Thanks for the support, Barth.
I agree that we're not doing as badly as many people think. I don't think we're doing as well as many people think, either. The economy is doing alright and it always was as far as I'm concerned. I see our main economic problems to be long-term ones which come naturally from our transition from a subsidized industrial economy to an open technological one. I think that education and alternative fuels are the keys to this problem. I don't think that Bush or Kerry will do much, if any, good in this area.
It's a good point which both of you made that the economic slump was due to people thinking that the economy was bad. I agree that the media has played a significant part in fostering a negative view of the economy. Terrorism shook us up pretty well, too.
In regard to national security and foreign relations, I am one of those pessimists. I don't think that enough has been done to secure our borders. I still don't think that there's enough communication within law enforcement and intelligence gathering organizations. I think that insulting Europe while arming Pakistan is ridiculous. I think that not debating further in the UN while giving the weapons inspectors more time before invading Iraq was a huge mistake.
The way I see it, the priority in waging a successful war on international terrorist networks is through international cooperation. What has happened over the last couple of years is the exact opposite. This administration has isolated us in the world community. While we do have some very important countries with us in Iraq, the weight of the whole situation lies on our shoulders. Now, we MUST win in Iraq while almost no one seems concerned with Afghanistan where we have a broad-based coalition including NATO and the UN.
I support Kerry for president because I think that he can help to change many of these problems. Most of Europe will always hate Bush no matter what he does or how Iraq works. The governments who support his policies will keep losing elections and we'll become more and more isolated. The regions where hatred for the US runs deeper, like Central America, South America, and large portions of Asia, hate us far more because of Bush. I think that it's worth voting in Kerry for diplomatic reasons alone. I think that anti-Americanism will plummet as many people remember believing the US to be a beacon of freedom and opportunity. I think that there will be less resistance in Iraq and Afghanistan as there will be less distrust of a new leadership.
Also, I think that the Democrats will prove to be more capable at nation building as it works better with their approach to governing in general.
I don't think that Kerry is the answer to our nation's problems. I just think that he's a necessary short-term solution to what I believe to be a foreign relations crisis.
A vote for Nader is better than no vote at all. In the long-term, we do need to take this country back from the corporations. That's Nader's main platform. A vote for him makes the big guys think a little bit more about what he's saying.
Goat-ridden? :]
Nader would get my vote, but that's more like a wasted vote, since there's no way in hell he'd ever win.
