Last week George W. Bush accepted the Republican nomination forPresident. America's undecided voters are not thinking whether ornot they like John Kerry but whether George II is worthy of beingelected for another four years. The answer is a resonant, no. It'stime to save a tree and plant a Bush back in Texas.
Okay, the current President isn't such a bad guy. I mean, he'shad some notable initiatives: affordable healthcare for everyone;affordable, high-quality education; affordable drugs for seniors,and a peaceful world without dictatorial regimes (though Bush saidit would be easier for him to run the country if the US was adictatorship). The valid issue was his methodology: how he intendedto achieve these goals.
Bush averred that to create affordable healthcare for everyoneit's best to rely on drug and insurance companies to be"competitive" to "drive down prices" and give "tax breaks" tofamilies to aid them in healthcare costs (which means waiting untiltax time to feel any better about what was spent for Johnny'sbraces.) Does anybody truly believe that for-profit companies whoalready charge us an arm and a leg for Zoloft will cede tocompetition and lower prices? I mean, come on. We are the onlywestern-industrialized nation without some form of universalgovernment-subsidized healthcare. Additionally, the US is shellingout the most money for prescription drugs as we use (abuse) themost prescription drugs than any other nation. We ease thedisquieting concern of healthcare in the US by popping morepills!
Bush also claimed to have created the most comprehensiveeducation reform by means of the No-Child-Left-Behind legislation.Unfortunately, if a program is not funded, it cannot benefit thoseit intended. Meanwhile, Bush supported cutting funds to Head Start,which studies have demonstrated to be a venerable early educationprogram for low-income kids. And what is he doing for the collegestudent population? At least John Kerry has fashioned a conceivablearrangement where kids can negotiate tuition remission forcommunity service.
Finally, the current President stated that to cultivate apeaceful world we must wage war on objectionable dictators,obdurately flout World War II allies, ignore wishy-washy evidenceon the existence of WMDs, and by duplicitous public relations, leadAmericans to believe that the Iraq was a war of absolute necessity,not a war of choice. Instead of demonstrating our military muscleon Iraq, we could have demonstrated our restrained but limitlessintellectual capacity to unite, on our side, the predominantmajority of Muslims who hate the blatant, violent tactics ofterrorist groups but abhor the notion of snuggling up to a brutishand snooty America. (And, what ever happened to that Osamaguy?)
We must change our nation's image and our conditions at homebefore we can ever think about changing the world. We also requirebetter environmental standards and non-divisive machinations by ournext President. Nearly all Americans would like a healthy,well-educated, liberated and united society. Who we elect to helpus pursue this laudable dream is the critical question. PresidentGeorge W. Bush has not demonstrated that his way is best.
We have, as a nation and as a civilization, gone backwards sinceJanuary 20, 2001 -- and we have a lot a catching up to do.
Write to Russ at
rjwpsy@yahoo.com
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