[Mr 5 0]

Originally posted by MidNiteBlu 5.0 :

My problem with government today is that really all politicians are pretty much the same. You can take Bush and Kerry for instance. Bush is a Republican, holds the Christian beliefs that Republicans typically do, however his administration spends more than the typical republican administration and has a much larger government than most conservatives are in favor of. Then there is Kerry. Despite his issues of a horrible voting record and never having a true backbone to him he doesn't exactly hold up to your typical Democrat for the working class. I mean what member of the working class has 4-5 homes and goes windsurfing off of nantucket?

The myth of the Democrat 'being for the working man' is just that, a myth, as any serious analysis of the Democrat voting record for the past 50 years will show you. They consistently vote for higher taxes (and not just on 'the rich') and more restrictions on liberty via more government regulation. Far from helping the 'working man'.

The Bush administration has produced high government spending and expansion, which conservatives oppose on principle. However, almost every conservative I know will vote for Bush because he is far, far closer to conservative ideals than Kerry could ever be, which is pretty obvious.

I am a moderate republican with many libertarian views. I am fiscally conservative and I dont feel the government has any right in saying which sex's can marry and who can or cant get an abortion. However it really sickens me to see both parties are pretty much growing closer and closer to being the same. Thats also another reason why I hate the two party system. Im not sure who im going to vote for. I dont like Bush but I hate Kerry even more. I may end up voting Libertarian even though I dont agree with all of thier views either.

You need to face the reality that all politicians have to cater to and try to placate a wide variety of constituents and so, cannot and will not be able to please you, as an individual, on every issue that arises. It's often been said that 'politics is the art of compromise'...and it is. A conservative Ronald Reagan tolerated big federal deficits to get a military buildup and tax cuts. A liberal Bill Clinton signed a welfare reform bill that was anathema to most liberals in order to get tax increases and to look good in an election. President Bush gets a big tax cut, a huge military buildup - but expands the government. Compromise.

To claim that both parties are 'the same' (or close to it) is incorrect. Do you truly believe that a Democrat president such as Al Gore would have responded to 9/11 the way President Bush did? Immediately going on offense? That a Democrat president would have asked for and gotten big tax cuts, as Bush did? These are major, major issues and the difference between Democrats and Republicans today is wide - and stark. That you take the Libertarian view on abortion and same-sex marriage is not uncommon. However, these issues are minor compared to the overriding issue of the war on terrorism and to a lesser extent, the economy, which Bush's tax cuts helped improve and recover from the 2000-2001 recession.

I would think long and hard before voting Libertarian. This is a critical election and while even I, a conservative, don't agree with everything Bush has done, I fully appreciate what he has done in the war on terror and the economy and I cannot even consider the thought of a John Kerry in charge of this nation's defenses. Not for a moment.

Remember, the only politician who will ever have the exact same views as you do is the guy looking back at you in the mirror every morning. Bush isn't perfect but he's done a good job under difficult circumstances and in my view, deserves to be re-elected.