Maybes

Perhaps if I were born to a wealthy, powerful and influential family, the word ‘sacrifice’ would pass my lips as seldom as it passes the lips of President Bush. Consider the following which come readily to mind on a lovely Spring morning:

After 9/11 he urged us to go to the mall as our contribution to fighting terrorism.

He has signed every spending bill that has reached him.

He pushed for and got a tax cut in the face of a war in which our troops don’t have enough equipment to properly defend themselves.

He wants to eliminate the estate tax even though the number of people affected is miniscule.

Perhaps If I were born to a wealthy, powerful and influential family, I would feel that things would always work out well for me. Consider the following:

At a time when more and more reputable petro-geologists are becoming convinced that the world’s oil supply will be just about gone in this century, perhaps in as few as 25 years, the president calls for more oil production.

Despite our requiring 1,700,000 gallons of fuel in Iraq daily, Bush tolerates a Defense Department that considers fuel efficiency something “for sissies”. (Note we ‘only’ use 1,000,000 gallons of gas in the US every day.)

After a winter when many did not have enough heat, we have a budget which proposes to spend $200,000,000 on a sexual abstinence program. Since this proposal is greeted with silence, maybe Bush’s belief in things working out is justified.

For the first time in quite a while we are faced with another super power, if not two, on the world scene. And what is Bush doing? Sending experts to tell China and India how to use energy more efficiently. This from a nation of SUV drivers, a government that denies the existence of global warming.

I should stop now. To go on will only raise my blood pressure.