Why Vote for Kerry?

[kapkomet]

There's been so many arguments about why people should NOT vore for one presidential candidate or the other, so, let's put together a list for the "undecided" folks.

 

Why should we vote for John Kerry?

 

Why should we vote for George Bush?

 

BUT, there's one stipulation. You can't answer "because the other candidate sucks" or some other variant of this.

 

Tell us why your candidate preference will make a better president, not why the other guy doesn't.

 

[southsider2k5]

Because Bush doesn't suck??? Or how about neither one of them is Lyndon Larouche :puke :puke

[Texsox]

I like Bush for a couple reasons:

 

He's from Texas

 

I think he will enjoy a better relationship with the military and I believe over the next 4 years that will be important.

 

Bush2004.org link

 

I think he has a better handle on US-Mexico border issues, which is important to me.

 

I like the efforts he has made in regards to decency in broadcasting

 

At a gut level, between two guys I just cannot seem to trust, he's slightly more trustworthy.

 

He fought for the Boy Scouts

 

There are many issues I have an issue with, but on the balance, I'm leaning towards Bush.

[kapkomet]

Yea, we Texas people have to stick together, er something (even if I'm a transplant).

[HighHeat45]

odd how all the bush haters here havent replied to this thread

[cwsox]

odd how all the bush haters here havent replied to this thread 

 

that smirking symbol pisses me off in this context

 

so does your usage of the term "Bush haters"

 

for the record, I despise this current administratuon for all its lies and evil and division of America

 

but to toss around ther term "Bush hater" implies some type of political superiorty on your part which is odd considering all the Kerry hating and Clinton hating and Democratic Party hating we see here so don't be so smug

 

I refer you to Jerry's website and read his positions and those are all the reasons I am voting for Kerry and yes indeed I would vote for any Democrat over Bush and the reasons for the various candidates and against Bush have all been posted here for months (and since September 2002) and are in the archives

[Rex Kickass]

I am voting for John Kerry because of the following reasons:

 

1. I believe that John Kerry is a consensus builder and not a polarizer. This will help us in foreign policy and allow us to gather the international support necessary to tackle important issues more easily. A Kerry presidency will strengthen a weakened NATO coalition.

 

2. I believe that John Kerry will not outright lie - say he will do one thing and immediately do another. We've suffered through nearly 12 years of that at this point, and I need a change.

 

3. With the Supreme Court not having had a vacant seat in nearly a decade, most politicial thinkers believe as many as 3 or 4 seats on the Supreme Court may be vacated by 2008. My gut feeling is that Kerry would be less likely to place ideologically rigid justices like Scalia or Thomas or Ginsburg to the bench.

 

4. I believe that John Kerry more closely believes in the premise of equal rights for all people.

 

5. The national firefighters union has endorsed John Kerry. Firefighters are our first line of defense post attack - and if attacks will happen, we need to make sure that we are prepared to deal with the aftermath. Pledges to first responders after September 11 are yet to be fully funded.

 

6. John Kerry is not as ideologically rigid as other candidates at this point in time. Although I may be a pretty extreme liberal, I don't want a president who governs from one side or the other.

 

7. I believe that the best action the US governments have taken in modern times have been with a divided government - a Congress dominated by one party, the Presidency by another. It is not likely, although not inconceivable that the Democrats will be able to take back the legislative branch majorities in 2004.

 

8. I firmly believe that we should honor those who made commitments to our country by putting their lives on the line. Time and again over the past few years, we have seen Guardsmen go months without pay and inadequate veterans benefits. Because Kerry served - in battle - I believe he is more likely to honor our nation's debt to veterans.

 

There's eight reasons. Maybe I'll find more later.

[Texsox]

I am voting for John Kerry because of the following reasons:

 

1. I believe that John Kerry is a consensus builder and not a polarizer. This will help us in foreign policy and allow us to gather the international support necessary to tackle important issues more easily. A Kerry presidency will strengthen a weakened NATO coalition.

 

2. I believe that John Kerry will not outright lie - say he will do one thing and immediately do another. We've suffered through nearly 12 years of that at this point, and I need a change.

 

3. With the Supreme Court not having had a vacant seat in nearly a decade, most politicial thinkers believe as many as 3 or 4 seats on the Supreme Court may be vacated by 2008. My gut feeling is that Kerry would be less likely to place ideologically rigid justices like Scalia or Thomas or Ginsburg to the bench.

 

4. I believe that John Kerry more closely believes in the premise of equal rights for all people.

 

5. The national firefighters union has endorsed John Kerry. Firefighters are our first line of defense post attack - and if attacks will happen, we need to make sure that we are prepared to deal with the aftermath. Pledges to first responders after September 11 are yet to be fully funded.

 

6. John Kerry is not as ideologically rigid as other candidates at this point in time. Although I may be a pretty extreme liberal, I don't want a president who governs from one side or the other.

 

7. I believe that the best action the US governments have taken in modern times have been with a divided government - a Congress dominated by one party, the Presidency by another. It is not likely, although not inconceivable that the Democrats will be able to take back the legislative branch majorities in 2004.

 

8. I firmly believe that we should honor those who made commitments to our country by putting their lives on the line. Time and again over the past few years, we have seen Guardsmen go months without pay and inadequate veterans benefits. Because Kerry served - in battle - I believe he is more likely to honor our nation's debt to veterans.

 

There's eight reasons. Maybe I'll find more later.

I'm starting to change my mind about Bush

[LowerCaseRepublican]

I cannot vote for Bush for the following reasons.

 

a. Bush's fiscal irresponsibility (well, a trait of more recent Republicans in general) Racking up record deficits is going to be something that will help the economy because tax increases etc. will be necessary in order to pay off.

 

b. Bush's inability to deal harshly with corporate crime. (Also a major trend with Kerry) It seems we all think it's bad when a guy swipes $60 out of a woman's purse but when Enron swipes millions, Lay gets a slap on the wrist. Kerry also seems to be a corporate shill, so I don't see his administration getting hard against corporate crime.

 

c. Bush's lies regarding the war in Iraq. Blatantly selling lies to the American people that cause the death of over 10,000 Iraqis and almost 600 Americans needs to be stopped.

 

d. Bush's inability to curb the drug war. Arresting non-violent drug offenders for simple personal possession and giving them long prison sentences does not cure the drug problem in America. He has poured more money into the failed drug war. The book "Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It: A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs" by Judge James P. Gray is a great place to start educating yourself about the drug war. Kerry will continue this bulls*** so it's another strike against him.

 

e. Bush's laxness on national security. He signed W199-I. Hiding 28 pages of documents that might incriminate our "allies" from Saudi Arabia and the numerous items detailed on my webpage regarding 9/11.

 

f. Bush's cuts against veterans and denying them medical coverage. Sure Kerry voted for some stuff but the Bush administration wanted to cut wages of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He's also cut veteran's benefits, increased co-payments and increased the amount of time to get a visit in a hospital for troops. He also denied full medical to Reservists and National Guardsmen.

 

g. Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' act which is underfunded and most schools cannot meet the mandates because there are not enough funds to assist them. Kerry voted for it so it's another thing that makes him a moron.

 

h. Free trade. NAFTA, GATT, and the WTO have decimated our trade and allowed for numerous outsourcing of jobs that has had a negative effect on our economy. Kerry voted for NAFTA.

 

i. PATRIOT Act. The anti-Republican platform invasion of our civil liberties. Voted for by Kerry and endorse by the administration. Yet another poor thing on both parts.

 

j. GAY MARRIAGE CONSTITUTIONAL f***ING AMENDMENT. A Constitutional amendment. Is there nothing more important in our nation's focus then whether 2 people who love each other should be allowed to be married? Kerry's also against gay marriage so he can go suck a f***.

 

They're both corporate shills and don't represent what police state hating, non-corporate entity people want. Vote for less government, vote for common sense. Write in Ron Paul in 2004.

[kapkomet]

 

that smirking symbol pisses me off in this context

 

so does your usage of the term "Bush haters"

 

for the record, I despise this current administratuon for all its lies and evil and division of America

 

but to toss around ther term "Bush hater" implies some type of political superiorty on your part which is odd considering all the Kerry hating and Clinton hating and Democratic Party hating we see here so don't be so smug

 

I refer you to Jerry's website and read his positions and those are all the reasons I am voting for Kerry and yes indeed I would vote for any Democrat  over Bush and the reasons for the various candidates and against Bush have all been posted here for months (and since September 2002) and are in the archives

cw, I certainly don't think you hate the man "Bush", but you dislike his policies, etc. And while I've read your idealogy over the past couple of months on here, (and yes, I will read over Kerry's web page now that he's the Dem. candidate), I want an answer as to why we should vote for John F. Kerry, not because he's the guy against Bush.

 

I gotta be honest (hehe don't you love that cliche!!). I don't like either of them. I don't like the "my way or the highway" attitude by our current administration, and I don't like the "I'll stick my @#%% in the wind and see what the polls say" characteristics of the last Democratic administration and it also seems to be what Kerry goes for. There is no "middle of the road" candidate this time around, it seems like we're going way left or way right. And most of America is in the middle. Neither of these guys represents the "average" American. This is why there is so much polarization in politics, no one really represents us common people anymore.

 

That's why I ask the question. I want to see why you folks leaning toward Kerry to tell me why he's the candidate for you and what you think he can do for our country. "Anybody but Bush" sort of pisses me off because to me, it implies that you really don't believe in Kerry, you just don't want Bush that bad. And I want reasons why Kerry deserves to lead this country besides the fact he's a Democrat.

[cwsox]

And I want reasons why Kerry deserves to lead this country besides the fact he's a Democrat.

 

There will be at least 3 Supreme Court appointments and perhaps up to 5 in the next 4 years.

 

 

I do not want G W Bush to make any of those.

 

I trust any Democrat to make better choices that Bush.

 

Kerry has been a Senator for 4 terms. His record is not perfect. No one is perfect. Everything he has done in his adult life (and I remember him very well from the early 70s) gives me every confidence that whether I agree with him or not on particulars, I trust his total thought process and I keenly respect his knowledge and intelligence.

 

That his best friend in the Senate is John McCain says something wonderful about his ability to transcend partisan and emotional distances - they did not start off as friends and worked together brilliantly on the POW issue.

 

There is nothing wrong with anyone but Bush. Everyone has their place where they do that. I believe that any Democratic nominee would have better than Bush. I embrace the concept of any Democrat than Bush and I don't buy that that is not a legitimate choice. I am not talking about anyone off the street, but anyone who would have actually gotten the nomination would be someone in public life who would be better than what we have, much much better. I also embrace that Kerry is going to do a far better job in every sphere that is important to this country, from the economic to national security to not being a divider to court appointments to the environment to you name the issue.

[kapkomet]

There will be at least 3 Supreme Court appointments and perhaps up to 5 in the next 4 years.

 

 

I do not want G W Bush to make any of those.

 

I trust any Democrat to make better choices that Bush.

 

Kerry has been a Senator for 4 terms.  His record is not perfect.  No one is perfect.  Everything he has done in his adult life (and I remember him very well from the early 70s) gives me every confidence that whether I agree with him or not on particulars, I trust his total thought process and I keenly respect his knowledge and intelligence.

 

That his best friend in the Senate is John McCain says something wonderful about his ability to transcend partisan and emotional distances - they did not start off as friends and worked together brilliantly on the POW issue. 

 

There is nothing wrong with anyone but Bush.  Everyone has their place where they do that.  I believe that any Democratic nominee would have better than Bush.  I embrace the concept of any Democrat than Bush and I don't buy that that is not a legitimate choice. I am not talking about anyone off the street, but anyone weho would have actually gotten the nomination would be someone in public life who would be better than what we have, much much better.  I also embrace that Kerr is going to do a far better job in every sphere that is important to this country, from the economic to natinal security to not being a divider to court appointments to the environment to you name the issue.

What you're saying here is much better then "anyone but Bush". And I appreciate that. And you have a GREAT point about McCain.

 

Re: the court appointments. That's a debate for another time, and I sometimes sort of float with the wind on that deal. Some days, I strongly feel like we should be in search of strict constitutionalists. Other days, depending on the issue, I wish we had some people in there that would eusurp and strike down some of the idoicy that happens in law-making. But that's not what the court nominees are supposed to do. And often times, I feel like that's indeed what more "leftists" on the courts do. But I will be the first to admit that I don't know enough details on each circuit level to argue the point much.

 

This is good stuff, and I really appreciate you taking the time to express and articulate your viewpoints in greater detail.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

We should vote for Bush because this country needs his leadership. Bush acted swiftly and strongly in the face of the most massive attack ever carried out on U.S. soil. He used swift and decisive military action to oust the government harboring the group responsible and as a result all the major players are either dead, captured or in hiding.

 

Everybody blames Bush for the economic problems we've been having but those same people fail to mention that the recession we had started officially 2 months after Bush took office. That's how the business cycle works. Adding to this, and seriously compounding its effect, was the attacks of 9-11 and the subsequent anthrax scare. It has taken time but now the economy is on the right track and getting stronger all the time.

 

Now that things are truly taking a turn for the better in this country there's no reason to make a change now.

[LowerCaseRepublican]

We should vote for Bush because this country needs his leadership.  Bush acted swiftly and strongly in the face of the most massive attack ever carried out on U.S. soil.  He used swift and decisive military action to oust the government harboring the group responsible and as a result all the major players are either dead, captured or in hiding.

 

Everybody blames Bush for the economic problems we've been having but those same people fail to mention that the recession we had started officially 2 months after Bush took office.  That's how the business cycle works.  Adding to this, and seriously compounding its effect, was the attacks of 9-11 and the subsequent anthrax scare.  It has taken time but now the economy is on the right track and getting stronger all the time.

 

Now that things are truly taking a turn for the better in this country there's no reason to make a change now.

But aren't Al Qaeda still carrying out attacks? (i.e. 3/11) They may be in hiding but they are by no means neutralized. Would his swift and decisiveness be when he was reading the book to kids or staying in the undisclosed location all day long? Or was it not scrambling fighters until a time when they couldn't do anything? Gee, that's some balls. Hell, Bush kept W199 I in place and for that, Nuke, I'd think you'd hate his f***ing guts. He actually gave it teeth and

 

Like I said with the Hassin thread, the ideas of a person don't die just because he gets wasted. Sure, we kill off Al Qaeda members. Their kids get pissed and come to attack the people that killed their dad, brother, etc. Plus add in the people who were everyday civilians who lost a loved one to American bombing campaigns. That's the new Al Qaeda we're gonna have to kill. Then their kids take up the flag. How far are we willing to go and willing to pay for this?

 

As for the economy, all I've seen is that we are losing jobs and that productivity is up. Productivity doesn't really matter when there are no people with income to buy said products. (Machines can be very productive and that doesn't mean people are working). Just recently head economics experts in the Bush administration have decided that fast food jobs should be considered manufacturing (I'm not making this up) and this is masking the loss of manufacturing jobs from America.

 

As SS2K4 has said before, it's America's obsession with cheap goods compared with our want of high wages and benefits. Personally, if we were making more money and got good benefits then there would be the extra discretionary money to pay for more expensive items. And Nuke, having high wages and good benefits in place for companies does lead to people getting off the teat of the nanny state.

[EvilMonkey]

5. The national firefighters union has endorsed John Kerry. Firefighters are our first line of defense post attack - and if attacks will happen, we need to make sure that we are prepared to deal with the aftermath. Pledges to first responders after September 11 are yet to be fully funded.

I have a huge problem with this point. The UNION is for Kerry, but if you ask the actual members, you would be lucky to get half. It is the same way with just about every union that supports a candidiate. The union takes the money it collects from all its members, and throws its support behind a candidate that the leadership selects, NOT the rank and file. So in this case, the leadership picked Kerry, but what about the firefighters that support Bush? Now their hard earned money that the unions took from them, has been given in support of Kerry. Unions, as a group, should not be allowed to support any candidates, since they do not truely speak for all their members, yet take their money anyway.

[YASNY]

There will be at least 3 Supreme Court appointments and perhaps up to 5 in the next 4 years.

 

I think you just convinced me to reconsider voting for Bush.

[JUGGERNAUT]

The reasons to vote for Bush are obvious (Is America safer since 9/11).

But there are other reasons that are not obvious:

 

1) The Dems continue to point to the deficit Bush has built for they fail to mention the deficit is a direct result of increased spending on fighting terrorism. This is what I will call a temporary discretionary spending item. It's not a new program that the rest of Congress get slice up to get their pork.

 

2) He mentioned steroid use in his state of the union address.

This is not just a MLB issue. The lastest data suggests 4% of HIGH SCHOOLERS are now taking steroids or HGH. One can only wonder what the usage is in college. I think it was very responsible for Bush to be the front runner in opening the national debate & bringing national awareness to what is becoming a very BIG problem.

 

I still shake my head when I see Dems criticize him for this.

 

3) Prescription drug care coverage: Yes it might bankrupt Medicare sooner but the bottom line is that Bush just signed land mark legislation that will reduce the cost of prescription drugs for seniors. No matter how you slice it seniors will keep more of their money as a result of Bush's leadership. As for bankrupting Medicare, 10 yrs sooner is going to mean much. Medicare is like a broken cow feeding flies, lizards, crows, etc. It's so sick, that the sooner we put it out of it's misery the better.

 

Without question, I see Medicare being replaced by government healthcare. In the last 4 administrations this issue has been debated & that debate grows stronger. It's inevitable though Canada will slow the rate at which America changes.

 

4) Tax cuts. No matter what you say about it, Bush's tax cut meant every person who pays taxes benefited.

 

Three things Bush can do to win in a land slide:

1) Outsourcing - make it less attractive for corporations. Balance Corporate income vs payroll when it comes to taxes. Introduce a scaled tax rate system for corporations similar to what exists for individuals. To offset the higher tax rates, allow corporations to deduct payroll taxes on their income taxes.

 

The net effect of this change would be to lower taxes on those corporations that employ more US workers & raise taxes on those corporations that employ little to no US workers.

 

2) Explain the complexity of intelligence gathering to the American people. Let them know the truth that intelligence is still for the most part dependent upon human intelligence. Human intelligence can be bought & sold to provide truth or lies. Actions as a result of intelligence gathering are always going to be hit/miss. There are no guarantees.

 

3) Make trade with Canada more effective. Canada's socialist government with price controls provides a tremendous opportunity for America to pressure american companies without the need for legislation. Canadianpharmaciesonline.com is an example of this. These are Canadian companies setup in the US offering drastic reductions on drug sales on-line. They can offer such drastic price reductions as a result of Canadian legislation. The US should expand NAFTA to essentially grey the borders when it comes to healthcare.

 

The arguments about the FDA having to approve all these Canadian drugs is very weak. Most of the drugs supllied to Canada are already FDA approved. What these Canadian companies are doing is essentially re-importing goods back to the US at a discount price. In other words, American drug manufacturers provide drugs to Canada at drastically low prices because of the price controls. Canadian companies are now buying those same drugs at very low prices in Canada & re-importing them into the US at much lower prices than what the American manufacturers offer. Now this is happening today without any new legislation by the government. It's happening because of the internet. New legislation would allow it to happen outside of the internet.

 

American companies have no real choice in the matter. It's said that they would stop supplying Canada at those prices if this re-importation would expand. But that's such an empty threat considering the profit they make, the number of drug suppliers, & most importantly the fact that the Canadian govt controls the drug patents. The bottom line is that if the American companies want to stop supplying Canada, Canada has many avenues to maintain their supply.

 

I think this is a great tool for America to use to improve American life without legislating a socialist agenda. Canada & America would form a symbiotic trade relationship benefical to both.

 

Reasons to vote for Kerry:

If he ever mentions the 3 things above, I might have some. But right now his ideas sound pretty dumb.

[Rex Kickass]

I have a huge problem with this point.  The UNION is for Kerry, but if you ask the actual members, you would be lucky to get half.  It is the same way with just about every union that supports a candidiate.  The union takes the money it collects from all its members, and throws its support behind a candidate that the leadership selects, NOT the rank and file.  So in this case, the leadership picked Kerry, but what about the firefighters that support Bush?  Now their hard earned money that the unions took from them, has been given in support of Kerry.  Unions, as a group, should not be allowed to support any candidates, since they do not truely speak for all their members, yet take their money anyway.

Well, however you feel about unions it doesn't change that the National union has endorsed Kerry. It doesn't change that a Republican dominated Congress and White House has promised funds for First Responders that never materialized. And it doesn't change that New York City has had to close Fire Departments post September 11 because they couldn't afford to keep them all open.

[Rex Kickass]

The reasons to vote for Bush are obvious (Is America safer since 9/11). 

But there are other reasons that are not obvious:

 

1) The Dems continue to point to the deficit Bush has built for they fail to mention the deficit is a direct result of increased spending on fighting terrorism.  This is what I will call a temporary discretionary spending item.  It's not a new program that the rest of Congress get slice up to get their pork.

 

2) He mentioned steroid use in his state of the union address. 

This is not just a MLB issue.  The lastest data suggests 4% of HIGH SCHOOLERS are now taking steroids or HGH.  One can only wonder what the usage is in college.  I think it was very responsible for Bush to be the front runner in opening the national debate & bringing national awareness to what is becoming a very BIG problem.

 

I still shake my head when I see Dems criticize him for this.

 

3) Prescription drug care coverage:  Yes it might bankrupt Medicare sooner but the bottom line is that Bush just signed land mark legislation that will reduce the cost of prescription drugs for seniors.  No matter how you slice it seniors will keep more of their money as a result of Bush's leadership. As for bankrupting Medicare, 10 yrs sooner is going to mean much.  Medicare is like a broken cow feeding flies, lizards, crows, etc.  It's so sick, that the sooner we put it out of it's misery the better. 

 

Without question, I see Medicare being replaced by government healthcare.  In the last 4 administrations this issue has been debated & that debate grows stronger.  It's inevitable though Canada will slow the rate at which America changes.

 

4) Tax cuts.  No matter what you say about it, Bush's tax cut meant every person who pays taxes benefited. 

 

Three things Bush can do to win in a land slide:

1) Outsourcing - make it less attractive for corporations. Balance Corporate income vs payroll when it comes to taxes.  Introduce a scaled tax rate system for corporations similar to what exists for individuals.  To offset the higher tax rates, allow corporations to deduct payroll taxes on their income taxes. 

 

The net effect of this change would be to lower taxes on those corporations that employ more US workers & raise taxes on those corporations that employ little to no US workers.

 

2) Explain the complexity of intelligence gathering to the American people.  Let them know the truth that intelligence is still for the most part dependent upon human intelligence.  Human intelligence can be bought & sold to provide truth or lies.  Actions as a result of intelligence gathering are always going to be hit/miss.  There are no guarantees.

 

3) Make trade with Canada more effective.  Canada's socialist government with price controls provides a tremendous opportunity for America to pressure american companies without the need for legislation.  Canadianpharmaciesonline.com is an example of this.  These are Canadian companies setup in the US offering drastic reductions on drug sales on-line.  They can offer such drastic price reductions as a result of Canadian legislation.  The US should expand NAFTA to essentially grey the borders when it comes to healthcare. 

 

The arguments about the FDA having to approve all these Canadian drugs is very weak.  Most of the drugs supllied to Canada are already FDA approved.  What these Canadian companies are doing is essentially re-importing goods back to the US at a discount price.  In other words, American drug manufacturers provide drugs to Canada at drastically low prices because of the price controls.  Canadian companies are now buying those same drugs at very low prices in Canada & re-importing them into the US at much lower prices than what the American manufacturers offer.  Now this is happening today without any new legislation by the government.  It's happening because of the internet. New legislation would allow it to happen outside of the internet.

 

American companies have no real choice in the matter.  It's said that they would stop supplying Canada at those prices if this re-importation would expand.  But that's such an empty threat considering the profit they make, the number of drug suppliers, & most importantly the fact that the Canadian govt controls the drug patents.  The bottom line is that if the American companies want to stop supplying Canada, Canada has many avenues to maintain their supply. 

 

I think this is a great tool for America to use to improve American life without legislating a socialist agenda.  Canada & America would form a symbiotic trade relationship benefical to both.

 

Reasons to vote for Kerry:

If he ever mentions the 3 things above, I might have some.  But right now his ideas sound pretty dumb.

On the contrary to your first point. The increased deficit is not all about the war on terror. If that were the case, we'd be looking at a deficit of 100 to 150 billion a year rather than 500 billion dollars. Bush's tax cuts (which by the way have meant higher taxes on the state level for many people) contributed to the deficit. The Bush white house and the Republican congress have increased discretionary spending at a higher rate than Clinton, or Bush 41. In fact, studies have shown that the "small-government" Republicans are willing to spend more on Pork Projects than Democrats were when they were in the majority.

 

Steroid use is a concern. But if the President supports individual liberty and personal freedom, it should be up to individual states and municipalities to create laws and programs dealing with steroid use. Further, this is where parental responsibility comes into play. Because 1 out of 20 kids in High School is juiced up, it's not a reason for me to vote Bush.

 

The prescription care package that Bush rammed through the Congress is a start, that's correct. However, he only got it passed by not revealing the higher cost estimates until after the vote took place. This is the same bill by the way that a Michigan congressman was offered a bribe to vote for during a three hour roll call vote on the floor of the House. He made those comments on WKZO-AM radio in Kalamazoo (his district). A couple months after the bill was passed, the cost estimates rose by 30% with a disclaimer that said - we pretty much knew this before the vote.

 

Here's a true story. In 2001, I paid a smaller percentage of income tax than in 2002, despite the fact that I made less than 2000 dollars more than the year previous. Granted, the difference was about .3% of my annual income - but that still seems like a tax increase to me. And I made less than 25,000 a year. In the mean time, in the state that I live in, which has faced budget crises since the federal deficit has meant reduced funding for federal mandates within the state - state income taxes have gone up. In Indiana, sales tax has increased from 5 to 6 percent. It seems that the taxes that have gone up on the state level to compensate for reduced funding due to reduced funds from the Federal Government tend to have a greater impact on lower income groups. Think about it. If everything you buy costs 1% more because of a sales tax increase - who's wallet will it affect more. The person scraping by hand to mouth, or the fine gentleman who just received that Dividend Tax cut?

 

RE: Outsourcing.

The Bush administration released a memo a few weeks ago encouraging outsourcing jobs for increased economic growth. The Kerry campaign previewed his plan to close tax loopholes for those companies who outsource out of the US and for a 5% cut in corporate taxes generally.

 

RE: Intelligence.

It came out this weekend that the intelligence about the Iraqi mobile weapons labs came from two sources, one the CIA regarded as unreliable and discredited, and another from an interview between German intelligence and an Iraqi dissident. The CIA never sought independent confirmation of this intelligence. It never sought corroboration from these claims, and it turns out both informants were on the Iraqi National Congress payroll. The INC, by the way, makes up a large portion of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Oh yeah, David Kay - the man Bush appointed to find the Weapons of Mass Destruction after the toppling of the Hussein regime - was quoted as saying if the sources for this material, presented before the public, were also public, we would have been laughed out of the court.

 

Just some things to think about when you use these reasons to vote for Bush.

[Rex Kickass]

I think you just convinced me to reconsider voting for Bush.

Were you gonna vote for him before?