Supporting solutions

“Impeach Bush! Impeach Bush!” command the posters, bumper stickers and protesters eagerly waving their signs around Portland. I smile at their valiant effort, but then a wistful thought snakes through my mind. Too little, too late.

As much as I would love to see George W. Bush booted out of the White House, sprawled on the concrete while passerbys sneer at his dopey face, it isn’t a realistic goal.

Looking at Bill Clinton’s case, it took months of trials to impeach him and despite the impeachment, he remained in office until the end of his term. Since Bush is less than a year away from the end of his term, an impeachment would be unlikely to remove him from office any sooner than planned.

A Web site called www.bushslastday.com has a wonderful timer counting down the seconds until Bush’s term of presidency is finally finished.

Even if the U.S. government worked uncharacteristically speedily to remove Bush from office, Dick Cheney would then become the president. It seems superfluous to spend tax money to remove one scumbag from office just to replace him with another. I have seen “Impeach Cheney” signs as well, but people are still missing the bigger picture; that change will not become possible until Bush’s cabinet is eradicated and replaced.

Supporting Barack Obama or John McCain is a good start. Yet, protestors’ time would be better spent fighting for issues. The media often focuses on choosing Obama as president so he can clean up Bush’s messes.

Supporting presidential candidates is a good idea as long as other important issues don’t get swept underneath the rug. Protestors could spend time locally supporting the causes that make Obama a more admirable president than Bush.

Ending the Iraq War is paramount. As both the number of wounded soldiers and the death rate climbs, the situation is becoming increasingly desperate. There are few stories sadder than the 18-year-olds, fresh from high school, that want to protect their country but instead lose their life in a war centered on the president’s greed.

In Obama’s Blueprint For Change, he states that as president, “I will end the war in Iraq. I will close Guantanamo. I will restore habeas corpus.” He promises that he would never allow such torture to occur as Bush has orchestrated at Guantanamo. A recent New York Times article reported that some people have been detained in Guantanamo now for six years under harsh conditions.

Perhaps if Bush were not so personally involved with established oil companies, he’d be keen on the idea of finding another source of energy. Once the fossil fuels are consumed, they’re gone. It is childish to fight over it. Children are taught to share, but first I think that adults must learn this principle. Many countries have taken a mature stance on the energy crisis by looking for alternative, sustainable options.

On Obama’s Web site, he suggests that this would create up to five million new green jobs. These jobs would start higher than minimum wage and have the potential for advancement.

New, sustainable, high-paying jobs are exactly what we need to boost our economy and the environment. Also, it would be a proactive step toward combating global warming.

Several recent reports are concerned that the polar ice cap could completely break apart this summer for the first time in human history. The melted ice would become fresh water, diluting the salt content in the oceans. Wild polar bears would be rendered extinct. Ocean currents, which control weather, could be affected. Major cities could suffer from flooding. The ramifications are not fully known.

Human rights are another support-worthy cause. With California becoming the second state to legalize gay marriage, now is a great time to follow in Canada’s footsteps to advocate for gay rights for the entire United States. As president, Obama pledges to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and support gay rights for equality.

Obama will also support college students by creating the new American Opportunity Tax Credit to make community college and the first $ 4,000 of every student’s higher education free. The rest of the tuition would be covered by up to two-thirds of the cost.

There are several other issues that Obama states that he supports which we could also try to improve locally. Taking care of our veterans, civil rights, improving education standards, creating affordable healthcare, fighting poverty and any other society-improving cause that you can think up.

If someone has the time to hold signs demanding to impeach George W., than perhaps reallocating that time to support these causes would be a better use of one’s time.