Opinion |

Inaction on major issues result of rampant apathy amongst Americans

By Michael Dabrieo

Posted on Monday, October 29th, 2007, 12:00 am

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been the major focus of President Bush’s tenure as the leader of the most powerful country in the world. They have not, however, been the major focus of the most powerful people in the world: the citizens of the United States of America. Though heavily debated and often hated, relatively limited public action has been taken against the policies and wishes of Bush’s imperial administration.

Bush asked for another $46 billion from Congress on Monday to fund his little project. This is money that could go to a laundry list of other items that belong on Bush’s to-do list, which he has so conveniently ignored. These include the crumbling health care system, the exportation of industry and the problem of global warming. Who has time to worry about the entire Earth changing its weather patterns when there is a needless war being waged?

President Bush has seen the lowest approval ratings of any president ever, including Nixon and LBJ; it is evident the public is unhappy. Yet, no action is taken. I walk through my campus on a Saturday and see droves of people painted blue and white in support of the football team, yelling battle cries at their rivals. I cannot help but think about how much things would be different if such effort was put towards public policy once a week.

Where are the sit-ins? Where are the colleges and universities banding together, making their voices heard? Where are the protests? I walked around the Capitol building in Washington D.C. last January protesting the war with over 500,000 people chanting and dancing our profession of peace. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, everyone went home and Congress ignored us. Maybe too many people were busy enjoying the oddly warm weather to care about anything else.

Students and journalists have claimed that this generation doesn’t feel connected to the war because there is no draft. That is probably a valid reason, but it’s no excuse. There are still members of our society being whisked from their lives and thrown into a conflict where there seems to be no plausible victory.

Furthermore, the American people are wasting away the right that American policy makers are trying to force onto Iraqis. How dare we tell a country it should be democratic when we are a walking talking example of how a democracy doesn’t work? The people speak; the government doesn’t listen, and the people stop talking.

Change needs to happen, and Americans need to stop thinking that someone else will do it for them. Citizenship doesn’t end with voting every four years. There needs to be a resurgence and realization that we hold the power and write the checks, not the Senate, not the House and certainly not some word-stumbling fascist who sits in the Oval Office like King George in his castle.

So stand up, America. Stop feeling bad about your situation, and change it. Are you sick of having to pay for health insurance? Tired of seeing half your paycheck eaten up by gas money? Are you pissed off that while you are struggling to feed your children, the president is more focused on getting us to Mars than modernizing our economy? Looking for someone to blame? Try facing the mirror, because your apathy has shattered the foundation upon which a once-great nation was built.

Michael Dabrieo is a senior journalism major who loves the ’60s.