Their Own Interests

In response to "A Defiant Iran Details Plan for 10 Enrichment Plants" by David E. Sanger and William J. Broad of The New York Times: Sunday, 29 November.


Each group of persons, collectively, look out for their own interests. As a nation, we do this extraordinarily well. Through the years, we've looked out for our own interests by investing our time throughout the world, developing business and trade (sometimes exploiting others) and forcing ourselves into territories which may not want our presence there. By looking out for our interests, primarily our love of oil, we've been in war after war after war.
That being said, when Iran wants to look out for its own interests, which happen to conflict with ours, we put up the defense. We condemn Iran's want for nuclear energy because we are afraid that they would use it against us. Buy why? Would they use it because we've somehow exploited the Iranian government in the past? Do they want nuclear energy simply to better the placement of their nation upon the prolific scale of nations which we place ourselves at the top?
My point is that we should worry about how others in the international community view our actions. So Iran wants nuclear weapons. We monitor the situation, we don't make harsh accusations, we don't anger them. We won't always be #1, although many will be saddened to realize this truth. The United States should maintain a status of humility, humble in its dealings with other nations and people. Perhaps then we may realize a time of supposed international favour.

Voting on Party Lines

In response to "Democrats Focus on U.S. Senators from Maine" by Carl Hulse of The New York Times: Sunday, 22 November.

We all know the Democrats are mustering their legislative strength in the Senate to pass a health-care reform bill. What we also know is that the Republican party is seemingly unwilling to enter into a debate of the proposed legislation, voting along party lines with each proposed bill. And now the Democratic party is reaching out to Senators Olympia Snow and Susan Collins, Republicans, to help gather the needed votes in the Senate to pass any bill produced.

We all know of these events, but what we sometimes fail to realize is the partisan Congress which we've created. Congress is supposed to be representative of the people, of us, but how often it is that our elected policy makers cannot come to a specified compromise. Is this legitimate truth of un-compromise representative of the American public? Well, we did vote Congress into office...

The public should be more wary of voting along partisan lines so effortlessly and conveniently. Political parties should be seen as a detractor to passing legislation and as such should be limited in their scope to avoid such misgivings to the American people as we see in the Senate and the House. No, not everyone will agree all of the time, especially in terms of politics, but we need to realize what impact a simple vote of "Republican" or "Democrat" will have on our governmental system. Instead of voting for a party, we should vote on the issues, what is of more importance.

Let's not vote along party lines.