An open letter to "President-elect" Bush

Democracy. “I spoke the word as if a wedding vow.”–a slight paraphrase of Bob Dylan–but I’m sure he would agree.

When I heard that Gore had conceded and we were going to have another Bush as “President,” I decided to be Michael Moore for a while. As soon as I get the Shrub’s e-mail address this is going to him. I’ll let you, loyal Readers, know if I get a reply.

Dear Mr. Bush,

I know you won’t read this, but please at least have someone read it to you. It’s one American’s thought and concerns on what he believes in. Something you should learn a little about.

In a few short weeks you will take over the Government of the United States Of America. That’s quite a step for a man who couldn’t keep a baseball team afloat all by himself! And just think, a few months ago you admitted to not being ready for the job. But, you said that if the American people were going to vote you in, well, then that’s just the way it’s going to be. How nice for us.

Funny thing, the American people DIDN’T vote you in. I know it. You know it. Most rational people know it (including a lot of Republicans). The electors voted you in. And even they wouldn’t have if you had allowed every vote to be counted in Florida. By going over the Florida Supreme Court you undermined their authority and invalidated your own “Presidency” in their eyes.

Not too long ago you said that, if you won the popular vote and Gore won the electoral you would fight it. You said, “Trust the People!” Did things change? Did you not trust the People when they said, “President Gore”? Did you not trust their vote? Or did you just not trust that it would go your way?

This is what Democracy is all about: allowing the Peoples’ voices to be heard. When you went to the Supreme Court and got them to stop the recount, you, in effect, stopped Democracy. Doesn’t that word have any meaning to you?

By the way, why did the Supreme Court change their minds and hear your case? Didn’t they once say that they couldn’t get involved?

I know you’re no stranger to taking graft, so why be above giving it? Why, just a few years ago your campaign took money from Alcoa in Rockdale and allowed them to keep dumping millions of pounds of sulfur dioxide into the air instead of actually making them clean up. They only agreed to reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions by a third, but it would have been easy for them to cut back much more. Your CARE program and appointees to the TNRCC have allowed older companies to be grandfathered so that they won’t have to cut back at all. All of these companies make enough money to change their technology, but they give enough to you so that they don’t have to. So more kids grow up with dirty lungs and cancer.

We could always go back to when you and Houston Senator John Whitmire cost Texas $140 million by quashing an idea to lower car emissions. Tejas Testing already had check stations in place in high risk areas like Dallas when you pulled the plug. They sued. They won. Thank you for that. And thank you for taking $130 million out of our environmental funds to cover the suit.

Your “takings” bill back in 1995 didn’t help matters at all. Land owners can now sue over government actions that reduce their property’s value. This means that if an animal that lives there goes on the endangered species list the taxpayers have to pay them. But you’re taking care of that when you shoot endangered birds, right?

You’ve also given Texas the worst record in the U.S. under the Clean Water Act. What few readings we have show that 30% of our streams and lakes don’t meet standards. And that doesn’t count all of the little ones that your guys don’t think matter.

You and your buddies have made Texas number one in health risks from six major air pollutants, total emissions of toxic chemicals, release of toxic chemicals into the air, underground injection of toxic chemicals and cancer hazard from manufacturing facilities. We are number three in the release of toxic chemicals into the water. Now that’s something to be proud of.

And I’m not the only one concerned. Remember when Mothers For Clean Air sent you that calendar that showed pollution around Houston schools? They didn’t want commendation for a job well done on the calendar. They wanted action taken to have safe surroundings for their kids. You and the TNRCC have pretty much stopped that from happening.

But I guess I shouldn’t have expected you to listen to a group of women. Your views and your friends’ views on women have been shown again and again. Dr. William Archer, your appointee as Commissioner of the Department Of Health, once said, “We have to have men who are responsible for their women…letting women have contraception gives them too much power.” Is it? I thought that we had gotten out of the 50s. And Marvin Olasky, one of your policy advisers, said, “God does not forbid women to be leaders in society, generally speaking, but when that occurs it’s usually because of the abdication of men…I would vote for a woman for the presidency, in some situations, but again, there’s a certain shame attached. God’s Word says very plainly that an elder is to be a man.” He’s a modern man, isn’t he?

Remember when you declared January 1999 as a “Month Of Prayer To End Abortion”? Did you know that you can’t do that? First of all, because of Rowe vs. Wade you can’t “end abortion.” (But you want to overturn that, don’t you? More on that later.) And second, because of a little thing called Separation Of Church And State. You can’t declare a prayer for anything.

Now, I’m not a praying man, and I’m also not pro-abortion. I do, however, believe that, ultimately, it is the woman’s body and her choice. I also know that abortions are legal because of the health risk of the alternative that some girls would take. Young girls would go to backstreet doctors and have the operation. If you succeed in reversing RvW (which you probably won’t) you will also succeed in making barren or worse, killing, hundreds or thousands of innocent young women who didn’t believe that they could take care of a child. I know that no one who gets pregnant thinks that they could take care of a child. It’s something that is learned as time goes on. But it is a choice that they have to make. These girls may have that child’s life on their conscience, but you will have all of those girls’ lives on yours if you overturn RvW. And I’m certain that, if one of your daughters got pregnant, that she would be ferreted away to the best doctor in the country before anyone even knew.

And PLEASE have someone else talk to foreign leaders. You have proven time and time again that you fumbled your way through English classes (among others–how did you graduate?) and that you don’t exactly know your way around an important discussion. I would hate to be forced into a “skirmish” because you angered a powerful leader who thought that you were weak enough to beat. And your idea of putting the missile defense system in the air won’t help matters at all. We have always been in a delicate relationship with countries like the former Soviet Union. This step, whether the system works or not (and most think that it doesn’t) will put us back into the state we were in during the Cold War: scared and frustrated. Foreign leaders begged Clinton not to put it up and he didn’t. There was a very good reason for that.

Just as I am not a praying man, I am also not a gun owner. I believe that guns should be left to law enforcement agencies, but I know that we cannot take guns out of peoples’ hands. That would go against the Constitution. You know, that piece of paper that says that we should count every vote? But we don’t have to actually put them into the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. If you don’t believe that we do this, then why is it that one quarter of all of the guns used in violent crimes in the country come from four states–Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and, oh here we are, Texas! Just so you know, that’s less than a quarter of the states in the U.S. If only there had been background checks at gun shows, something that you once said you were in favor of, those kids in Columbine would probably still be alive today. Now, I’m not blaming you for Columbine. That was in Colorado, after all. But you could have helped to stop things like that happening here by signing a bill requiring the checks. Too bad you didn’t. Could it have something to do with your ties to the NRA? Are you afraid to cross them? Guess what? They are a very small portion of this country (as are so-called Pro-Lifers). Most of us support gun control. And, if you’re so big on gun control, as you have often said that you are, why are we allowed to carry concealed handguns? And why are we now allowed to carry them into churches, hospitals and amusement parks? These are three places that I have never felt a need to carry a gun. You have banned cities from suing gun manufacturers for damage done using their product (something that the cigarette companies wish you had done for them) and allowed bills requiring trigger locks to pass into obscurity. Kayne Robinson, first vp of the NRA said that they will be able to “work out of your office.” Is that true? I’m beginning to think that maybe it is. You at least will allow them to walk all over you.

So, on January 20th I will be worried. I worry for the natural wonders that will die because of your actions or inactions. I worry for the children who will suffer because of your policies on welfare. I worry for people on Social Security since you don’t understand that it IS a government program. I worry for women who will no longer have a choice about their own bodies and actions.

But I do have a challenge for you: PROVE ME WRONG!! Please. I do not want this country to fail because its leader wanted a new toy. I want us to remain as strong, if not stronger, than we have been for the last eight years. (And, believe it or not, it has been very strong. Look at the economy and unemployment rate everywhere but Texas.) Call people smarter than you when you need help. Realize that being President is not necessarily a one man job. (But you plan on delegating all of your tasks don’t you? That’s good. That means that you won’t have to do anything.) See what this country can achieve and reach for it. Don’t drop to an idea just because you don’t understand it or because some big organization wants you to back it. Realize that your actions today DO IN FACT make a difference later on, if not in your life time, then in your daughters’ lifetimes. Strive for a better country for them and their kids, and all of our kids.

This country can remain great. But it’s all up to you and your buddies. Do something for all of us, not just for yourself.

–Me

Austin, TX