I am a typical college student here at UCLA.  I come from a middle class family and like most people, I supported Bush back in 2002.  I don’t have any political ties, and haven’t even always voted but here’s my story of why I support Mike Gravel and why you should too.

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Our government has grown so much so that corruption and scandal are the norm. To most of my generation, every politician seems to be either a power hungry self serving megalomaniac or a corporate figurehead that’s enslaved to serve big business or oil in retribution for either campaign financing or other backroom deals.  Both which an overwhelming majority of the public seem to think George W. Bush fits.   Students like me are sick of being fed the same old song and dance by hardened politicians like Bush, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and John Edwards.   We don’t want anyone to tell us what we want to hear while they pull the rug out from under us or more literally dissolve our freedoms and liberties.  Personally I feel like Bush fed the American people what they wanted to hear in order to get the go ahead with acts that would expand his authority.  We basically had the wool pulled over our eyes and are now seeing the light of day.   We want a leader who is going to go back to the fundamentals of fairness and who wants to decentralize the power from a single position. 

 

There is one single candidate that stands out from all the other candidates Republican or Democratic.  His name is Mike Gravel.  He is the kind or person who says it like it is without regard for hurting your feelings.  The kind of person who sees the corruption and political facades and calls them out on public TV, a place where others would only dare to go.    If you saw the Democratic Debate, he was the one who put asked the obvious question about our nuclear arsenal.. “Who the Hell are we going to Nuke?” in response to Bush’s ever-growing nuclear capabilities.   Although it may have been a little sinister, it rings a bell of truth for a change.   There is no need to have enough nuclear weapons to completely demolish earth as we know it.   We are supposed to be reducing our nuclear arsenal according to treaties that we signed. 

 

Just to give a little perspective on how important this is,  I will overview the Freedoms and Liberties we have lost just over the past 6 years and why for the good of our futures we must return to a direct democracy by voting for a candidate that supports a direct democracy.

 

1. Habeas Corpeas.  We have given up our rights to be charged with a crime and receive a fair trail.  This is the biggest abomination that must be fixed.   While this is in place, the police can legally knock down your door, arrest you, hold you indefinitely, not charge you with a crime, and not let you speak to an attorney.  The fact that it doesn’t happen a lot doesn’t mean this is not of dire consequences.  
2. Bush can not be charged with War Crimes:  A recently passed bill that was snuck into a larger bill removes the Bush administration from prosecution for war crimes commited.  This gives Bush the ability to literally be above the law.  Anyone above the law has nearly absolute power and we know that Absolute Power corrupts Absolutely.   The American People Can Not have a President above the law.
3. The President can legally go to war with other nations without the approval from Congress.  This is a constitutional checks and balances that has been wiped away with no regard. 
4. The President can declare Martial Law without the approval from Congress.  This gives a single man the authority to control the United States population through the use of military force. 

    

Although we may not personally feel the impact from these consolidations of power, it literally gives a single man the same authority that Adolph Hitler had over Nazi Germany.   We can not stand for this.  Something has to be done.  We need a President that will give the power back to the People.   Our constitution was built on a democratic idea and we must return to that versus heading further and further into a fascist regime.  

 

Below is a quick reference of where Mike Gravel stands on the major issues including our country's future in education that will impact our generation and why students across American should stand up and stop the centralization of executive power.

 

The War in Iraq

Immediate and orderly withdrawal of troops followed by aggressive diplomacy

A Fair Tax

Eliminate the income tax and replace it with a progressive national sales tax - Fair Tax.

National Initiative for Democracy

Empower Americans and turn every citizen into a lawmaker by enacting a national initiative.

America's System of Education

Education should be our nation's priority. We need to foster competition and rethink the system.

Social Security

Put real money in the Social Security Trust Fund and invest it properly so Americans can leave surplus to heirs.

Veterans Affairs

Fully finance the VA and end the war on our nation’s vets.

National Healthcare

Enact a national, universal, single-payer, not-for-profit U.S. healthcare system.

 

It is very important that all college students go and vote for the 2008 presidential election and put someone in power that wants to decentralize power and give it back to the people.   Like I said before, hardly any of us feel the impact of the loss of our freedoms right now but you never do until it's too late.   As for me, I am going to continue with life as usual practicing my website design and website development and working towards getting a marketing degree but you can be sure that you will hear from me again.  I usually try to stay involved and post articles here and at other Social Media sites like Digg, SEOslap and Reddit. Thank you for reading my article and don't forget to take the Presidential Polls.