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Man of the year George W. Bush beat Democratic challenger, Massachusetts
Senator John Kerry, in November's heated presidential election.  The
election was close, and unlike in 2000 President Bush won the popular vote 51
percent to Senator Kerry's 48 percent. The election further tipped the balance
of power decisively into the Republican corner in Washington as the party won
larger advantages in the Senate and House. Voter turn out rate approached 60 percent,
the highest since 1968. Same-sex marriage Massachusetts stepped
into the debate over gay marriage in February, becoming the first state in the
nation to offer court-approved, legal marriage to same-sex couples. The hot-button
issue is decided at the state level and some argue that a federal constitutional
amendment would best resolve the matter. Several national polls indicate a majority
of Americans oppose same-sex marriages, and in the November election 11 states
backed referendums making same-sex marriage illegal. Soaring Oil Prices In
May, oil prices reached the highest levels since the 1990s. The surge in oil prices
was caused by a number of factors: soaring demand in the United States and China,
the action of speculators, supply bottlenecks at U.S. refineries and instability
in oil-producing countries such as Nigeria, Venezuela and Iraq. Although
OPEC, the 11-member organization that produces 40 percent of the world's crude,
agree to increase output in June, prices still remain high and consumers will
continue to pay more at the pump into 2005. Former President Ronald Reagan
dies  Ronald
Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died on June 5 from Alzheimer's-related
complications at the age of 93. The nation observed a week of services and tributes
in his memory, and he was laid to rest at his presidential library in California
after a state funeral in Washington, D.C.
Former President Reagan was both
hailed and vilified as one of the preeminent leaders of the conservative movement
in the 20th century. When Reagan left office in 1989 he had the highest approval
rating of any U.S. president since Franklin Roosevelt. Hurricane destruction Hurricanes
Charley, Frances, Ivan and Alex pounded Florida during what has been called the
worst hurricane season in years. But the most devastating effects of the storms
were felt in Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, where hundreds
were killed and millions left homeless. The Caribbean island nations are still
struggling to recover. Flu Vaccine Shortage  Contamination
problems at one of two companies that supply flu vaccine to the American market
reduced the number of doses available and caused worry of a flu epidemic. The
flu kills an estimated 36,000 Americans each year. More than 200,000 people are
hospitalized each year due to flu complications.
The shortage caused Americans
to take flu-shot trips up to Canada, but as of December, the flu season was milder
than expected and more vaccines were made available. | 
Terror
groups and insurgents took up the grisly practice of kidnapping and beheading
foreign workers in a bid to drive away those carrying out reconstruction projects
or humanitarian work. In the fall, coalition forces launched an offensive on Fallujah,
a suspected insurgent haven. 
On
Oct. 9, Afghans voted for the first time in a democratic election. The U.S.-backed
interim leader, Hamid Karzai, emerged as the winner. Remnants of the Taliban regime
and the al-Qaida terrorist network had promised to use bombings and assaults to
hinder the elections, but the Afghans did not seem deterred.
The
conflict in western Sudan's Darfur region continues despite intervention by the
African Union and the threat of U.N.-imposed sanctions. The Sudanese government
continues to deny backing the Janjaweed militia, which has been responsible for
widespread murder, rape and arson. 
Palestinian
Leader Yasser Arafat died Nov. 11 of undisclosed causes at the age of 75. The
controversial leader, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his efforts to obtain
a Palestinian homeland while at the same time being accused of encouraging terrorism,
had been ostracized as an ineffective leader of his Palestinian Liberation Organization
in recent years. Viewed by President Bush as an obstacle to the peace process,
his passing opens a window of opportunity for peace between Palestinians and Israelis,
according to many Middle East watchers.
American schools and financial aid should be only for legal citizens of the United States. There should be no exceptions to this.
