Stop Complaining and Do Something Besides Voting

After reading the article ‘A Sarcastic Thank You From NYC’, I’m inclined to defend against some false assumptions made.First of all, I would like to defend president Bush in that he says that he does not seek to make abortion illegal. Similarly, Bush has declined many times that he does not seek to reinstate the draft – something that liberals accuse him of. In fact, it was liberals in Congress that proposed the draft be re-instated, and then voted against their own legislature!Also I find it funny that many liberals are scared of their own government because of the conservative republican swing in both the executive and legislative branches, when in fact, President Bush’s cabinet has been the second most diverse (only to Clinton) and now the Senate and House are the most diverse they’ve ever been, according to a CNN.com news article. Similarly if you paid any attention to the news through the entire Bush term, and not just the last year or two, you will know that Bush has a consistent record of working on a bipartisan level. Not only did President Bush appoint both republicans and democrats to cabinet positions, but also personally worked with Ted Kennedy – considered the most liberal senator in the United States – on the ground-breaking No Child Left Behind Act. Bush has a long standing history of working with Democrats, not against them. After winning the election he gave a speech, part of which was directed at Kerry voters, saying that he would work for their approval.Also I find it funny that democrats are worried about any possible judicial appointments. While I can understand the opposition to a conservative judge in their eye, one more conservative judge would be considered diversifying the current supreme court.Coming from a primarily white italian and irish, roman catholic suburb in Massachusetts, I’ve heard plenty of liberal democratic messages that I consider myself more of a moderate than pure conservative. I was a mild supporter of Clinton in certain aspects, and I think that, at times, Bush is a little too right-wing for my tastes. However, looking at the GOP.com website, one can see clearly where the party stands on what they plan to accomplish with the president in the next four years. I could not find one initiative against gay marriage or abortion in there as a primary objective, and I think liberals are the ones using scare tactics.I believe that before anyone jumps on any political bandwagon, look at the issues and the plans being proposed. If you disagree, don’t just complain about it, but write a letter to your senator or representative and be heard. Your senator is not likely to read your article in a college newspaper or on your web site, but she/he is much more likely to read your angry letters – and yes, they will care what you think. I feel that too many democrats are just bitter and refuse to work with republicans to make this country better. There is more to do than complain. A Democracy is about more than just voting.