The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The next person to blame

“The election is over, and while most of the country celebrates the victory of a great speaker others worry about the future. The fact of the matter is that we are in a bad situation that has taken a long time to get into and will take a long time to get out of.”

The election is over, and while most of the country celebrates the victory of a great speaker others worry about the future. The fact of the matter is that we are in a bad situation that has taken a long time to get into and will take a long time to get out of. President-Elect Obama will have a very difficult time turning the country around which he stressed in a press conference shortly after his win. The problem with Americans is that they will always find someone to blame for their bad situation, and who better to place all the responsibility on than the president. It will be interesting to see how popular Obama will be after a couple of years.

Most people do not realize the steps it takes to get into a mess like the mortgage crisis. In 1999, in a move to help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation eased the credit requirements on loans that it purchased from banks and other lenders. This was one step among many that led to the current government bailout. Many don’t pay attention to the administrations responsible for this change; it’s only the current president who catches the blame. A similar problem occurred during the Great Depression with President Hoover. It was the Clinton administration that allowed for Fannie Mae to ease credit requirements; of course he had the greatest economic growth in 35 years. Bush’s war only shook the already unstable economy and we are now looking forward to a president with intentions of raising capital gains taxes.

This is not about shifting the blame though. Why is it that everyone feels that they know what is best for the country? The truth is every president will do the same thing. They will surround themselves with the committees of professionals in their field and make informed decisions based on how much money they received from a particular interest group during their campaign.

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This illusion of democracy has caused countless arguments splitting families and friends. Change in the government is harder than pushing a boulder up a mountain, it just doesn’t happen. Granted, things will change based on the interest of the Democratic Party, but the ones who hold the money have the real power. Corrupt politicians are the ones who get into office, they are puppets on strings controlled by corporations with bad intentions. President Ronald Reagan is proof that all it takes is an actor, just a face and a name that the American people can trust while they speak their scripted lines on television. They stand and debate issues that don’t matter and use policies that will gain the popular vote.

A friend commented on the ballot this year I didn’t know there were so many candidates for president.

Well she wouldn’t, considering they weren’t on national television once. It cannot be said that it doesn’t take money to win, and it cannot be said presidents don’t repay favors once in office. Next time you get into a debate with someone on politics, try speaking on the fact that we are all ignorant of what it truly means to be president. When the majority of our opinions are formed by what the media gives us, how can any of us be informed?

In the long run, it makes no difference whether we have a democrat or republican in office. Take the perspective that we all are just here to make a living, and whoever is in office means we all have to go about surviving in a different way.

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