Sadly, the GOP is now in control

cartoon by Christian A. Lopez

The balance of power in the United States has recently shifted in a drastic way. The aftermath of the elections last week left the Republican Party in control of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not to mention the presidency.

With this sweep in Congress, how balanced will the decision making process be with like-minded "representatives" running the show?

With this much power leaning on one side of the political party spectrum, it seems that it will now be easier to have more conservative, right-wing policies pass into law.

Unfortunately, President Bush now has the majority on his side, which is detrimental to a system that needs checks and balances.

What kind of things can we see happening in the near future with this more slanted-than-ever government?

As citizens of California, we have passed many of the liberal state-level laws. Now that the GOP is in control in Washington, D.C., how often will their conservative ways clash with the liberal way of life in the Golden State?

Controversial political topics are now resurfacing and, once again, are becoming hot agenda items.

Pro-life Republicans now rule Congress, which means that the idea of overturning Roe v. Wade - the Supreme Court case that made abortion legal - is theoretically more feasible. Think about it: abortion clinics could be shut down by the government in the near future.

Congress and the president now have the ability to appoint conservative judges to lifelong posts, which helps keep like-minded ideals intact.

Another controversial topic in the works of being resurrected is the oil drilling in Alaska, and the loosening of environmental policies. We all remember when President Bush attempted to pull out of agreement of the Kyoto Accords, right?

Debate on the implementation of a Department of Homeland Security is almost at its end. Next week the new government sector will be approved and cost the nation a few billion dollars - increasing the deficit. This issue spawned fervent dispute in Congress and all across the nation, and now the majority is ruling in favor of it.

An added agenda item on the list for Republicans is what they are calling a "permanent tax cut" that in all reality hurts more than it helps by benefiting the rich and hurting the poor.

Whether or not one agrees with the Republican agenda or not, it is important to see that this much of a slant on priorities is problematic.

Even though the gap in Congress is not large, majority still rules. In turn, the majority drives the agenda. The agenda will likely go from balancing healthcare and education to proposing tax cuts and military spending. It feels like even though we took a step forward before this November, we are taking a giant step back.

The government needs balance to serve all of its constituents, but with this unfortunate shift in that balance and one party ruling Congress and the Oval Office, we can be sure that things will be changing. And not for the better.