Editor,
I have to respond to Jeff Reed's letter ("Liberals ignorant of happy public," Jan 15). In his letter, Reed cites a December Gallup poll that concluded that "55 percent of Americans are 'Very Happy,' 40 percent 'Fairly Happy,' and a whopping 4 percent 'Not Too Happy' with their lives." What Reed fails to tell readers is that the question asked in the poll had nothing to do with the approval or disapproval of the Bush Administration.
In fact, Gallup polls in December measured Bush's approval rating between 50 and 55 percent. That means that roughly half of Americans either disapproved or had no opinion of the president's performance. So while 94 percent of Americans may be very or fairly happy with their lives, about half the people in this country feel we're headed in the wrong direction. I'm one of them.
I'm happy with my life. I have a wonderful wife, a beautiful child and a good job that I enjoy. But I certainly don't credit George W. Bush for my happiness. But if I was unemployed without health insurance or a senior citizen paying thousands of dollars a year on prescription drugs, I would certainly blame him for my unhappiness.
Reed also says in his letter that "liberals are obsessed with power. It's what drives them." Excuse me but it's not a liberal administration that is hell-bent on using its power to build an American empire in the Middle East. Bush's neo-conservative agenda has nothing to do with liberating an oppressed people and everything to do with exploiting the region's oil and repaying campaign donors like Halliburton and Bechtel. That's why he lied to the American people about Iraq's "tons and tons of chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction" and Saddam's partnership with al-Qaida.
I hate to be the one to tell you, Reed, but if you'd just turn off Fox News for minute and splash some water on your face, you'd see that we've been hoodwinked. And 500 U.S. soldiers and thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians have lost their lives because of it. I shouldn't forget to mention the thousands of soldiers that have lost limbs or been sickened by parasitic diseases.
Liberals like me believe in equal rights and opportunities for all Americans, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. We believe healthcare should be a right and not a privilege. We believe in protecting our air, water and soil for our children and future generations. We believe in helping the poor, impoverished and homeless meet their basic needs. Liberals aren't obsessed with power, Mr. Reed. We're obsessed with empowerment.
-Scott Eaton
OU Class of 1996
Bay Village, Ohio