The 2008 presidential hopefuls are switching into high gear. They are spending fundraising money like there is no tomorrow –no political tomorrow, that is. For most of them this will be the last hoorah, but for two, it is the yellow brick road to Oz.
The question is: Does anybody care?
After all, when you cast your vote, you are really only choosing from the lesser of two evils. And we do have another year and a half until we are forced to think about politicians.
Let’s face it, most of them leave us with the feeling of needing to take a shower to get off all the “stuff” they shoveled on us.
But, alas and alack, we must take a deep breath and at least pay a little attention.
You know as well as I that we don’t want to have to spend the next 4 to 8 years mucking out of the “stuff” again. It would seem that in the last several years all we were left with is the “stuff.” We are engaged in an unpopular (and some say un-winnable) war in Iraq. Venezuela’s Chavez thinks we are led by the devil himself. Even Dubya’s usually supportive neoconservative natives are getting restless.
The President of the United States is considered one of the most powerful people in the world. During a term the president will decide on issues of war, health care, and so forth. All of these issues are important, but the policies made during this time may only last until the next presidency.
However, the president may make the decision of nominees to the Supreme Court. Although the appointee will have to pass snuff in the Senate, the president would likely choose a candidate whose politics are much like his (or her) own. Unlike policies put into force during a presidency, rules made by the Supreme Court will have much longer-lasting effects.
An example of this is the landmark case of Miranda v. Arizona which resulted in Miranda rights for those in police custody. Another case with enduring effects is Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas that ruled that “separate, but equal” was not legal.
So, take a few minutes to look over the possible candidates of your choice. Those few minutes could help shape America far into the future.
Contact Cassie Kennedy at theeasttexan@gmail.com