Many other people have said it way more eloquently than I have, and I'm damn tired tonight. But here goes.
I'm voting for John Kerry tomorrow. I think you should too.
He won't be able to solve all of this country's problems, but I don't think anyone can. I do think he will do a better job than George W. Bush.
Just take a minute to look at the state of our country today. George Bush's reckless economic policies have left the economy in shambles. His administration has systematically undermined environmental protections, chipped away at civil liberties, and consistently favored big business over the needs of US citizens. His No Child Left Beind Act actually leaves the poorest children more vulnerable to being left behind. The rich get enormous tax cuts while the poor and middle classes get $300 and see their social and community services steadily eroded. American healthcare is a joke, and the Medicare reform bill Bush passed was not what they promised it would be.
But the worst offense of all is the Iraq war. Bush lied to get the American people to go along with his war. The people in his administration lied. They continue to lie. All of their evidence for going to war was FALSE. Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. He did not have anything to do with 9/11. And as of today, 1,120 soldiers have died because of those lies. Lies that Bush told. Lies that Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, and Rice told. The troops in Iraq are not properly equipped, lacking such basics as bullets, body armor, and properly armored transportation, putting their lives at even greater risk. And the ones who come home injured face a VA that is totally unprepared to help them. That is the biggest disgrace -- to send soldiers off to war and then cut the funding for their healthcare and disability benefits.
I want a leader who will do better than that -- for me and for my country. And I think John Kerry is that man.
