Another election year has come and gone, leaving me, along with many others, feeling very distraught and disheartened. Another four years with President Bush – can our nation afford it?

The federal deficit at an all-time high, the wealthy richer and the poor poorer, spending absurd amounts of tax dollars on a war we shouldn’t even be in and still not having enough supplies available for our troops.

It was nice to see that the voting rate for people between the ages of 18-30 went up, but it is still not enough. I encourage the younger generations to get more involved because this election will have a direct effect on our future.

I’ll be saying goodbye to my boyfriend soon, as he boards a plane for Missouri for some training, the final destination: Iraq. He’s going to serve his country while other countries are withdrawing their soldiers.

People ask “How long will he be gone?” Well, that would be nice to know, but as long as Bush is in office, I’ll just have to hold my breath and pray for the best.

Tobi J. Crosby, Norway