We Want Change, But it Might Not Come from a President
By Alex Gutierrez

The 2008 presidential election promises us Americans many wonders to look forward to --   hope, change, employment, and affordable healthcare for all Americans. These words are coming out of every candidates mouth right now, not to mention withdrawing the troops from Iraq.

This is clearly a historic election, with the next president possibly being a woman or an African-American. Right now any president would be better than George W. Bush Jr., but with all the promises out there I'm skeptical, what if the next president of the United States became a flop?

Senator Barack Obama, who appears to be the most inspiring candidate, promises reduced healthcare, more employment for everyone and goodwill towards home owners. Now reduced healthcare is excellent, don't get me wrong, but what part of “no money” don't people understand? A reduced cost healthcare can still be expensive for many Americans.

Even with a decent honest living, many employees are paid at minimum wage, which does not add up to enough to pay the bills. The number of recent college graduates who make $4,000 a month or more are out numbered by the population who never even graduated high school or received a G.E.D. With all the costs just to live like paying the rent, gas bills, cell phone/telephone at home, buying groceries, clothes for your children/and yourself, just pray that you or a loved on doesn't catch cold.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has been putting in work, but none-the-less, she too has her flaws. One of her major issues in the United States is the war on Iraq. She believes that we should pull out, but slowly. Although she is promoting scholarship money to those who go into the military, the problem is, going into the military while we are still in Iraq could mean death.

Employment is another issue addressed by both Senators. Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be created in the United States, most of those jobs being from factories dedicated to making solar, hydro, and wind powered energies, so we wont need the fossil fuels or the oil in Iraq. But with employment should come benefits packages and a decent living wage that can support a family. What's the use of those benefits if you can't help your own family?

On the Republican side, Senator John McCain seems to be the nominee. McCain is highly supportive of the Iraq war and plans to continue the war in search of weapons of massive destruction. In an interview, Senator John McCain referred to a Beach Boys song Barbera Ann but changed the lyrics to “bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.” That course of war doesn't seem much different than our current president.

While it is clear that many people want change, it may be that the voting booth is not where it is going to happen.   Because the change we are seeking may not be from the next president. Surely youth are the potential voters, but the real change may come the youth who will grow into men and women and they themselves can make history creating new policies and changing the world in more ways than in electoral politics.

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