HOPIUM DRUG WEARING THIN

Obama's announcement that he will propose a three-year spending freeze on all federal programs except for "military, veterans affairs, homeland security, and certain international programs" [read CIA] is just more of the slight of hand we are growing accustomed to seeing from the magician.

The good cop - bad cop corporate dominated Congressional scene in Washington DC wants us to believe they now care about the "middle class". We know they gave up on poor people long ago. But these little mid-course adjustments are just intended to calm the voters down. There is no real change going to be coming our way. The only change we are going to see are the few pennies that fall on the ground while the corporate banksters are looting the national treasury.

The fact that Obama, the Democrats, and the Republicans all agree that the Pentagon budget must have a firewall built around it to protect it from any cuts is all the evidence any of us need about where this country is really heading. Obama is now preparing his 2011 budget and the weapons industry publication Defense News ran a headline on January 20 called "Defense Contractors are Confident About Fiscal 2011 Budget."

The word has already gone out from Obama and the Democrats who control Congress. The military industrial complex does not need to worry during this economic collapse. You will be taken care of. It is everyone else in America that needs to be worried.

The U.S. now spends more than the rest of the world combined on the military but still Obama is going to increase military spending in 2011, just like he did in 2010.

We will see more cuts in social spending but the military will be protected, just the way the Democrats and Republicans have taken good care of the banks and are now going to take good care of the insurance companies. And as their reward, following this bad Supreme Court decision on campaign finance reform, the corporations will kick some money back to the compliant political hacks in both parties who play the game the right way. It's called "the free market."

Right now the corporate agenda is putting us all into a box. They are reducing our options to make effective political change possible. It is without a doubt a return to feudalism - the 21st century variety where we get a car and a color TV.

The oligarchy is having fun right now watching us scramble around as we try to figure out what we will do in response to their policies. More people everyday are saying they are done with the Democrats, which is good, but Mr. Big has a trump card. They will throw out a Sarah Palin and watch the frightened liberals run back to Obama prior to the 2012 national elections. And the oligarchy will sit and laugh over that one and slap each other on the back and take a swig of their expensive champagne and take a deep draw on their fat Cuban cigars.

In the meantime the oligarchy will fund the likes of Glenn Beck on Fox News who has become adept at following his instructions to seed hatred among the people. His latest gambit is that "progressives" are the new version of the 1950's "commies under every rock" trying to subvert the nation. Beck is stoking the fires of hatred and making sure that the growing legions of working class poor people keep their eyes off the real enemy - the rich corporate fat cats who pay Glenn Beck's salary.

Obama is much like Glenn Beck in that he sold his soul to the corporations. He is doing their bidding and willingly selling his political base down the river for a chance to grace the halls of the White House. The power structure knew he was ambitious and they had thoroughly vetted him long ago and had nurtured his meteoric rise in American politics. He too is doing what he has been told to do.

The similarities between Obama and Glenn Beck are that neither of them seems to have a conscience.

Our only hope is that people reject both of these cards in the deck. We have to reject the good cop and the bad cop. We should boycott both parties. The Democrats are showing us daily (in Washington, in our state legislatures, and in our town governments) that they will not fight for the people. Why should we stand and fight for them any longer?

I see that the hopium drug is wearing thin out there in TV land. The people are finally waking up from their long sleep. We must make sure that once they fully awake that they see some real political organizing going on in their communities that is ultimately relevant to their lives. That is our job. Increase the political options. Increase the level of political dialogue. Articulate a vision for the future that offers real hope to the people.