Junior Research Paper: The Changing Face of Democracy

The Changing Face of "Democracy"

The nation we knew as the United States is no more. The fair, war-weary republic that we've all known and loved has been replaced by a tired war hungry, that has been so split that it is hardly worthy of being called the "United" States. But what happened, one might ask. When looking into the past, the major turning point occurred in the year 2000. In that year, the dynastic candidate George W. Bush was elected president, and since has reigned with an iron will to turn the United States into the nation that it is today.

Going back to the year 2000, the inside facts are plenty. The primary elections chose two candidates: the republican George Bush and the Democrat Al George. From the start, this election had epic proportions as tremendous amounts of capital were being spent on both sides of the political fence. Weary of the constant bickering, all were happy to tune in election night to see the turnout of a hard years work. But what did people see that night; only the most controversial election in 230 years of American history. Not only was the vote still undecided, but the indecision would continue to last for months afterwards. The trouble was in the state of Florida, where the votes were not able to be counted correctly, resulting in a recount and then another recount of the votes as Robert Johnston, founder of the Johnston Archive writes, "All votes in Florida were counted twice; some were counted three or four times" (Johnston 1). But in the end the supreme court of Florida had to step in and declared that Bush had won the election. It was only afterwards that it turned out that Al Gore would have originally won the election as Johnston continues, "California declined to count their absentee ballots; Florida Democrats rejected thousands of votes by U.S. service men and women; and Democrats nationwide garnered illegal votes from non-citizens and felons. If these situations had not occurred, Al Gore might not have the popular vote either" (Johnston 1). But the Party, the white house said that didn't happen, and Bush was off to wonderful well-omened run as the United States 42nd president.

At the beginning of his two terms, the first thing the Bush administration did in changing the United States was to go after its environmental laws, "The Bush administration took nearly 150 actions to undermine environmental protections over the first year, consistent with its historic assault on the nation's environmental safeguards" (NRDC 1). To name just a few, on the international viewpoint, "Scientists from around the world call for urgent action to reduce global warming pollution, but the United States now stands alone in opposing even the most basic effort to move forward cooperatively. While nearly every state now warns about the threat of mercury poisoning from the consumption of locally caught fish, the administration promotes its misleadingly titled "Clear Skies" scheme that would dramatically weaken mercury pollution control requirements in the existing clean air law" (NRDC 2). It clear and easy to see that the bush administration has taken a affirmative action to clear our skies, however. Now we can see the industrial plants pumping toxins into our water supply as, "health warnings to avoid eating locally caught fish have doubled and completed cleanup of toxic wastes at Superfund sites have fallen by 52 percent" (NRDC 2). But the Bush administration didn't stop there; they're reforming of our nation was only beginning.

Next, the Bush administration acted to change the social situation of the nation. For starters, "it brought the biggest tax cuts since 1981, the broadest education reform in a generation and the costliest expansion of Medicare, the state health system for the elderly, since it was set up in 1965" (Econ 1). But don't let the kind praise fool you, the nation isn't so great as in past decades. As Bush's policies continued the problems have become even more present. One matter in particular has taken care of our old and sick, but Bush is fixing the nation for the future, for "Social Security has been the crown jewel of the nation's social insurance commitment to American families through the administrations of 10 presidents. Yet only a few years after a Republican leader declared Social Security a politically untouchable "third rail of American politics," the nation twice elected a president who promised to end the system as it has operated successfully for 70 years" (Freidman 1). With Bush in the lead, the changes to the American way of life just keep piling up.

Continuing onto his second term, Bush's luck just kept on improving; at the retirement of Sandra O'Conner and the death of the William Rehnquist, Bush has been successful in gaining more power over the Supreme Court and has since challenged many laws. "Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, 'whistle-blower' protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research" (Savage 1). Not only has Bush begun questioning the Supreme Court but he, "is the first president in modern history who has never vetoed a bill, giving Congress no chance to override his judgments. Instead, he has signed every bill that reached his desk; often inviting the legislation's sponsors to signing ceremonies