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Print Publication: January 8, 2005

THINGS HAPPENED WHILE WE WERE CELEBRATING

Now that the holidays are behind us, it’s time to catch up on some of the things that happened while we were all taking time off to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s.

The presidential election finally came to an official close with the confirmation that George Bush won the state of Ohio by a 118,457 vote majority, thereby nabbing Ohio’s twenty electoral votes. What’s interesting is that if John Kerry could have convinced half of those voters plus one to swing his way, he’d have won Ohio and would be the one taking office this month as our next president, even after losing the nationwide popular vote by 4 million. So, the Bush “mandate” really boiled down to around 59,229 Buckeyes. What this shows is that electing presidents via the Electoral College is a system that has to be changed immediately. We came within a whisker of “electing” a president who got 4 million fewer votes than his opponent. With democratic elections scheduled for Iraq, it would have been a strange civics lesson to explain to the potential voters in that country.

During the flap about lack of armor for our military vehicles, and with holiday stories in the news about military families having to resort to charity pantries and food stamps in order to survive, it was announced that $40 million will be spent on the coronation festivities for President Bush. I, for one, think this is not a big deal. Most of that money is coming from private sources, assorted corporations and rich bigwigs. I’m just happy that these people have stepped forward to foot the bill out of the goodness of their hearts and with no expectation of getting anything in return. It warms my heart. On the other hand, maybe it’s indigestion.

After all, my digestive tract is already in a state of flux due to the proposal by conservatives in the Bush administration that would increase my taxes. They are urging the President to scrap the federal deduction for state and local taxes. The state income tax for Michigan is 4.1 percent, so every taxpayer in the state would get nailed with a federal tax increase by at least that amount. I’m confused, wasn’t tax reduction cornerstone of the Bush campaign? Well, you know what they say, sometimes you have to accept the politician you have, not the politician you want.

According to published reports, the U.S. military will sure be happy the holidays are over. Military recruitment for November and December was off at least 30%, and retired Colonel David Hackworth, a former analyst for Newsweek and now an expert for Military.com and Defense Watch, says that a more honest accounting of recruitment numbers may show a drop of over 50% for the entire year. Hackworth predicts: “The draft—which will include both boys and girls this time around—is a no-brainer in ‘05 and ‘06.” I think Hackworth is way off on this one; we won’t need a draft. My prediction is now that the holidays are over those of eligible military age who voted for President Bush will rush to sign up for a stint in the armed services. I see parents and grandparents who support the President’s Iraq mission shepherding their children and grandchildren to recruitment offices. To support the President’s policies and then ask someone else to do the fighting would be hypocritical, cowardly, and a slap in the face to those who are currently serving. Hackworth needs to have a bit more faith in American patriotism.

Finally, it was recently announced that the first American Muslim TV network will soon be launched in Detroit and will be available on cable systems for $14.95 a month. I can’t wait to see their “Must See TV” program line-up: CSI Baghdad, Desperate Haremwives, and Everybody Loves Osama.