"The question I ask is, what sacrifice are we making? Anyone in the know who is watching us has to wonder about our character, our intellectual honesty, our concern about our national security, our nation's competitiveness in the global marketplace now and in the future, and, last but not least, our don't-give-a-darn attitude about the standard of living and quality of life of our children and grandchildren."
-Senator George Voinovich

Responsibility is a term and a concept we have been taught to understand and embrace ever since we were old enough to do chores around the house, or take care of our first pet. As we grow older we are held responsible for the consequences of our actions, for our performance in school, and for planning our lives so that we can one day become responsible adults and citizens. So shouldn’t the Federal Government, who is responsible for taking care of all of us responsible citizens, be acting in a responsible manner? Apparently the answer is no. So we, therefore, as responsible citizens, have the responsibility to vote for candidates who can responsibly provide us with a bright future.
Several issues in government need to be addressed soon, before they turn into real problems that require drastic and difficult changes that could have been and should have been avoided. By taking a proactive approach to these looming problems, we can avoid future crises and make the world a better place for future generations. Several issues need to be addressed.
First of all, national security through a strong foreign policy is an issue that should be on everyone’s mind. Past and present foreign policies have done nothing but isolate our country on the international stage, and set America apart as an imperialistic, imposing, self-interest serving empire. These kinds of policies have done nothing but make America a source of resentment for those who have the capability and the willpower to bring harm upon us. The United States used to pride itself on being morally superior to every other country that exerted influence on the world stage. It seems nowadays though, that protecting American interests abroad at the expense of the freedom and dignity of other people has become the status quo. Our leaders preach democracy, freedom, and equal rights to other nations while supporting and funding regimes that restrict and persecute their citizens. Consistency in our words and actions will serve us better in making friends across the world than will having convenient allies who espouse the same actions and lack of values that we preach against. Having true friends and allies across the world will serve to strengthen our national security more than any spending bill Congress can ever pass.
Global warming is another issue that needs to be tackled and taken care of very soon. Many people still deny that it is a threat to the world and that climate changes are a natural world occurrence, but anyone who has ever seen the amount of smog that lies over cities such as Los Angeles, Mexico City, or Beijing on a daily basis, knows that it is real and it is happening now. According to biologists, earth is in the middle of one of the greatest plant and animal extinctions of all time because of human interference with the ecosystem. As of now we can only speculate what the physical effects of our actions will be, but if we care about the future of children and out planet, shouldn’t we do what we can now to avoid any possible negative effects?
Finally, it is time to fix government. Candidates and politicians always say that government is broke and they are there to fix it, but usually they are just blowing smoke. This time government really is broke and the politicians should be held accountable for their words and made to fix it. Social Security and our enormous budget deficit threaten to drive our country into a downhill slide faster than any other foreseeable event if they are not addressed soon. The irresponsible spending practices of the Bush administration have driven the national debt up to levels that will now take years to dig out of. This lack of money, added to the upcoming cost of retiring baby boomers will place an unneeded and massive financial burden on people of our generation. Taxes will go up to levels never before seen, and Government spending on other important projects like healthcare and military spending will have to take a backseat to the amount of money needed to sustain the retirement funds of the baby boomers, and payments on the national debt.
These, among many other issues will need to be addressed soon by those who have the power to do so. If not, we threaten to drive our nation right out of the “world’s only remaining superpower” position we hold so dear because of our unwillingness to do what is right when we have the chance. I only hope President Obama follows through on the promises he made during the campaign about doing just that.