Friday, May 02, 2008

Not Losing Perspective

In the Obama versus Clinton fight, many of us may have forgotten the big picture and the context of these times.

Don't get me wrong; I enjoy debating the merits of my chosen candidate as much as the next person. However, allow me to list a few pressing issues that are still very much dragging the United States down. I know these will come as no shock to anyone.

  1. The Iraq War.

We continue to lose troops on a daily basis, but apparently in this day and age, they have to die in great number for us to pay attention to it. What's one or two human lives per day, more or less?

  1. High Energy Costs.

Here in Alabama, gas is pushing $3.60 a gallon and will likely be at $4 in the next month. In many other places, gas is far higher than that. This places a burden on our economy and raises the cost of many goods. For example, I've watched the slow steady uptick in prices of groceries. Certain items are a full dollar more than they were a year ago. Every week, items cost five to ten cents higher than they were even seven days before.

  1. A Recession with No End in Sight

I feel the results of this directly, as I teach history to community college students. When students have to cut back in their lives, they cut out education to purchase and pay for food, gasoline, rent, mortgage payment and other essentials. College tuition shouldn't be as high as it is anyway, but that's another subject altogether and I digress.

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We can debate the merits of candidates all day long, but if a Democrat is elected to the White House (here's hoping), my biggest concern is whether or not either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama will actually get needed reforms passed and implemented. I am notoriously skeptical of Washington politics and I know full well that whomever is elected will have his or her work cut out for them.

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