I got my absentee ballot in the mail the other day. Now I must vote, but I don't know who I want to vote for. So to help in my decision and to amuse the avid readership I have (send checks please) I will debate with myself on my own blog... if that makes sense.

The issues:
Abortion: I mostly agree with Bush on this one. Abortions only in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother. Ban on partial birth abortion.
+1 Bush

Civil Rights: Kerry on this front. Supports benefits for gay couples. I mean I don't think the government has any right to say you don't have hospital visitation rights, or signing a life insurance policy, or anything like that. If you're a couple, you're a couple and should have the same rights. No matter which gender your partner happens to be.
+1 Kerry

Crime: I don't know whether I'm for the death penalty or not. I can see it both ways. As far as gun control, they both pretty much say the same thing, guns are ok with law abiding citizens, I agree.
+1 Bush, +1 Kerry

Defense: I don't like the war in Iraq. I convinced myself it was ok because Iraw had WMDs. But turns out they didn't. But we did get rid of Saddam, but at the cost of how many lives? Back and forth. As much as Bush sounds and acts like a cowboy, he was the one that started it. And I agree with what Bush said in the first debate. He was talking about how Kerry had said "This is the wrong war, at the wrong time, in the wrong place." Bush begged the question "What kind of message is that sending our troops in Iraq?" You know, he's right. As much as Bush seems to be rather rash sometimes in decisions he at least follows them through and supports his actions. If Kerry stepped up, how would that effect the morale of the troops fighting to know that your president doesn't support what you're doing?
+1 Bush

Economy: Being in economics, I have a bit more perspective than I did. Kerry says the Bush tax cuts are bad and that they target the wealthiest 1% of Americans. Well... taxes are denoted by % of income so obviously if they are the wealtest they'd pay the most, hence getting the biggest tax break. They pay 30 some % tax anyway I mean come on, its not like they're getting off scott free or anything. So I don't believe a word of that "wealthiest 1%" speech he keeps repeating over and over and over. On the other hand, Bush floundered the biggest economic boom ever. Just look at a chart of the stock market NYSE over the past 100 years. Growth, growth, extreme growth, ludacrous growth, GOD-LIKE growth! (sorry, I couldn't resist ``) Anyway, then almost at the time of Bush inaguration, plumet 2000 points. Some would argue that's not his fault. But it happened. And a recession ain't good. Granted the economy is now rising. Bush would say its because of his tax cuts, but in reality (as I learned in economics) a rise in GDP is created most rapidly by increased government expenditure. Can you say Iraq?
+1/2 Bush

Education: Bush is for the NCLB (No Child Left Behind), which he wrote I believe anyway. That automatically makes me not like him. I worked for the public charter schools in Washington DC the summer before last. Its a very small public school system with about 12 schools each with about 200-300 people. I had to make reports and charts on their test scores that conformed to the NCLB requirements. It was sooo much work. And the whole time the people there were stressed to the hilt because according to the law if the schools don't produce reports accurately and on time they recieve NO federal money. Plus it rewards schools that do good by giving more money. That doesn't make any sense. If a school doesn't do well then it obviously needs the money more. Plus there are quotas all through it. On how many must pass, percentages of ethnicities that must pass, gender ratios, all this other crap. I know because I worked with the god forsaken bill for 3 months, lol. Kerry's goals to not cut education (which Bush has mentioned doing) and funding early gradeschool teachers as a way to help education makes far more sense to me.
+1 Kerry

Health Care: I don't have a lot of knowledge about this subject, but I agree mostly with Bush that a national health care plan would be more bad than good. Sure it would make things cheaper, more available, but at what expense of quality? Competition ensures quality. Definition of capitalism.
+1 Bush

Homeland Security: I'm with Kerry here. Bush just doesn't seem to have done much in the terms of securing America at home. Plus Kerry is for the repeal of the Patriot Act, which in my view was a rush to action law signed after September 11th that gives the government far far too much power than it needs to fight terrorism. That kind of gov. insight into innocent people's lives needs to stop.
+1 Kerry

Science: I'm not one to say W is stupid, but he is when it comes to science. I think he lets his own views get in the way of science. Like him saying no to stem cell research. I don't understand this. We have the technology and knowledge that within years of research there is the hope of a cure to Alzheimers, Parkinson's, paralysis, and the president of the US says no. It makes no sense. Why doesn't he go into the nursing homes and shake every paralysis patient's hand and say to them, "I'm the president and we at this very moment have the possibility to cure you. However I ordered all the scientists to stop and do no further research on curing your disease because I don't believe in it. Have a good day."
+1 Kerry

So.. final tally:

4.5 Bush
5 Kerry

Ahh! I need to decide soon. Who do you like?

Later.

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