I think Iıve had enough "strategery" for this presidential term. From solving the energy crisis by drilling more oil to pushing a corporate agenda in labor disputes, our new administration is lacking something. Democracy, literally "rule of the people," would imply that our government should act in our best interests and not commercial ones. Bush might not be alone as a corporate representative in Washington, but he is clearly not the peopleıs president (if skeptical, refer to popular vote).

So what have we gotten, a hundred days into the new administration? Well, we have one promise broken, regarding Bushıs campaign commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocols. It is a step in the direction of policy consistency, if nothing else. Iım not really concerned with the broken promise; the American people have more to fear from Bushıs promised policies.

Take Bushıs tax cut, heavily weighted to wealthier Americans. Not only has his rationale done a 180, from "returning the surplus" to "jump-starting the economy," but tax cuts are fundamentally incapable of operating in the public interest. I suppose we should be glad to have a president who has moral integrity, however. Mr. Bush is certainly paying back his campaign debts with his tax plan.

When we examine Bushıs trade policy, however, we could almost believe he cares about American jobs. In a recent NY Times article, Bush remarked that "democratic freedoms cannot flourish unless our hemisphere also builds a prosperity whose benefits are widely shared." But Bushıs recent attendance at the Quebec conference on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) behind 3 miles of concrete and fencing suggests otherwise. This concrete monstrosity provided a physical and intellectual barrier between President Bush and the people who believe in spreading economic prosperity without destroying subsistence agriculture, the environment, worker safety, or wages.

President Bush is not the peopleıs president. If he had to wear a corporate logo one inch square for each donation of more than $10,000 his campaign received, his suit would be a cacophony of corporate advertising with nary an inch of fabric visible. He is a representative, but not of the American people. You get what you pay for.