On Tuesday the decision will finally be here. A campaign season that has stretched for nearly a year has dwindled the field down to two distinct candidates, Democratic Senator John Kerry and incumbent Republican President George W. Bush. The country, divided between the two, has listened to both debate heated issues like the loss of American jobs, high health care costs and the threats of terrorism. An often-contentious race has taken place in the midst of the high spending campaigns and interest groups on both sides voicing strong opinions. But now all this background noise fades to silence as the curtain closes in the voting booth and each and every one of us is left with our individual decision.
This decision must be made knowing that we stand looking at a diverging road. We must choose between the two Americas presented by these candidates. John Kerry promises a new beginning for a country that many view to be on the wrong track. George W. Bush's America is a divided nation losing its sense of itself. Domestic concerns go unheeded while the administration focuses on its war on terror. Bush's America has rallied around the flag, but if the electorate chooses four more years of his brand of leadership, that flag will be in tatters. Given these choices, The Spectrum endorses John Kerry and his optimistic vision for America.
In the post-Sept. 11 world, this presidential election has been framed around the emotionally potent threat of terror. The war on terror has become the central issue at the expense of other pressing domestic issues. The number of Americans directly affected by terrorism does not compare to those who are affected by unemployment, poverty, rising costs for education and health care and the most often overlooked issue, environmental policy.
Thus if we frame the election in terms of domestic issues, it is easy to see why John Kerry is the better choice for America's future. The latest USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll showed John Kerry polling higher in terms of who would better handle the economy and health care, issues that concern the majority of Americans.
Despite some recent economic growth, the Bush administration has presided over the loss of 1.6 million private sector jobs. Real wages have declined and the minimum wage has stagnated at $5.15. Whatever meager tax cut the middle class really received has barely kept them afloat as the costs of daily living have increased. In an effort to pay for these tax cuts Bush eviscerated the funding of important social programs that provide job training, assistance for housing, childcare and education.
As an indication of what another Bush term would entail financially, a memo that circulated throughout Washington from the administration told federal agencies to prepare for massive cuts due to the $413 billion federal deficit. The memo outlined specific cuts. The Women, Infants and Children nutrition program would be cut by $122 million and Head Start another program for the economically disadvantaged would lose $177 million.
Bush has shown he is fiscally irresponsible by giving such a large tax cut while we are attempting to rebuild two nations. John Kerry has pledged to balance the budget and use a "pay as you go" system, which would ensure that plans are paid for before they are enacted.
The recent scramble of many older Americans to find a flu shot, something that should be a basic tenet of any health care system, is just one more example of Bush's ineptitude in dealing with the health care in this country. A report from the U.S. Census Bureau showed 45 million uninsured Americans in 2003, 1 million more than the previous year. In a nation unrivaled economically, this is unconscionable. The cost of prescription brand name drugs has also spiraled out of control with costs raising four times the rate of inflation.
The Bush administration refuses to deal with these issues that are essentially life and death issues and instead harped on the supposed negative effect of trial lawyers and lawsuits. John Kerry plans to lower prescription drug costs by allowing the safe re-importation of drugs from Canada and he will work to provide health care access for every American.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks the threat of terrorism has loomed large in the American consciousness. With a failing domestic record, Bush's campaign has played to the worst of our visceral fears in an attempt to obscure the president's failed foreign policy.
The recent concerns over missing explosives most likely used by insurgents to kill American soldiers show the incompetent leadership Bush provides. Whether or not you support the idea of the Bush doctrine and preemptive war, Bush has mishandled this war from the beginning, costing the lives of American soldiers and thousands of Iraqi citizens. Deciding to enter Iraq without widespread international support has placed a heavy burden on the United States, both financially and in the loss of lives. If Bush is re-elected he will most likely continue this flouting of international opinion. With a military strained to near-breaking point, a back door draft, increasing numbers of AWOL troops and recruitment numbers down, the reinstatement of the draft becomes a possibility.
Only one candidate in this race can lead us out of the chaos of war. Only one candidate can renew the American dream at home. We choose John Kerry's vision for America, and for the sake of our country's future, we hope that America chooses John Kerry.
