Whats Old is New Again

It's been a few months since the glorious election of Barack Obama, and already we are able to bear witness to the sweeping changes he has made from the failed policies of George W. Bush. Almost immediately after his election he decreed that Guantánamo Bay would be closed! Well, maybe - in a year... if it makes sense. He promised that the troops would come home from Iraq! At least when the time is right anyway, and only the ones that aren't needed for the new base... His ascension even ushered in a new era when the Federal Government would no longer interfere with the rights of the states with regards to their Medical Marijuana laws! Except for when they do... Finally, he is freeing us from the boondoggle that Bush made out of the economy! By doing the exact same thing that got us into this mess...

The reality of the situation is that in spite of the elation of the Democrats (and the weeping and gnashing of teeth from the Republicans) the election of Obama has do little to alter what is fundamentally wrong with this country. At most, he has pushed a little harder on the gas. Every speech, every action is essentially the same as Bush's. In fact, he represents the same government expansion and disregard for the Constitution that has existed for the better part of the last century. Granted, he is a better speaker then Bush was, and he has managed to whip up a populist fervor the way that Bush was never able to (sans briefly after 9/11), but to what goal?

He is granting unimaginable power to the Treasury. He is extending and expanding America's military adventurism. His administration has no intention of ending or even scaling back the Patriot Act. He is intent on maintaining broad executive powers through various orders and signing statements. His only differentiating quality is the grander scope of his actions, but even that is just an extension of the same big government ideals. There truly is nothing new under the sun. As long as our current duopoly stands, there will be very little change - or hope for that matter.