COMMENTARY
By Leonard Ramirez
I am not an enthusiastic supporter of Barak Obama. He has reneged on his promise to promote comprehensive immigration reform. Even worse his administration has stepped up efforts to deport undocumented workers that have led to more divided families and more human misery. His Chicago surrogate, Rahm Emanuel, has continued the lackluster Arnie Duncan’s push to increase the number of charter schools that are more a business opportunity for connected political associates and a strategy to break the back of the Chicago Teacher’s Union than a quality educational option for city kids.
Under Obama, human rights have continued on the downward spiral begun by Bush. With right wing support, the Obama government has assassinated people in other countries, including at least one US citizen. Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which expands the power and scope of government. NDAA allows for the indefinite detention of terrorist suspects including US citizens. It undermines the human rights guarantees in the Constitution including the Sixth Amendment. While Obama has promised not to use this prerogative, he leaves the door open for others who will follow. His signing of the NDAA truly represents a shameful deterioration of democracy. Obama’s latest cha-cha with the corporate oligarchy reduces a few of the wealthy’s tax loopholes but grants them additional tax cuts.
