[Drew]

I think the choice, candidate-wise, really comes down to party voting this election year more than ever. I have problems - serious ones - with both candidates. So then it becomes a question of which one will actually serve the country better. Based on my personal beliefs, I believe that George Bush and the Republicans are the logical choice. Here is why:

1) Economics. Anyone with even a basic college education can tell you this. The Republican stance on the economy is simply better. Politics and all that aside, you'd be hard-pressed to find an economist who isn't working for the DNC that will tell you that the economy will improve under Kerry.

2) Morals. This is something that I always have and always will be firm on. This is also where I really get into party voting rather than candidate selection. I don't believe that either of the candidates posess a morally or ethically clean slate. I think that both are hypocritical. I think Bush is benefiting from his ties to big business. I think Kerry is whoring his very abbreviated service in Vietnam and cheapening the men and women who spent a year or more deployed there giving their lives for our nation. That being said, I believe that morals and ethics are strongly tied to Biblical principles. Now, before everyone goes, "OMFG U STOOPID BIBLE THUMPER HICK!!!11" - listen. First of all, I am a Christian and I am very proud to be one. I will very proudly tell you that being baptized was the single most significant event in my life thus far and finding my place in the Church has given me more purpose and direction than I've ever had. Now, when I reference Biblical principles, I mean the basic guidelines outlined therein. The laws, if you will. I think that we - as a nation - are becoming overly tolerant of very destructive lifestyles throughout our country. The traditional family is the foundation on which this nation was built. That is being torn apart by pre-marital births, gay marriage, etc. And I'm not getting in on the gay marriage debate, but you can't tell me that a child who grows up watching his father kiss another man or walks in on him taking it up the pooper isn't going to be screwed in the head. When more than 3/4ths of the country opposes something, yet it is made to seem as though those 3/4ths are the majority, there is a serious problem.

In summarization of number 2, the Republicans are very morally and ethically defined while I believe that the overtolerance and extreme political correctness championed by the Left is stripping the nation of any sort of moral compass.

3) National Defense/Security - I'm sorry, but when I hear Kerry talk about this sort of thing, I just have to laugh. He makes these outlandish promises about having every US soldier out of Iraq by the end of 2005, and then has absolutely NO firm stance on any other security/defense issue whatsoever. He hasn't even made his "proposal" for full withdrawl from Iraq public yet. Why? Because he doesn't have one. Ask any Logistics or Strategic Ops officer in any branch of service and they will tell you it's insane. Until the Iraqi police force is re-established and stable, as well as at least a minimal military force, there is no way we can withdrawl without sparking chaos and civil war. And there is no man on the face of this Earth who can train and implement local and federal policing agencies, and have them be stable and in control within a year. Not to mention an entire military.

In closing, if you look at their proposed expenditures, they're talking pretty much the same thing. I think by current estimates Kerry is talking about spending about 150 billion dollars more than the President (this number is less significant when you start talking about 3 trillion dollars). He also claims to be able to finance this by simply repealing tax cuts... that's a few hundred million if he's REAL lucky.

So yeah.