SpearsofTruth

What’s in a Name?

A name is an important thing. I’m certain that Madison Avenue types spend lots of money to name a new product to better sell it to the public. They labor over just the right name to provide allure, mystery, and irresistibility.

The Bush administration has done a good job of coming up with names to sell the public on the dubious benefits of some of their dubious programs.

To name one, The Patriot Act. Who wants to be against something like the Patriot Act? You’d have to be anti-patriotic to be against it. Of course, it could be an infringement on your civil liberties.

The Death Tax is another good example. What (you may ask)? They’re taxing death now when we all thought that death was what got us out of paying taxes. The death tax, as it is called, is a tax that is levied against estates when someone passes away. Its main purpose is to tax large estates. Middle class folks will rarely be affected by it. (For the record, only 3% of estates were subjected to the estate tax in 2002), but this administration has a distinct allergy to any tax, so it had to go. (Not that they have an aversion to spending.)

One of the primary reasons posited by the administration was that it was a direct attack on the family farm because while these farmers are usually cash poor, they are land rich and land must be considered an asset. Now, never mind that there has been no record of a family farm going under because of the estate tax and only 2% of these family farms were subject to the tax.

What about the Clean Air act? It poses as something that will provide all Americans with clean, unscented air when it is actually legislation that takes the teeth out of already existing legislation and gives large corporations a break. Who cares that it increases the amount of mercury in our environment?

Master’s of stagecraft, the Bush administration certainly wouldn’t leave out the chance to come up with a snappy phrase for a banner. Who can forget “Mission Accomplished?” This banner was placed prominently over the deck of the aircraft carrier after a dramatic fly in by the commander-in-chief. This was supposed to give viewers sense of accomplishment when we all knew that there was years of work ahead. But we knew better because since then the U.S. soldier casualty rate doubled.

When it seemed as if the wheels were coming off the administration, it was time for another banner – A Plan for Victory. Now, who would put up a banner that stated, “A Plan for Failure?”

So, just remember, everything is in a name. Just make sure you know what the name really means.

Sources
http://www.factcheck.org/article328.html

http://www.savethecleanairact.org/pdf/FS-S-131-Mercury.pdf

posted by Random @ 7:43 AM