The Return Of The Prodigal Son Essay, Research Paper

The Return of the Prodigal Son

The year 2000 was publicized as the start of the new millennium and many people feared the implications. But the new millennium actually started in January 2001, and has the potential to be more like the Christian catastrophe that the prophets predicted.(alliteration)

On the heels of a controversial election (personification), the prodigal son(metaphor) has swept into the White House like a plague sweeping down on Egypt.(simile) While the Republicans chant the tax-cut mantra, the environmentalists scream Armageddon. Will a GOP-run government be rapture or The Rapture?

Bush’s tax-cut plan was largely responsible for his entry into the White House. An early headcount (synecdoche) indicated that people would vote for a man who offered tax cuts. But as more details become known about the plan, people are starting to question its fairness.

Early figures indicate that fully 43% of the tax cut would be dedicated to the richest 1% of Americans, while most would receive a mere pittance. Those making less than $39,000 a year would receive only 12% of the overall cut. And as the waters bloody with tax-cut morsels, the sharks are beginning to circle. Business and special interest groups are all fighting for a share of the Republican chum. War.

In the final days of the Clinton administration, Slick Willy pulled a fast one on the incoming oilman. He locked up 5.6 million acres of federal land as national monuments using his power of Executive Order. The executive orders are reversible but most feel it would do irreversible harm to the Bush administration. In fact, since the days of Teddy Roosevelt when this practice started, an executive order concerning national monuments has never been reversed by an incoming President. This gives the environmental groups a lot to cheer about.

But Bush has his sights set on these lands as the future oil wells of America. By creative use of ‘land management plans’, he hopes to open this area for exploration and eventual drilling. The Green Party is appalled.

One of the primary targets of George W. and his merry men is ANWR, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Bush professes that he’s not a robbin’ hood, but a Robin Hood.(antithesis) He would like to steal from the oil rich north and give to the energy poor people of the south (read California). After 200 years, the cowboys are still after the Indian’s land.(irony) His critics point out that California gets less than 1% of it’s power from oil fueled power plants and that the amount of oil in ANWR would likely amount to little more than a 6 month supply. Rumors of war.

In his inauguration speech, Bush made reference to ”an angel directing this storm”. We had no idea at the time that the ‘storm’ was his presidency and the ‘angels’ that direct it are the oil companies that contributed soft-money to his campaign.

Christians would have us believe that as our time on earth draws nigh, we must make our peace with GOD. Perhaps, in light of current events, that was merely a typo. In these modern times, we must make our peace with GOP.