In November, Americans will make a choice that is fundamental to our system of government – voting for President. While most of the college age population will be doing something other than voting, either George W. Bush will continue into a second term, or the news media will be focusing on what the Kerry presidency is going to mean for America. I believe the proper choice is to re-elect President Bush. Here are a couple of reasons.
I believe the biggest issue that will preoccupy voters is the situation in Iraq. Going into Iraq was the right thing to do, and staying in Iraq is the right thing to do. The President correctly characterized our enemy and their brutality in his April 14 news conference: “None of these acts is the work of a religion; all are the work of a fanatical, political ideology. The servants of this ideology seek tyranny in the Middle East and beyond.” Like the tyrants of the past that threatened the security of the United States, the President has made it clear that we will confront this threat and that we will no longer be intimidated. Whether or not we ultimately find WMDs is no longer important. Saddam Hussein possessing the potential to build them was sufficient cause to take action, and the brutality of demagogues like Muqtada al-Sadr is sufficient cause to stay the course. America and its allies will be safer in the long run.
The other major issue in the mind of voters is the economy. Having inherited an economy in decline, President Bush’s economic policy shows he understands that the economy is driven by the consumer. In passing tax relief for all Americans, a much needed energy boost was given to the economy and to the personal budgets of millions of Americans. It took some time to feel it, but the economy stabilized, recession was minimized and last month 300,000 new jobs were created. According to the April 14 edition of the Financial Times, retail sales in the United States increased by 1.8 percent in March, “more than double the figure forecast by economists.” Additionally, FT reported, “businesses increased inventory levels in February at the fastest rate since mid-2000.” JP Morgan, one of the country’s leading investment banks, says that the U.S. economy is likely to increase at 5 percent in the first three months of the year. Consumers and businesses are feeling confident and that means a stronger economy for all of us.
I believe President Bush should be reelected because he represents not only progress in the right direction, but a presidency that is about substance. The voters want to vote “for” something, and Bush gives them something to vote for – character, integrity and vision for a stronger America. George W. Bush has set us on that path, and Americans need to reelect him so that “this great nation shall not perish from the earth.”
Scott Wacholtz can be contacted at s.wacholtz@umiami.edu.