speaks to them at various public rallies across the country. At one such meeting in a highly spirited speech he denounced the insurance companies stating, "They continue to ration (health) care on the basis of who's sick and who's healthy," and pointedly asked his Republican critics, "You had ten years. What happened? What were you doing?"
President Obama's offensive attracted warnings that this could lead to unfavourable consequences in the upcoming elections for Democrats who support the reforms. Nevertheless he continued to shrug them off, instead declaring that failure to fix the healthcare system would leave intact a broken $2.5 billion care structure that is ravaged by avaricious medical insurance companies who, he said, would continue to raise premiums every year and "will keep doing this for as long as they can get away with it."
Meanwhile, as Politics Unlocked reported, mud slinging, finger pointing, booing, hissing, fear mongering, angry picketing mobs…President Obama's healthcare reform push has brought out the worst in the Americans over the past year. The mere mention of a public option sends otherwise rational people into a frothy-mouthed frenzy complete with wailing and gnashing of teeth. Republicans, Democrats, and pundits trade jabs like prizefighters. Just about everyone has something to say about health care reform, and a whole lot of it isn't nice.
Given this milieu one schoolboy, McKay Hatch, appropriately started a club in his Pasadena, California, school that has grown into an international movement. Hatch began a "No Cussing Club" in 2007 after he tired of hearing his peers using profanity. The group, which began with 50 middle schoolers, now boasts over 20,000 members, with clubs in all 50 states of the U.S. and several countries. Politics Unlocked said, "Many people don't want that much government intrusion into their lives, so it's little wonder that critics of the no cussing measure say it attempts to rein in free expression …. Sponsors insist the idea is simply to create awareness of how our words and actions affect others, and in today's heated political climate, that's a message that can benefit us all."
However, having a dysfunctional system is not Washington's prerogative alone it seems from a poll taken in New York State. According to the results of the Siena Research Institute survey, approximately seventy per cent of New York residents say that the state is at its most corrupt and dysfunctional ever. "After the last two years," explained Steven Greenberg of Siena, "voters think that Albany (the state capital) has given new meaning to the word 'dysfunctional'." In addition, fifty-four per cent of registered voters felt "embarrassed" to live in New York. If this isn't a manifestation of extremely strong voter sentiment then what could be? Could it also be the feelings of people in other countries?
Simultaneously, as the country as a whole and individual states face financial hardships and shortfalls and as they exert squeezes on their budgets and allocations to the different sections of the government, resistance and dissatisfaction are being voiced by every segment---from teachers to firemen to nurses to medical technicians. Many of these organizations are not only lobbying politicians against the budget cuts but some of them are also taking out advertisements in newspapers stating their positions to win support in these contentious times from the electorate.
For one example, the New York State Nurses Association published an ad recently saying, among other things, "The numbers are astounding. $1 billion in proposed cuts to healthcare facilities and services throughout New York State. New York's registered nurses understand the complexity of allocating public funding during such dire financial times. But the state's fiscal crisis cannot be allowed to result in an unprecedented healthcare crisis …. To us, this simply isn't acceptable. Tell Gov. Paterson and the State Legislature that underfunding equals understaffing. Demand access to quality healthcare for all New Yorkers."
On the other side, a coalition calling itself Employers for a Healthy Economy and funded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and some other trade groupings, said it would buy between $4 million and $10 million of advertisements aimed at defeating the Administration's pending healthcare legislation. According to The Wall Street Journal, the business groups are getting assistance from health insurers who are also running their own ads countering Democrats' argument that insurers are largely to blame for the escalating costs. Obviously, big money will do what it always does: protect their primary interest, i.e. their right to ever-increasing profits.
Reshaping news
A recent Pew Research Center survey has shown that 26 per cent of Americans get their news on their mobile phones with 43 per cent of those who are under fifty years of age saying they are mobile news consumers compared to 15 per cent of older respondents. The study found what was becoming common knowledge, i.e. technology has been changing the news business and the method by which consumers relate to it. This latest shift is led by the rising popularity of cellphones that can easily access the Internet.
Of the 37 per cent who said they use their mobile phones to go to the Internet 72 per cent said they check the weather reports with current events coming in second at 68 per cent. However, about 60 per cent got their news both from online and off-line sources, while 80 per cent of respondents said they receive news from emailed links. Nevertheless, the survey also demonstrates that a large segment of people do not depend on one source only for their news with 46 per cent saying they use four to six different kinds of media on a typical day.
Fazal Kamal