Election Message or Get Yo Ass Out And VOTE!!!!

Hey People

I want to encourage everyone in the U.S. 18 & up to exercise your right to vote this Tuesday, Nov 2.Each of you should make your own personal decision on who you think is the right candidate (check out http://www.voteforsomething.com/ if you want some quick advice on the candidates' positions).

I'm personally voting for John Kerry for President. I'm doing so for a number of reasons:

----I prefer Kerry's philosophies on foreign policy and national security. I believe President Bush has consistently misled the public on the reasons for going to Iraq. He has mismanaged the plans for post-war Iraq, and, overall, he has made America and the world a more dangerous place by alienating the rest of the world and taking his focus off of the actual terrorists in order to pursue the war on Saddam, who had nothing to do with 9/11 and had no nuclear weapons. (Read the 9/11 Commission Report at http://www.9-11commission.gov/)Terrorist cells exist in many countries throughout the world, including some of our allies like the UK, France, Canada and even right here at home. We can't and won't go around declaring war on all these countries just because there are terrorists there. The main way to destroy these terrorist cells is to cooperate with the law enforcement and intelligence officials in all these countries to help stop the cells before they can plan another attack. In addition, we need to focus on alleviating the conditions that lead people to become terrorists in the first place. Attacking Saddam had nothing to do with that and only helped these terrorist cells recruit more people willing to threaten our safety.As much as he tries to scare people about what will happen if Kerry wins, President Bush is the one who has failed to make this country safer. His policies continue to create animosity around the world, and he refuses to admit that he's wrong, so don't expect things to get any better in the next four years.

----Bush's domestic policies are not very encouraging either. He does not have a comprehensive plan for bringing health care to poor or working class people. His priorities are on tax relief for wealthy Americans. Everybody likes lower taxes (I know I hate paying taxes myself), but you can't get something for nothing. Every President has to decide what is a priority, because the government can't do everything. When it comes down to it, Bush's priorities are with the rich and powerful. (FYI: Bush is expected to sign a bill that gives $140 billion in new business tax breaks to big businesses and multinational corporations, the bill is so extreme that Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, called it "the worst example of theinfluence of special interests that I have ever seen.") In the meantime, Kerry has a plan to bring healthcare to nearly all Americans. To pay for it, he'd restore higher taxes for really rich people. I think this is a small sacrifice to make sure nearly every American has equal access to quality health care.

While Bush pays lip service to education and helping the middle class, he fails to put his money where his mouth is. This is part of a common pattern with this so-called "compassionate conservative." He'll talk like a moderate, but he always governs from the far right with a very divisive agenda. He claims to be a man of his word, but he so frequently misleads the American people and fails to deliver on his promises. He said he'd "leave no child behind" in his education policy, but he'd rather spend that money on attacking Iraq and cutting taxes for the wealthy than fund his own education programs. He said he was for an assault weapons ban, but he intentionally made no effort to get the ban passed in the congress. I guess he was more preoccupied with trying to pass a constitutional amendment on gay marriage than protecting his own citizens from gun violence.Additionally, George W. Bush has been the worst president in decades when it comes to the environment. Again, he always sides with the rich and powerful when he sets his policy priorities. He is oblivious to the long-term effects of his policies and refuses to accept the overwhelming scientific evidence about global warming and its harmful consequences. I could provide more examples, but this is already getting long. (Read Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s new book "Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy;" I hear it's very good.)

----And, perhaps most disturbing of all is the Republican effort to suppress the ultimate symbol of democracy—the right to vote. In Michigan, Republican State Rep. John Pappageorge unapologetically said that his party would not win the presidential election if the Republicans failed to "suppress the Detroit vote, which as we know happens to be overwhelmingly African American!." Please know that this is a common sentiment among Republican officials. In addition to Michigan, they are making a concerted effort to suppress the black vote in key "swing" states such as Florida and right here in Ohio. (In Florida, it has been so bad that state police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd ''investigation'' of voter fraud). They have recruited an army of Republican volunteers who will raise frivolous challenges to registered voters in heavily minority/Democratic counties and spread misinformation and hostility to voters. They spread rumors about false voting requirements; they create conditions that will lead to longer lines and confusion at the polls. They DESTROY the registration cards of Democratic new registrants! All this in an effort to discourage people from exercising their constitutional right to elect the next President. This is quite simply immoral and intolerable. These are not underground conspiracy theories, people; these efforts are public knowledge and have been documented extensively by many of the major news organizations.

I can't believe there isn't more public outrage on this subject.Don't allow yourself or your family to be misled, discouraged or intimidated. The only way Bush can be re-elected is if he succeeds in suppressing the votes of young people and minorities. He knows this; his party knows this; you should know this too.So, I urge you to GO VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd. I believe this is the most important election of our lifetime. I know Kerry's not perfect, but this country can't take another 4 years of deception, mismanagement and misplaced priorities by the Bush administration.

If you've gotten this far in my looooong message, thanks for your time. :)