Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps

The 2008 general election feeding frenzy is already well under way. Television shows, Web sites and print media buzz with coverage of candidates' campaign stops, their fancy haircuts, their religious beliefs, their marriages, their divorces, their political pasts, their fundraising ability and perceived weaknesses. At this stage of any campaign, there are a lot of "what if" scenarios and prognostication.

The first caucuses begin in January and Super Tuesday is Feb. 5, the date when at least 14 and possibly up to 25 states will hold their primaries. It's easy to forget that the actual general election is about 16 months — more than 480 days — away. The horse race has begun.

The early presidential campaigning is also overshadowing the 2008 congressional elections. And does anyone even remember that there are local elections this fall? Tucsonans will elect a mayor and three City Council members to posts that will shape the course of our metro area.

One theory, according to a New York Times story, is that the country is so desperately ready to put the Bush years in the past, the focus is on the future and who will occupy the White House next.

But what's too often lost is a discussion about real issues. Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords told the Star's editorial board this week that she's frustrated with the tendency to gloss over the underlying substance of important questions facing our country: immigration reform, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, global warming, funding for veterans and Medicare.

She makes a good point. It's easier to talk about the surface things like appearance and endorsements instead of facing down serious problems.

The intricacies of immigration reform are complex and difficult — sound bites about "illegals" are much punchier. Making sure all Americans have access to quality health care isn't sexy — it's more fun to dismiss ideas as undoable without delving into the details. Wrestling with the life and death situations in Iraq and Afghanistan isn't easy, nor is how to handle the millions of Iraqi refugees flooding into neighboring countries — it's quicker to proclaim support for the American troops and move on.

Real discussions on how to solve real problems can't wait.