With typical American fickleness, last Tuesday we chose a president-we just don’t know who we chose. Eventually, the election will be decided, depending mostly on who will be able to cheat the best.

We all know that each side will do whatever it takes to win (or maintain) the presidency, and either way, we, as a nation, will come out fine. After all, it’s only four years and the only way I foresee the U.S. going to hell is with a Pat Buchanan win.

Let’s just hope that the incoming president takes a stroll around the city in which he will reside. It would take just a short walk to see the vast differences that our nation has between the haves and havenots.

Every big city has its own homeless problem, but what’s so striking about the homeless in Washington, D.C., is that some live less than two blocks from the home of our president. Perhaps what the saddest thing is about some of these homeless is that many of them are mentally ill.

Take, for example, the man my friends and I ran into near the Washington Monument on the Capital Mall. He had a cardboard sword down his pants and over a dozen 2-liters lined up along the sidewalk. When asked what was in the bottles he responded with a simple smile and a gesture towards his groin.

You would think that in a nation as wealthy as ours, people such as these would somehow be cared for-especially in our nation’s capital

I know it won’t happen, but I just hope that our new president can see the reality of some people. Maybe then we could care for all Americans, not just the fortunate majority.

…While on the topic of Washington, why is so much named for Ronald Reagan? I thought all the naming of things happens after the president dies. I find it very ironic that, of all things, the national airport and the building that houses the Environmental Protection Agency are named for Ronnie. I guess if you fire air traffic controllers and work hard to destroy the environment you’ll have buildings and airports named after you. That’s what happens with Republicans in power.

Just wait for the Democrats to take hold of Congress. They’ll probably dedicate the NRA or Christian Coalition buildings after Bill Clinton.

…Some travel advice to those traveling across the country: avoid flying into Houston. The airport is a mess, the people are rude, and it’s miserably humid. I’m no world traveler, but this airport was the pits.

The airport, aptly named George Bush Intercontinental, was so unorganized that many flights (including my own) were listed as having several different departure times all from different gates. To make matters worse, there were no coffee shops and the entire airport smelled like the Sac State football team’s locker room after a game.

George Bush must be proud.

Brendan Wonnacott is a Government & History major and opinion editor of the State Hornet. He can be reached by mail C/O the State Hornet- CSUS, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA, or by e-mail at [email protected].