Kraken for Kerry

It is mid-October 2004 as I write this, and the United States is truly a nation divided. With only several weeks until the next presidential election, the vast majority of polls show President Bush and Senator Kerry in a virtual dead heat. Several months ago, I heard someone say something to the effect of, “Oh, they're not any different,” and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This country hasn't seen such incredibly dissimilar presidential candidates in many years. Throughout the campaign and the debates, both men and their parties have been slinging mud like bartenders sling suds. This is particularly understandable for the Democrats, since voters naturally tend to favor “tried and true” incumbents unless they have demonstrated insufficient leadership, so the key for their opponents is to expose those insufficiencies. But it is neither my objective nor my desire to concentrate on the President's failings and why I think he should not be reelected. Instead, I wish to explain why I think John Kerry should be the next President of the United States of America, and why he is more than just the proverbial lesser of two evils. Indirect criticism is inevitable, of course, but I want to remain as positive as possible. The following essay highlights some of the most important issues on my mind this year.

At the forefront of many people's attention, including my own, is the war on terror and the war in Iraq. Discussion of this topic occupied a large portion of the first two presidential debates and the vice presidential debate, and for good reason. A great deal of controversy still exists over the threat—or lack thereof—that Saddam Hussein posed to the world, even though we have recently learned once and for all that he possessed none of the infamous weapons of mass destruction. But even assuming that this war was “justified” and “necessary,” we entered into it with far too much haste. John Kerry realizes that we should never allow foreign countries to have authority over our safety, but that we must exhaust all possible alternatives to armed conflict, and if that action is ultimately necessary, we must have a clear plan to win the peace in addition to winning the war. The unifying trait of true leaders is that they are respected, and John Kerry will work to restore the world's respect for America, repairing our many recently damaged relationships with allies and strengthening the security of our nation and the entire free world.

There are other actions we can take to improve our national security as well. As a prime example, John Kerry will make it a priority to invest in research and development of new energy technologies and fuels to decrease our reliance on Middle Eastern oil. The benefits go beyond just security, however. Middle Eastern instability is a large factor in our high gas prices, and those who produce and purchase vehicles that use more efficient sources of energy will be rewarded, so there will be an economic benefit as well.

Speaking of the economy, John Kerry will be a champion for the middle and lower classes. 98% of Americans and 99% of businesses will benefit from a tax cut, and the minimum wage will increase to $7.00 by 2007, because no hardworking Americans, regardless of their place in society, should be forced to live below the poverty line. The current minimum wage is about one-third of the average American income—its lowest relative level since 1949—and this fact demands attention and action. Finally, John Kerry will end tax breaks that encourage companies to outsource jobs overseas, because we desperately need to create more here at home.

John Kerry will invest in education and healthcare to ensure that the minds and bodies of the American people are operating at full capacity, therefore empowering us with the ability to achieve our greatest potential. The No Child Left Behind program will never achieve its title objective if it continues to lack an estimated $27 billion dollars in funding, and this is a matter that John Kerry has pledged to address. He will also spearhead a plan to expand after-school opportunities, which will help students succeed academically, but also help them succeed as citizens by keeping them out of trouble. Furthermore, John Kerry will offer our best educators incentives to teach in the places they are needed the most.

In regards to health care, John Kerry has devised a detailed plan to lower health care costs and increase coverage for all Americans. Although there is far too much to fully expound upon here, some very simple actions that can be taken are to allow importation of prescription drugs from Canada and make it legal for Medicare to purchase prescription drugs in bulk, thereby lowering their prices. Perhaps the initiative that holds the greatest promise for our future, however, is stem cell research, which could hold the secrets to curing many of the world's most debilitating diseases, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and spinal cord injuries. Many prominent individuals have supported this research, including Michael J. Fox, Nancy Reagan, and the late Christopher Reeve, but it has also garnered wide bipartisan support in the United States Senate.

John Kerry is a Catholic whose faith is the guiding force in his life, but he stands by his pro-choice beliefs despite the threat of being charged with heresy and facing excommunication from the Church. (And people question John Kerry's resolve?) He also doesn't support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, even though he, himself, believes that marriage should be defined solely as a union between a man and a woman. John Kerry doesn't wish to impose his personal beliefs on the entire country. He realizes that it isn't his place to dictate policy on matters of moral ambiguity by appointing Supreme Court Justices who will share his views and do his bidding.

I have long known that I would cast my vote for John Kerry to be our next President, but I still watched all three presidential debates and the vice presidential debate. Actually, since I am attending college at the time of writing this essay, I voted by absentee ballot before the third presidential debate even occurred, but I still watched it. Each of those nights, I witnessed John Kerry masterfully stating his vision for America and deflecting criticism from his opponent, and it only bolstered my confidence that I had chosen the right man to live in the White House for the next four years.