OP/ED: The Importance of voting intelligently

As the national elections draw ever closer, we must all take on the role of intelligent and responsible voters, as is our civic right, and duty, in this writer?s opinion.

You see, there is a great deal of controversy concerning the upcoming election. President Bush?s approval rating is at an all-time low, and the good liberal boys and girls of America are waiting with bated breath for this November. But aside from all of the usual Conservative vs. Liberal, Republican vs. Democrat nonsense that usually accompanies the election, I?d like to give you some insight as to what issues you can expect to hear about come election time (and some that you may not, but should always keep in mind).

It?s not too early to start educating yourself about the candidates, and their policies. For example, even as I am writing this article, I?m hearing about Ralph Nader entering the race late, in a bid for the presidency. He is a liberal, through and through, and his policies reflect that. He can be at times very closed-minded (as many politicians are, on both sides of the fence), but he is clear on two things: He doesn?t like George Bush?s policies, and he?s a member of the Green party (notoriously extreme leftist). Other than that, his platform is liable to change at the blink of an eye.

My personal favorite for President in this coming election is John Kerry. He has won the majority of the presidential primaries, and looks poised to topple Bush come November. Many consider this Vietnam vet to be a ?Republican in Democrat?s clothing?. And I?ll admit, some of his policies do carry the reek of the GOP, but he is adamant that he doesn?t support the reasons why the US went to war with Iraq. He carries a policy that is very domestically-minded, which is what this country needs right now, after the disastrous tax cuts made by Bush, which left the country in a $500 billion dollar hole for the fiscal year 2003.

Trailing behind Kerry by more and more every day is John Edwards, who many believe will be the Vice president on a Kerry/Edwards ticket. His policies reflect basically what you would expect from your typical Democrat, and he is opposed to just about everything Bush has done in the last 4 years, which is of course, always a plus.

As for the issues themselves, expect a broad range of topics, with gay rights at the forefront. This isn?t a debate that shows signs of being resolved any time soon, so, expect it to have expanded into a conflagration, rather than the small campfire it is now. Just around the edges of this raging inferno that is the gay rights debate is the problems with the American job market. More jobs are being lost every day, with only a handful of states maintaining, and even fewer states creating new jobs. For the rest of us, the outlook is bleak. Also on my ?expect it? list for this November is a resurgence of the Al Qaida and Usama bin Laden issue. I don?t want to sound like a conspiracy nut here but expect a ?new lead? on Usama?s whereabouts come this September, so there is time for it to sink in before the elections.

One thing I?d like to point out is the situation near the top that is rapidly coming to a head. George W. Bush is being accused of lying, and misleading people about the WMD issue in Iraq. Not a big surprise there, I mean come on?it?s a politician who lied. I?m sure you all know how the story goes, where President Bush ordered the attack on Iraq with the knowledge that they may not actually have WMDs. Also, rumors persist that the US had planned a war with Iraq as early as 2002. Whether these rumors are true or not, is up for debate. Another thing you might watch for as we draw closer to the elections: a WMD found in Iraq.

Well, that about sums up what you should know about this year?s presidential elections. Thanks for reading, and until next time, Turn off the TV. The news media is really just the 4th branch of the government.

This is an article that I'm submitting to my school paper for thursday. Let me know what you think.

[Edited on 24-2-2004 by Nerdling]

[Edited on 25-2-2004 by Loki]

[Edited on 25-2-2004 by Kano]

Not even a little? Come on, I want this to be a really good article, so, please, speak up.

Sounds good to me. I'm for Kerry this year so far. Ralph Nader came in late, and that could be a threat.

Originally posted by muzz
Sounds good to me. I'm for Kerry this year so far. Ralph Nader came in late, and that could be a threat.

I'm totally with you on that. Ralph will pull way too much democratic vote away from Kerry, and that's going to hurt come november. I'm starting to believe that bush paid him to run.

I'd like to think Nader had more scruples than that, but I suppose that I shouldn't put anything past any politicians.

BTW, thanx for the feedback, muzz.

Bush paid Nader to run. LOL. That is a definate possiability. I wouldn't put it by him.

Muzz