Goodbye Dubya. This is my not-so-fond farewell to you. I refuse toexpend any more energy, in print, screaming at the wall that yourStrangelovian stances have constructed. You are the most divisivepresident in recent memory for many reasons — reasons,I believe, voters will not forget during their drive to the polls.Come Nov. 2, the majority in America will finally have its voiceheard and you will once again lose the presidential election. I havespent the past four years in a fog of frustration trying torationalize your decisions as president, and I have had enough.
You have scared even the most hawkish of politicians, such asHenry Kissinger, by marginalizing the importance of the globalcommunity of which we are a part. Your policy of preemptive war hasleft us with more than a 90 percent share of the casualties and costsof the war in Iraq. The international community – which oncelooked to us for guidance – now shuns us as misled anddangerous. Under your watch North Korea and Iran, two nations in yourinfamous “Axis of Evil,” have increased their nuclear capabilities.Afghanistan, following our invasion and subsequent occupation, hasreturned to its pre-eminent status as the world’s number one opiumdealer. How have these actions made the world a safer place?
Your ability to marginalize minorities in America in the name ofpatriotism by using legislation with misleading names – seethe Patriot Act or the No Child Left Behind Act – stillastounds me. In fact, many teachers criticize the NCLB Act asunder-funded and over-reliant on testing, and say it stifles localinitiative. This funding is most needed in lower income areas, whereschools traditionally “perform at a lower level.” Unfortunately, youhave been unable to deliver the needed funds. Howard Dean may haveput it best, “The president promised better schools. Instead, he hasdelivered more paperwork, lower standards and higher property taxes,as state and local governments scramble to comply with this unfundedfederal mandate.”
The Patriot Act, a piece of legislation you have touted and pushedthrough our legislature, has been a constant source of frustrationfor many in America. Basic civil liberties have been stripped fromus. According to the American Civil Liberties Union’s Web site(www.aclu.org), “Many parts of this sweeping legislation take awaychecks on law enforcement and threaten the very rights and freedomsthat we are struggling to protect. For example, without a warrant andwithout probable cause, the FBI now has the power to access your mostprivate medical records, your library records and your studentrecords … and can prevent anyone from telling you it was done.”
Your 2005 budget proposes cutting the department of veteransaffairs staff that handles benefits claims. This action againabandons and betrays those who have sacrificed for you– men and women who will struggle with the indeliblephysical and mental marks the war in Iraq has left on them.Unfortunately, your priorities are such that these men and womendon’t figure in very prominently. As further evidence of this, youradministration recently proposed to cut soldiers combat pay.
Goodbye Dubya, your administration will not be missed. My onlyhope is that the country hasn’t taken such a drastic turn that wecan’t re-capture the leadership and promise our nation held prior toyour presidency. Perhaps I may even be able to regain some of thepolitical optimism your presidency has robbed of me.
– Bill Luecke is a history senior and opinion editor for The DailyAztec.
– This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of TheDaily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com.Anonymous letters will not be printed – include your fullname, major and year in school.
