I am one of a few UW-Madison undergraduate students who can personally testify to the notion that Halloween in this city ain't what it used to be.
As another anniversary of the mass slaughter on September 11, 2001 comes to pass, the shrill cries of nationalism, coupled with the genuine and disingenuous sympathy for the victims, make their way into the national discussion once again, even if the volume is slightly less amplified with each passing year. All of the official quarters pay their respects to the horrific happenings of that day eight years ago —as they should. Last Friday, the College Republicans and College Democrats held a vigil on Bascom Hill during which they planted American flags and sang the National Anthem. Undoubtedly, these same groups held near identical gatherings on universities throughout the country. This kind of thing is to be expected—it's simply the thing to do.
For the duration of my undergraduate career at UW-Madison, one conspicuous student organization has stood on the sidelines during crucial social justice battles and even occasionally joined the other team in limiting the score of righteous, progressive endeavors. What's worse, this group has concerned itself more with the résumés of its leadership than its espoused agenda. Despite the instinctual sympathy that most students have for its nationally recognized name, its do-nothing approach has precluded the formation of a large active membership; the group invariably withers into conservatism, futility and phoniness as each year progresses.
Despite all of the promises made on the campaign trail, President Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress have yet to make good on their vows to overhaul the nation's health-care system. By yielding to Republicans eager to deal the Democrats a political loss, as well as Blue Dog Democrats too afraid to alienate their conservative bases, any hope for a public option may be fading away.
Willful ignorance is probably a necessary prerequisite for progressive observers of the American political system. The corruption, corporate domination and general lack of democracy that defines the American government would be too painful to bear if one didn't lie to oneself or shield one's eyes from the glaring obscenity of it all once in a while. Looking back with this in mind, my initial hope for meaningful health-care reform was at least partially tinged with wishful thinking.
Reactive, reconciliatory measures water down and threaten the effectiveness of the needed changes to health care.
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Solutions by The State News
