2008 Woodie Awards
The Cost of Caring
GREGORY LYON
Issue date: 11/12/07 Section: Op-Eds
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The word “revolution” is tossed around from time-to-time, but does anyone actually know what it means or how one can be implemented? The word comes from the Latin word revolutio, meaning “a turn around.” It is defined in sociology as a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure. Karl Marx once said that, “Revolutions are the locomotives of history.”
What’s interesting is that many of us are blind to the fact that we, in fact, are currently living in a prospective revolutionary period as we speak. It may not seem like it now but in a few years, much of the American politics, economy and social structure will be altered, bearing a new President. In 10 or 20 years, when our children are in school reading about this time, it will surely be noted as turning point for American politics. We are in a time of war and for the first time in more than 200 years, we have a woman front-running the Presidential campaign while our current President has one of the lowest approval ratings in American history. These issues are not universally bad or good, but are to be judged by us as citizens of this great democratic country. Because our current Administration will continue to stall and veto everything until the end of 2008 as to not make things worse than they already are, our country’s fate, economy and political direction lies solely in the winner of the 2008 election. And the 2008 election is up to us, the voters.
The question most students in the 18-24 year old age group have is, “How does this affect me at all if I’m not serving in the Armed Forces or in any political spectrum? Why does it
matter?”
Ever wonder who is going to pay for this costly war that we can’t afford? Answer: We are. We will be paying not only in American troop’s deaths, but in massive future increases in taxes and a decreased funding to departments like education, relief funds, social services, homeland security and justice.
According to MSNBC, the cost for war in the next decade, if we leave our current troop levels, will be as much as $2.4 trillion. This figure is significantly larger than the $549 billion that was spent on our most recent war in Vietnam, according to the Washington Post. Rep John M. Spratt Jr. of the House Budget Committee was quoted as saying, “The costs are exceeding even the worst-case scenarios.” The war spending this year alone exceeds that of the Department of Education, of Justice, and of Homeland Security combined (Washington Post).
We, as the youth of America, need to do more than just make groups on Facebook, gathering as many so-called “online activists” as we can to blog aimlessly, while achieving little to nothing in swaying actual political discourse. It is our responsibility to vote, speak out, join in, read up, and not only take notice, but also take action where we feel it is needed
What’s interesting is that many of us are blind to the fact that we, in fact, are currently living in a prospective revolutionary period as we speak. It may not seem like it now but in a few years, much of the American politics, economy and social structure will be altered, bearing a new President. In 10 or 20 years, when our children are in school reading about this time, it will surely be noted as turning point for American politics. We are in a time of war and for the first time in more than 200 years, we have a woman front-running the Presidential campaign while our current President has one of the lowest approval ratings in American history. These issues are not universally bad or good, but are to be judged by us as citizens of this great democratic country. Because our current Administration will continue to stall and veto everything until the end of 2008 as to not make things worse than they already are, our country’s fate, economy and political direction lies solely in the winner of the 2008 election. And the 2008 election is up to us, the voters.
The question most students in the 18-24 year old age group have is, “How does this affect me at all if I’m not serving in the Armed Forces or in any political spectrum? Why does it
matter?”
Ever wonder who is going to pay for this costly war that we can’t afford? Answer: We are. We will be paying not only in American troop’s deaths, but in massive future increases in taxes and a decreased funding to departments like education, relief funds, social services, homeland security and justice.
According to MSNBC, the cost for war in the next decade, if we leave our current troop levels, will be as much as $2.4 trillion. This figure is significantly larger than the $549 billion that was spent on our most recent war in Vietnam, according to the Washington Post. Rep John M. Spratt Jr. of the House Budget Committee was quoted as saying, “The costs are exceeding even the worst-case scenarios.” The war spending this year alone exceeds that of the Department of Education, of Justice, and of Homeland Security combined (Washington Post).
We, as the youth of America, need to do more than just make groups on Facebook, gathering as many so-called “online activists” as we can to blog aimlessly, while achieving little to nothing in swaying actual political discourse. It is our responsibility to vote, speak out, join in, read up, and not only take notice, but also take action where we feel it is needed
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