Trouble for Our Generation?
Written by Jake
November 17, 2007
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m irritated. Let me tell you why. First of all, I’m as American as it gets. I was the all American high school athlete, I joined and served four years in the Marine Corps, and I’m currently working a 40 hour a week job and I’m soon to graduate college. I’m 24 years old and I’m doing the things that you’re supposed to do to eventually live that American dream. As a matter of fact, that is the American dream. I’m doing the things that I want to do and I am doing it freely. However, I can’t help but feel trouble on the horizon for me and my peers. Throughout this year, I’ve become much more invested in politics and the government in this country. Unfortunately, the deeper I’ve looked, the sicker I feel. Between war, the economy, and our immigration issues, I can’t help but feel like the teapot is whistling. Just take a minute and hear me out.
I get so aggravated listening to the current administration talking about how we can’t pull out now, because that would only encourage our Middle Eastern enemies. At this point, I wonder why Bush or Cheney ever even talk to the American people, since they’ve been caught lying so many times to us. Does anyone out there still actually believe a word that they say? I’m the type of person that will give you my trust, but once you squander it, it will be hard to get it back. The Bush administration doesn’t even seem to make an attempt to get our trust back. Bush says repeatedly that he makes tough decisions and he’s not there to win a popularity contest. I understand that the decisions of the President of the United States must be tough, but it is your job to make decisions based on what the people you represent want.
Most of the American people at this point, realize that we’ve gone to war for the wrong reasons in Iraq. We have tons of video evidence of many government officials getting us pumped up with stories of weapons of mass destruction and an evil regime, only to have them later refuted by absolutely no weapons of mass destruction. Then we see them trying to save face by saying that the intelligence must have been bad, but now that we’re there we have to fix it. Two horrible things happened in this light: 1. we forgot about the real reason we went into the Middle East (9/11), and 2. in the process of fighting this war, nearly 4,000 good men and women of our armed forces have lost their lives and another 28,000 have been wounded. Is it just me or is this a total catastrophe that should’ve been averted with much more care, or immediately ended upon knowledge that the Bush administration was “mistaken?”
To make manners worse, now we are looking at Iran with an evil eye. Are we really going to stand by and let the actions of the few jackasses in office lead us straight to our demise? Haven’t we made enough mistakes to realize that maybe we shouldn’t be letting Bush and his administration make these important and costly decisions. He was already wrong in a colossal way with Iraq, and now he’s telling us how dangerous Iran is? What the hell does he know? Wake up people, this guy still has a year left to do as much damage as he can for Exxon and Halliburton, to name a few, as possible.
Without a doubt, I believe that the American people in general are ready for a change. We need a change. As I watch the Presidential debates, I see these candidates and I see no change in a lot of them. I see a lot of lies, flip-flops and dangerous talk about foreign policy. There is video evidence on almost every candidate that shows him/her saying one thing, and then saying the exact opposite. In some cases, it’s only a moment or two later! Who does this remind you of? You got it, the Bush administration.
People, this is an important election. We are stretched very thin in many ways. First, we have troops scattered all over the world right now. When I was in the military, we’d boast that we could be anywhere in the world within 24 hours and begin a conflict successfully. I’m starting to think that’s because we might already be there. Either that or we’re next door. What is the point, we don’t need to be fighting all the time. Nobody likes the guy that is always picking a fight. And make no mistake about it, that’s exactly what we do. Second, we are stretched thin economically. These are obviously the most important issues for the coming administration and they certainly go hand and hand. It’s ridiculous to me that any of these candidates think they will improve our economy and stay in Iraq (or Iran if Bush gets his way). We are spending astronomical amounts of money on this war and to think that we’re going to see a better tax situation with these wars going on is ridiculous.
The only way we’re ever going to see a real improvement on our economy is if we stop this excessive government spending, bring our troops home and stop picking fights with the world, and eliminate these incomprehensible trade agreements. Our government is running up the bill. Our war is costing trillions of dollars, our national debt is over $9 trillion, and our trade deficits are also astronomical. At some point, we are going to have to pay these bills. Any adult knows that you can’t just borrow and borrow and never pay the bill. As the next generation, can we please wake up, stop drilling deeper and start devising a plan that will allow for us only start getting back on our feet? Just think, if we would have spent a portion of this money that we’ve spent on this war on “weapons of mass destruction” to start digging out of this hole we’re in, what a different situation we’d have. Not only that, but don’t you think even a small portion of a trillion dollars could go a long way in a diplomatic resolution?
The real point of what I’m trying to say is that we need a change. We need some one who isn’t going to lie, who will bring us home from the Middle East, who will protect our borders, who will end stupid trade agreements, and who will improve our economy and lower taxes. As you look at the candidates, who sticks out? He takes heat for being a “trader” to his party. That’s actually what the media has said about him. When you have you have the whole party sounding a lot like the Bush administration, maybe we should see that as a good thing. When it’s time to vote, the only person that I really feel like I can trust to make a difference is republican Ron Paul.