Election and Depression anniversary both nearing
Mutinkhe Kaunda
The American presidential election campaign has been a quagmire at best, and a lion’s den at worst – neither situation holds much hope for a victim.Somehow or the other, soccer mums, pigs and plumbers got dragged into the fray, and for sometime overshadowed real issues, such as the economy for one.
Overnight, John McCain elevated a little known plumber, Joe Wurzelbacher of Toledo, Ohio, to celebrity status by bringing up his name during the final presidential debate with both candidates mentioning his name several times, according to The New York Times.
Wurzelbacher, or Joe the Plumber as he is affectionately called by the press, initially only wanted to take Obama to task on a tax issue.
However, Wurzelbacher, a prospective businessman was then crucified for being an unlicensed plumber, and owing $1,200 in back taxes according to pundits.
One can assume that Wulzerbacher is probably not too happy with the Paris Hilton treatment. Surely the public should be able to raise legitimate concerns in public without facing national scrutiny.
Both nominees have spent time defending the tone of their advertising campaigns, both having gone that extra mile to ensure ultimate victory.
According to Professor Ken Goldstein, director of the Wisconsin Advertising Project, both camps have spent a combined total $28 million from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2008.
Character assassinations, he said-she-said attacks, and words quoted out of context seem to have been the life blood of this year’s campaigns.
Whether negative or positive, millions of dollars have been spent and one hopes that it will all be worth it in the end.
In the meantime, the U.S. economic downturn continues and Wall Street lumbers on with $700 billion in its back pocket to temporarily plug the hole.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistic states that over the past 12 months the unemployment rate has increased by 2.2 million percent from 4.1 percent to 6.1 percent. Sectors effected include construction, manufacturing, retail trade, mining and health care.
Approximately 1,600 workers at three General Motors Corporation factories in Detroit will be laid off by February 2009, according to Tom Krishner an Associated Press auto writer.
Watching from the sidelines, one can only sympathize with those that have to dig through the dirt and rubble and determine within a couple of weeks, who will lead them through what could be one of the worst economic crises since the Great Depression of 1929.
Yes, it is ironic that Oct. 24, marks the anniversary of the Great Depression.
Eerily, historic accounts indicate that the United States generally experiences economic crises every 20 years, and 2009 marks the beginning of that 20-year cycle.
