Acorn

Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Maria Montchal

The 2008 presidential election promises to be one of the most exciting, thought-provoking, history-making elections in American history. We've already seen this in the incredible turnout in the presidential primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada for the Democrats, and in Michigan for the Republicans. For the first time in American history, a woman and an African-American each stand a serious chance of being the next president of the United States. We could also possibly elect the first Mormon president, Mitt Romney, or the oldest president elected, John McCain.

But there are more important things at stake in 2008 than even these historical precedents. We are in our fifth year of occupying Iraq-at the cost of 4,000 American troops and over $1 trillion-yes, you read that right-in projected spending by the end of 2008.

Should we continue to "stay the course" and continue to help the Iraqi government, or should we bring our troops home? Our country currently has one sixth of its population-about 50 million Americans-living without health insurance-and many more with only partial coverage. Is the private sector the solution or should the government get involved in providing health care?

America seems headed for its first recession since 1991, with the housing market collapsing and the New York Stock Exchange losing 2,000 points-about 15 percent of its value-in the last six months. Should the government help to straighten the shaky economy? And if so, how? And I haven't even mentioned the most pressing issue of the day-what can we as Americans do about Britney Spears? OK, I'm kidding.

The point I am trying to make is that if we as Americans spent even half the time we spend on watching our favorite entertainers get humiliated on national television on holding our government accountable, then we probably would not be in the mess we are in today.

I understand the feeling that the "system" is "broken." I understand the feeling that most politicians are out for the money. I understand how many of us feel that we can't make a difference. The problem is that none of those three statements are true.

Does our government have problems? Sure. Heck, we can't even agree to define what torture is. But what we face as a nation now is nothing compared to what previous generations have faced in this country. In the span of 15 years-1930 to 1945-the United States saw 25 percent of its citizens go without work, the banking industry collapse, leading politicians and business leaders join the American equivalent of the Nazi Party and striking workers shot and run over in the streets of Detroit and Minneapolis.

Continued...

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