Someone will make history today. No matter who wins this election, history will be made as different statistics and superstitions point to both candidates in this election. That means, more than ever, your vote counts. With the stakes so close, a handful of votes could decide the election, and that’s why I am encouraging you to vote today—for the President.
Only a few issues define this campaign, both candidates even agree on several, so let’s cut through the propaganda and get to the issues.
The Economy. A recession is defined as three consecutive quarters of decline. The last two quarters of the Clinton Administration were an economic decline, so President George W. Bush inherited a recession. Seven months into his presidency, the biggest attack on civilians in this country’s history occurred, an event that should have sent us into our deepest depression. But it didn’t, thanks to Bush. By giving the largest tax cut to the lowest bracket, Bush freed income for those who spend all they have, introducing more consumption in the market. By not neglecting a tax cut (the smallest) to those at the top, he provided free capital to increase jobs and production. Both of these steps are necessary. Cutting taxes at the bottom level increases spending so people can make money and demand for products increases, meaning companies have to hire more people. Cutting taxes at the top gives people the initial capital to invest in human resources and to expand the market of their products.
As Abraham Lincoln said, “you cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong,” just like you can’t strengthen the wage-earner by weakening the wage-payer. The largest employer in this country is small business, and it is small business that benefits from a two percent tax cut and can provide more jobs.
The War in Iraq. Saddam Hussein has killed millions of people, hundreds of thousands that were citizens of his own country. He is a dictator that should have been deposed a long time ago, but just because you don’t think about him or don’t send troops to his country, doesn’t mean he’s not there. For Americans, it is difficult to imagine what it would be like to live in a country that does not protect us. A country where the government can murder your brother and there is nothing you can do about it. No police you can call, no court you can testify in. Perhaps we don’t realize what it would be like to live in a hole for 24 years because we believe in a different sect of the same religion of the dictator of out country.
It would be an ideal world to have no evil dictators and no casualties, but we do not live in the perfect world. Beyond that, we know that there are weapons missing in Iraq now as well as elements that go into nuclear weapons. Both Sen John Kerry and Sen. John Edwards sat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, both warned of the threat posed by Saddam Hussein, and both voted for the liberation of Iraq.
Kerry said on many occasions that Iraq’s weapons posed an “unacceptable threat,” while Edwards declared that Saddam Hussein’s Iraq was the “most serious and imminent threat to our country.” There is no question the liberation of Iraq was something that was long past due and something that 534 out of 535 congressmen were in favor of—until election time. Bush always does what is right, not necessarily what is popular, and the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein is gone, an interim government is leading the Iraqi people to freedom.
Safety and Security. It is always better to fight a war abroad than on your own soil, especially when you are not fighting another country, but are fighting groups of people. We have heightened security in the United States to record levels, but even the highest security will not stop someone who is willing to die for their cause. Instead, you have to fight terrorism where it originates.
Bush has destroyed the terrorist camps in Afghanistan, where free elections (with women voting) are occurring for the first time. Two-thirds of al Qaeda leadership has been captured or killed, and intelligence has found, and stopped, planned terrorist attacks on the United States. On Sept. 11, 2001, America changed, and America will continue to change. Times of change call for steady leadership.
Healthcare. There is a delicate balance between affordable and quality healthcare. The President has established tax-free Health Savings Accounts, which allows Americans to own and control their own healthcare; he has opened or expanded community and rural health centers, serving an additional 6.1 million people who live in underserved and rural areas.
For those who can’t afford healthcare, he has granted waivers to extend eligibility under Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to 2.6 million low-income Americans. He has implemented a new rule to lower drug costs for millions of Americans by strengthening competition between generic and brand-name drugs, saving American consumers more than $35 billion in drug costs over the next five years without hurting research and development, which leads to the creation of new drugs and cures.
I could go into why John Kerry is wrong for America, but I will not. Negative politics and candidate-bashing is simply propaganda, and I want to encourage fact-finding examination of the issues. I have gone into only a few of the issues, and I hope you will research, or further research, those that are important to you before going to the polls. Upon research, I am confident that you will find that the President is the best choice in the election today.
The President has done a remarkable job leading this country in some of our hardest times, and that is what he will continue to do for Four More Years.
Russ Ferguson is a Trinity junior and president of Students for Bush.
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