As a child, I believed that people entering public office were smart and noble. In today’s world, intelligence and integrity won’t win elections. Money wins elections. The people and power behind that money expect large rewards for the money they invest, and they get it.

The power behind President Bush’s election was primarily the petroleum industry, and Bush rewarded them by denouncing the Kyoto Treaty, which would have required us, as the world’s major polluter, to drastically reduce our toxic emissions into the global environment. The largest polluters are the gas and oil companies.

He then used executive power to override newly enacted legislation to require these wealthy companies to install equipment that would dramatically reduce these toxic emissions. He pushed to let oil companies drill on public land and in national parks. He continues to push to invade the vast Alaskan Arctic wilderness to drill for unknown oil resources and has no good plan for transporting these resources.

The worst act was his deception and arrogance to put this country in this ill-conceived and poorly planned war for Middle East oil. His responsibility was to bring this nation into the 21st century. He continues to try to take us back to the 19th century, when the breach between rich and poor was vast and the needs of the masses were ignored. Our grandchildren and future generations will still be paying for the errors of our generation.

Faith Bornstein, New Sharon