Any given Thursday

Reading the paper at the gas station as I fill up my car, I balk at President George W. Bush's budget plans. He is proposing to use $1.2 billion from oil leases from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to redistribute those and other funds to put more police on the streets, promote energy conservation and train pediatricians at children's hospitals, according to the Associated Press story I'm reading. \nAs I pay the cashier for the gas and my plastic bottle of Coke, I am appalled at the lack of care our government has been showing for the environment lately. \nWhen will it ever learn?\nDon't Bush and his eco-ignorant lackeys know we have to take care of our planet? This isn't just our collective landfill; it is the place in which our children will grow, and if we don't shape up soon, it will not be a safe or beautiful place in which to live. \nI shake my head in disgust as I throw my newspaper and empty bottle in the trash can. \nWhy can't the government simply sit down and figure out some concrete solutions to the problems our nation is facing? Our country needs actions, not proposals. We need people to set solutions in motion, not sit in an ivory tower in Washington. I ponder this as I cross the street to avoid the shabbily dressed man on Kirkwood Avenue. \nAs I take out some cash from the ATM for my weekend plans, I am mad that the stupid legislators at the state and national level aren't doing their jobs. They are a bunch of greedy WASPS who don't care for the average Joe. They don't take the time to listen to and care about their constituents. \nThey need to wake up and get to know the people whom they supposedly serve. I see those punk skateboarders in front of the library again. What is their deal? Why can't they just act normal for once? \nLater, as I register for my fall classes, I look at the check-off options. The Rape Crisis Fund -- see, it's good that some people are doing something about the problems women face these days, I think as I pass over that option and confirm and print my schedule. There should be more programs like that one. If the morons in Washington would actually do something for once, maybe there would be.\nI mean, what kind of a person is George W. Bush, anyway? He certainly is not a self-made man. He's only where he is because his daddy put him there. He didn't work hard to get where he is today, I think as I activate the option to mail my Bursar bill home to my parents. He doesn't really know what it's like to have to work hard to succeed in life. I mean, would he be where he is today without his parents' money and name?\nWell, I'll give him some credit. At least he is promoting support of "faith-based" organizations. Yes, that is a controversial move, but surely these religious groups and charitable organizations can help alleviate the world's problems. As I pass the collection plate at my church to the person sitting beside me, I feel better knowing there are good people to step in and take over when the government is failing us.\nAs I get ready for bed, I'm still troubled. I wish I could rest easy knowing that the people on Capitol Hill are doing their jobs, but they aren't. Someone should write letters. Someone should really step up and make some phone calls. \nI just wish someone in this world would make a difference, I think as I drift off to sleep.