I have always been a registered Republican and I voted for President George W. Bush in 2000. I, too, support many human rights and labor issues that the Democratic Party espouses, but my exposure in government affairs when I was an auditor for the Los Angeles County Department of Health in the late ‘70s changed all that. The many irresponsible social programs of the government that turned people into wards or dependents converted me, and since then I am more of a Republican in my philosophies.
The Republican Party traditionally encourages self-responsibility, entrepreneurship, thrift, savings, investment, more personal freedom and less government. It is more conservative and old-fashioned than the Democratic Party in matters that appropriately belong to the family. It parallels my religious faith and family values. But I am not a blind Republican; I crossed party lines when I voted for former President Clinton against former president George H. Bush Sr. in ‘92.
Are we better off now than we were four to eight years ago? And what are our prospects for the next four years domestically and internationally? Barely two weeks before Election Day, I finally made up my decision to vote for the Democratic ticket this time – John F. Kerry for president and John Edwards for vice president. Here are my Seven Top Reasons why:
1) The War in Iraq. A leader cannot be too proud and too rigid to change if the bases of making such decision – such as the eventual conclusion that there were really no weapons of mass destruction – were found to be inaccurate and erroneous. President Bush seemingly is bent on finishing the Iraqi War to finish what his old Dad did not finish, at the expense of American lives and gargantuan expenditures shouldered substantially by the American people. Deep in my heart, I am also praying for the resolution of this war that has already cost over 1,000 lives and billions of dollars.
2) The economy. Due to the preoccupation with the biggest headache of the Bush Administration, domestic issues are obviously put as second priority. The federal government must implement a comprehensive and equitable protection for all businesses, not just the giants but also small businesses, so that employment rises and the tax base widens. Tax credits should not only favor the Halliburtons and the Enrons of America but must also include smaller businesses that are struggling to survive in a highly regulated business environment. The inevitable outsourcing of jobs brought by globalization deserves more attention so that hopefully it will prevent a further divide between the haves and the have-nots in the world.
3) Human rights. An overreaction of the Bush administration, the USA Patriot Act Law was enacted that turned mere suspects into terrorists. Many innocent victims have been incarcerated without due process, causing concerns among many human rights organizations and civil rights lawyers. The horrific 9/11 tragedy united all Americans, but America’s irrational obsession to hunt for the culprit is also dividing America. America’s duplicitous foreign policies are also being put under the magnifying glass. Responsible citizens have also learned that the Bin Laden family’s business interests were also the Bush family’s business interests in the recent past. Indeed, in this imperfect world, there are really no permanent friends, only permanent interests.
4) Globalization. Bill Gates spoke on the subject of immigration reforms before Congress. He advocated the relaxation and the increase of the number of professionals, scientists and computer engineers to be allowed to come into the USA for the country to maintain its supremacy in the high technology field. He warned Congress that if the federal government refuses to overhaul the unrealistic or archaic immigration policies, many US companies including Microsoft will be forced to operate more manufacturing firms in Asia where costs are much lower, thus resulting in the dramatic loss of American jobs. Kerry’s plan has a better chance of slowing the tide of the continued expansion of American business overseas.
5) Health care. Health care costs have continued to skyrocket because of monopolistic policies of big business and the acquiescence of the government, which has policies that stifle competition. For instance, the pharmaceutical companies sell the same drugs much cheaper in Canada or Mexico than in the US. The federal government must allow the importation of some safe drugs from other countries to make a greater supply with lower prices than what US consumers pay. Furthermore, the dire shortage of nurses and doctors in many parts of the country is the result of decades of myopic solutions of the government at the behest of lobbying efforts of the big health care industry. Many administrations, especially during Republican administrations, have failed to encourage higher enrollment in medical and nursing schools.
6) Foreign policies and the United Nations. Another nation’s leader is a friend of the United States as long as that leader (like the Shah of Iran, as well as Somoza and Batista in Latin America) sings the same tune as the US administration. As the burden of sustaining a more peaceful world has become very heavy for all Americans, the United Nations must be persuaded to shoulder more responsibilities. A Kerry administration promises that America will correct this sad reality of the Bush administration.
7) Religious tolerance. President Bush often unabashedly admits that he prays, which is great. But his own God apparently is not the same God as those of another faith or religion, which could be dangerous. He invaded Iraq to liberate the Iraqis from Saddam Hussein and has branded a few countries as the "Axis of Evil." But a wrong cannot right another wrong! Senator Kerry appears to be a more tolerant leader than President Bush in the areas of religion and other freedoms of choice.
George W. Bush has unknowingly polarized this nation. Bush claims he is a compassionate conservative but he has refused to listen to that growing segment of Americans that want him to slow down in his resolute decision to go to war without the sanction of the United Nations. Many Americans are now realizing that they have been duped by false intelligence reports. The "Coalition of the Willing"is now dwindling as more and more nations are realizing that America went to war under a false and faulty premise.