| OPINION
| November 5, 2004
Editorial/Our View
You Can Still Make a Difference
The election is over, but Americans
should continue to speak out
The results have been tallied.
Americans will have four more years of President Bush, whether they
like it or not. Many issues face the president, and citizens can
still speak out on those issues. Don’t let your voice end
with your vote.
While many government policies affect us as Americans, education
legislation directly affects us as students. According to factcheck.org,
spending for Pell grants went from just under $8 billion to $12.7
billion after Bush took office. But although he promised to increase
the maximum aid amount from $3,300 to $5,100 for first-year students,
it only rose to $4,050.
Funding for public schools also went up, along with the standards
students must meet. But rising standards call for more resources,
and observers say the funding still isn’t enough to cover
the costs of teaching and testing. It will be interesting to see
if Bush increases funding for schools and Pell grants, if he lowers
standards or if he does nothing at all.
The war in Iraq has divided the United States. Bush says he has
plans to end the war and bring troops home soon, but whether this
is feasible remains to be seen. How these plans pan out could have
serious impacts on our foreign policy and economy. Many people agree
that now we’re in Iraq, we need to stay and finish the job,
but it’s also widely believed that any promises of a short-term
solution are just lip service.
With our foreign relations strained almost to a breaking point,
it’s clear that ties with other countries need to be mended.
Any way you look at it, Bush has an enormous job in front of him.
Many people are disappointed with the past four years’ environmental
policies (or lack thereof). While most issues relating to pollution,
recycling and global warming were downplayed during this election
in favor of more pressing issues like the war, the human need for
clean air and water isn’t going away. The Kyoto Protocol and
corporate responsibility for releasing materials into the environment
still need to be addressed.
There’s no end in sight to our dependence on foreign oil,
and this administration seems reluctant to even discuss, let alone
fund, studies on alternative fuel sources. We hope Americans who
care about the environment speak up, and not let those in power
continue to ignore these issues.
Other issues remain — jobs, the economy, immigration, Social
Security and taxes. It will be difficult to address them all in
a satisfactory manner, and we hope President Bush has the wisdom
and common sense to do what is right for the country. Though Election
Day is over, you can still participate in the political process.
Write or call your Congressional and local representatives to voice
your concerns. You’ve already voted, but you can still make
a difference.
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Editorial
round-up
The issue:
Bush won the election.
We suggest:
Watch how he deals with problems facing the nation,
and continue to be involved.
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