George W. Bush
Scott Withycombe
Perspectives Assistant
Anyone who rationally considers the most important issues in the election — the economy and national security —instantly realizes that President Bush should be re-elected.
Bush took office just as the tech-market bubble was about to burst and shortly before the attacks of Sept.11, 2001, struck a crippling blow to the United States economy. What followed was the shortest recessionary period in U.S. history.
The president’s economic plan was and continues to be successful. Inflation is low, investment is being encouraged and jobless claims are down. In fact, the current unemployment rate is the same as it was after President Clinton’s first three years.
The tax cuts have helped moved the economy along. Today, the total tax burden is lower than it was when Bush took office and all income groups received relief. Recently, Nobel Prize-winning economist Edward Prescott encouraged even larger cuts. While Bush promises to make them permanent, Kerry threatens to roll back some of the cuts — a move that would hurt more than 400,000 small business owners who provide numerous employment opportunities to working Americans.
The fact is that the president’s economic plan promotes business and investment opportunity and growth by making the American market an attractive place to do business. This will not be true under a John Kerry presidency.
While Kerry once voted for NAFTA and supported free trade, his current support of restrictive trade policy, including closing the outsourcing tax “loop-hole,” is potentially harmful.
It is one thing to create incentives to encourage business in America. It is another to punish companies for taking advantage of free trade and comparative advantage opportunities. America must pursue policies that create competitive, open and efficient markets to attract business and investment rather than policies that will push them away.
Americans, including Kerry, must realize that the structure of the U.S. economy must change to reflect the growth of free markets abroad. Protectionist measures are not the answer. The president understands this and proposes to meet the challenge and potential of free trade with programs that will prepare Americans for changing economic realities.
Bush’s education plans to help displaced workers and prepare students for the demands of new markets reveal his understanding of this evolution. The president’s proposals include initiatives to continue to increase funding for Pell Grants, to offer technical and job-related training to American workers and to create new scholarship programs to help low-income students pursue undergraduate degrees in math and science. These programs, coupled with pro-business and pro-investment tax policies and regulations will help move the economy along in the modern century.
On the issue of national security the choice is clear.
In the war on terror, we must continue to take the fight to our enemies before they can bring it to our shores. The president has shown steadfast resolve in this area. He understands that this enemy is not a “nuisance” — this is an enemy that will stop at nothing to destroy our way of life. We cannot simply wait and retaliate. We must continue to fight a forward battle.
The president has also been a strong, consistent leader in Iraq. It is clear that he supports the troops and believes in the cause. It is not clear what Kerry supports or believes. His casual disregard for the coalition built to topple Saddam Hussein is disrespectful. His lack of clarity and pessimistic comments on the war make it hard to see him as an effective leader of the troops and our international partners. The plan he touts is no different than the president’s, except it seems that Kerry believes that he is miraculously going to get France and Russia — two countries that evidence from the Dalfour Report suggests supported the Hussein regime and abused the Food for Oil program — to join him in a venture in which he does not believe.
On the issue of national security it is obvious that just as the United States needed Reagan during the Cold War, it needs Bush to fight the war on terror. We must not tire, we must not falter, we must not fail. President Bush will protect America by utilizing every asset available at home and abroad. This alone is the most important reason to cast a vote for him Nov. 2.
John Kerry
Heather Cloud
Staff Writer
As Election Day draws near, many are still undecided as to which candidate is the best for America. For me, there are nine reasons why Sen. John Kerry should be our next president.
The first is education. The No Child Left Behind Act was a good attempt to reform the country’s educational system, but it didn’t aim high enough, or even achieve its own goals. Kerry will expand funding for education in America, in kindergarten through college, making sure that everyone who wants knowledge will receive it. He will extend after school programs until 6 p.m., getting kids off the street during the “troublemaking” hours.
Second, a $5.6 trillion surplus following the Clinton administration has become a $5.2 trillion deficit under the Bush administration. Kerry will adopt a PAYGO policy toward spending; accounting for all the funding that will be required for his proposals, before any money is spent. This plan will reduce the debt while still providing for beneficial programs and making the country more financially stable.
The third is quite simply John Edwards. Kerry’s running mate combines youth, experience, family and ethics to create an optimistic leadership style that the country needs. His legal background will aid him tremendously in tort reform, he is as committed to the issues as Kerry is, and as second in command, he is healthy and capable of effectively governing this country. Kerry and Edwards working together can and will change this nation for the better.
The fourth is the environment. Kerry supports the Clean Air Act in its strongest form, along with protecting our national parks and resources. He will double the effort to ensure that America has clean water with his “Restore America’s Water” campaign, and he promises to create “Cleaner, Greener Communities.”
The fifth and certainly one of the most publicized Kerry positions is his view on America’s allies and the War in Iraq. Though Kerry believes that America went into war the wrong way, he has developed an effective strategy for Iraq that will bring back America’s allies by including them in the reconstruction, stabilize Iraq by putting the defense of the country back in the hands of Iraqis, and begin to bring some American troops home.
Sixth is that although things are better for women than in previous years, they still have to deal with a gender gap in society. Kerry wants to bridge this gap, and promises to enforce equal pay for equal work, reproductive rights, and the women’s rights treaty, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Next is something that certainly affects us all: healthcare. Kerry wants all Americans to be able to afford healthcare, and proposes a plan to allow everyone the opportunity to purchase the same discounted insurance as U.S. congressmen. With this plan, a family, not the government or an employer, decides what form of insurance— private, company or public — would be best for them. He also wants to make it legal to import medications from Canada to keep down the cost while still providing the best quality. He makes healthcare reform and insuring the more than 40 million people without coverage priorities because he sees health as a right rather than a privilege.
Eighth is jobs, both the creation of them and their outsourcing. American companies need to keep jobs in America, and Kerry promises to combat outsourcing with tax incentives for companies with American workers, as well as training to make sure American workers are the best in the world. He wants to make and keep jobs here because a strong economy starts with strong employment.
Finally, Kerry offers the American people flexibility. Life isn’t static, and the leader of the free world shouldn’t be, either. As new information comes to light, and a better understanding of what is best for America and its people is realized, the president should be willing to amend his decisions to reflect this. Making a choice once and then sticking to it regardless of the negative consequences for America is simply not good leadership.
There are countless other reasons to vote for John Kerry than those I have listed here, and I urge you to research not just John Kerry but all the candidates, to find the one who will best represent you, your values, your country and your goals. Nov. 2 is your opportunity to let your voice be heard, so when you vote, make sure you’re saying something about who you are and how to keep this country great.
Submitted 10-28-2004