Spartan Daily

Spartan Daily Thursday, April 21, 2011
News Opinion Letters Sports A&E

The times, they are a changing?


By Francisco Rendon
Francisco's Chronicles
Published: Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Updated: Thursday, April 21, 2011 }
Francisco Rendon
Imagine if President Obama ordered the arrest of 25 members of the Senate.
This is the situation in Zimbabwe, where longtime dictator Robert Mugabe has ordered the arrest of more than one quarter of the country's parliament.
Mugabe, who has been in power since 1988, is credited with driving Zimbabwe's previously self-sufficient economy into the ground and rigging elections to maintain power, according to the CIA website.
Despite being defeated in Zimbabwe's most recent parliamentary election, Mugabe agreed to share power with members of an opposing party, as long as he could remain Prime Minister.
Then he sent his parliamentary opponents to jail.
The situation is absurd, without a doubt, and yet it is the reality confronting the 12 million people living in Zimbabwe.
Thousands gathered in Harare, the country's capital, on Saturday of last week to protest the escalating violence, but were dispersed with force by the police.
While Zimbabwe is a unique political climate, cries for reform are rising up in Uganda, Yemen and Syria, mirroring the protests that restructured government in Egypt and Tunisia and garnered international involvement in Libya.
All over the world, people are deciding they want to change the way society is run.
Masses pour out into streets across the globe to speak out against oppressive governments, to try and make their world better.
And many people are doing what they can to be a part of that.
One has to wonder, how much better off are we in this country?
Yes, we still have the biggest guns, supermarkets lined with food and lots of shiny cars, but what if we want something else.
Are there things that we actually want to change, or is our society perfect?
We have incredible freedom in this country, we can say and do almost anything we want.
This brings forth a paramount question: Is it even possible to make the world better?
I firmly believe that the betterment of the world can be accomplished, but only through pure deeds and commendable conduct.
The choices we make everyday have a clear impact on others, do they not? Our deeds reverberate and ripple in countless indirect ways which we can never predict or understand.
In regards to the protests being held in other countries, it seems clear that perpetrating acts of violence does not lead to peace, only to more violence, and has rarely proven a path for meaningful reform.
Yet, there is clearly a consciousness rising around the world that there is a need for a change, and people are increasingly expressing their desire to contribute to the transformation of our global society.
So while we live comfortably in this country, and President Obama will probably not be locking away his opponents in Congress anytime soon, perhaps now, we as student at San Jose State can begin thinking about how we will change the world.
This is a special appearance of "Francisco's Chronicles." Francisco Rendon is a Spartan Daily Staff Writer.

1 comments
Tedriii Thu Apr 21 2011 Needy IHSS, a $5.8 billion program that relies on county, state and federal funds, provides services to about 440,000 low-income elderly, blind and disabled Californians. Advocates say many enrollees would otherwise use more costly care at nursing facilities, paid by Medi-Cal. In an effort to trim state costs estimated at $1.3 billion this fiscal year, the Democratic governor proposed slashing services by 8.4 % across the board. He wanted to stop paying for domestic services provided by caregivers who live with their IHSS clients. As of Feb. 1, IHSS cut another 3.6%, so the total is 12%Democrats shelved cuts pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown in favor of alternatives backed by allies in organized labor. Brown proposed saving $365 million by reducing In-Home Supportive Services across the board and eliminating paid domestic services provided by live-in caregivers, often relatives. There are a few rare examples of real Christians or magnanimous rich or rich about to die who want to make a few peace offerings to the poor. But the poor get poorer in cutting the program. But I've said time and again the rich will never give up their riches unless forced to at the point of a gun! So they didn't.Ted Rudow III, MA
Class of 1996