Washington should be less partison

Last week we reflected on what an exciting year 2008 will be. We’ll have big sporting events in the Crescent City next door. There’ll be a new parish administration and council taking over to solve our local problems. And the state will have a new administration and almost new legislature to help save us from the encroaching Gulf of Mexico.

And just a few days ahead, we will have the official entre of the presidential election campaign which promises to be one of the most interesting campaigns ever.  That is when the Iowa caucus will be held, leading up to the first primary election in New Hampshire the following week.

Then we will have a big day on February 5 when some 25 states will hold their primaries, which will give us a good insight into who the nominees for President will be.

There are many issues on the table - - the war in Iraq, our health care system, immigration, taxation. And behind the lines of rhetoric, we’ll uncover just how much government each candidate wants. Will we go the way of universal health care or let government accomodate its citizens in choosing the care they want? Will we get extra tough on immigration, ignoring the fact that most of our ancestors were once immigrants and we would not be here had they not been allowed to come?

The war in Iraq has been a bloody affair but at the present time it appears that country is beginning to get a foothold in uniting its people and pushing the terrorists out of the way. And should taxes be raised or lowered to increase the amount of government services which haven’t been too efficient in the past or let the people keep more of their money so they can do it themselves?

Of course, the answers to most of those questions are no so simple. There are many angles to be considered on all of them.

But one hope we have is that the federal government we elect this year will not be as partisan as the present one. Our officials should represent the people they serve, not the party to which they belong.