Bush Administration must examine its priorities

America has a lot of problems. The world has a lot of problems. Tonight, here in Sandpoint, many families will not eat dinner because they cannot afford it. Even more disturbing, according to the United Nations, every five seconds one child dies somewhere in the world from hunger. In the time it takes you to read this, several children will have died from easily avoidable causes. What if that was one of your children? It wouldn't be so easy to brush off, now would it?

Our government could easily do far more than it already does to prevent the needless deaths of our youth, but it doesn't. Why not? Because our current administration has other priorities, most frighteningly denying its citizens their rights.

I was born in America. I am a natural born citizen. I have never lived anywhere but America. My family has been here for three generations. I am an honors student who volunteers in the community and has a squeaky-clean permanent record. But I am a second-class citizen. I cannot get married and I cannot join the military.

Studies have shown that the children of gay parents are not negatively impacted by their parents' sexual orientation, so someone, please give me a logical answer: how could outlawing gay marriage possibly be more important to us than assisting the impoverished, protecting the victims of domestic violence, or curing cancer? (all or any of which would save millions of lives, both in America and abroad …)

The Bush Administration needs to examine its priorities, and it needs to do it soon, before people start realizing that their tax dollars, which could be spent helping people worldwide, is instead being spent to oppress American citizens.

ALLI BROTHERTON

Kootenai