KMA-628

The problem is, by adding this caveat, then you exclude on of the main reasons a lot of people suuported President Bush and voted for him.

You are never going to get a candidate that appeals to every one of the issues on your list.

On some of your issues Bush is strong on, others he is weak.

What matters is how each individual voter weighs the importance of each issue individually. The points that may be your "hot button" points may not be the same "hot button" points as mine.

If that is the case, as I suspect it is, then you will never see an answer that appeals to you.

Not to mention there has been thread after thread on this issue (with the subject either being Kerry or Bush). Has anything been accomplished? Nope.

Here are my "hot buttons". Agree. Disagree. I don't really care nor do I desire to debate it. These are my reasons and this is why I cast my vote for Bush.

1) Foreign Policy: Bush didn't back down from anything. He reminded the world that we are not someone to fuck with. He destroyed the "Paper Tiger" and put a lion in its place. The situation with Libya proves this to me. Oh yeah, so we are not popular in other countries? So. I have seen that game played for decades now, it is not new. We always become popular when our help is needed.

2) Economy/Taxes: I do not believe that surplus mean "spend more money and pay down the debt". A surplus means you took more of my money then you needed. Give it back to me, plain and simple. You want to get extra money to pay down the debt? Easy. Cut the fat. Reduce taxes, keep the market system free and it will take care of itself. That is all I want a president to do. Our economy will take care of itself, regardless of who is in power, as long as it is left pretty much alone.

*NOTE* I am also a realist and know the effect of the recession (at the beginning of Bush's term) and 9/11. Consider that the two major contributing factors to the "bad" economy weren't that long ago, I am suprised it is doing as well as it is. I have been through recessions before, this was by far the shortest.

3) Education: I want across the board standards. I have kids in school. In fact, I just changed school districts recently. In one school district my daughter was advanced and in the new one she is behind because the curriculum is considerably harder. In my opinion, there are two major problems to our school system: the NEA and parents that don't give a shit. This "takes a village" crap is getting old and we will pay for it in years to come. We are becoming a nation that relies to heavily on the gov't. Teach my kids. Discipline my kids. Give me money. Give me this. Give me that. How many people get sucessful in a system like that?

Long story short, I want a candidate that is not being pressured by the NEA because I think that union needs to be abolished because it is so full of bureaucratic bullshit that it is leading us down the slippery slope.

4) Social Services (most of which I am against): My "hot button" here is Social Security. Look at the statistics for social security. It is a fact that the system is in serious trouble. I don't have the time to dig up the facts, but look at what level the social security tax on our paycheck is going to have to be to support this system in 20-30 years. I think, if I remember correctly, that the ratio is going to be 2-1. That means, in a two-income household, that both people will be supporting one social security recepient entirely. Guess what, I don't like my taxes as high as they are now. Can you imagine how large the tax for social security is going to need to be to support it? Rather then go to a 2:1 ratio, privatize a portion of my "retirement" so that it goes back to me. This entitlement program is going to implode all over itself if something major isn't done soon--and raising taxes to the level that would be needed to save the system is 100% unacceptable to me (and to you as well if you truly realized what these rates would be).\

5) Conviction: I am not talking religion here. I am talking about a man that stands on his principles. Say what you want about Bush, but even Clinton commented that Bush did exactly what he said he was going to do.

Anyway, that is all I have time for tonight. I could go on, but that is a sample of my list (keyword: my). Do I expect you to accept it? No. Do I wish to debate it to death like every other time it has been brought up before by conservative after conservative. Nope.