Things I want to know about the next President of the United States

The Democrats have had their day in the sun in Boston, and the Republicans have now had their day in the sun. Both campaigns got a bump in the polls, but what do they have in mind for managing our country for the next four years? As a social liberal and fiscal conservative, I ultimately consider myself moderate by most political gauges. While I have my own thoughts about who you should vote for, I think it's more important that you do the following:

• Get as much information you can. Ask yourself: What issues do I care about? Where do I stand? And more importantly, where do the candidates stand on the issues? Whose plan is better? Do we share most of the same views? Or are we "world's apart"? You won't get this by listening to commercials or sound bites. You need to work at it--that means reading the paper, reading the platforms, watching the conventions, listening to analysis, and political commentary, and yes, reflecting upon the candidates record to date. And there are a couple of other things you need to do as well...
• Register to Vote, and
• VOTE, dang it! It's not sufficient to bitch & moan, or to simply register, and not plan on voting, as Dave Chappelle pointed out on The Tonight Show!

As a public service, I am providing some crib notes for evaluating the candidates. You might consider asking yourself the same questions...the answers might surprise you.

Things I want to know about the next President of the United States

1. What is [President Bush's / Sen. Kerry's] plan to re-establish credibility with the United Nations and abroad?
2. What is [President Bush's / Sen. Kerry's] plan for The War on Terrorism? When will the troops come home? What is our exit strategy? What is the definition of "mission accomplished"?
3. What is [President Bush's / Sen. Kerry's] plan for providing incentives for companies to keep jobs in America?
4. What is [President Bush's / Sen. Kerry's] plan for dealing with on-going challenges to Roe v. Wade?
5. What does[President Bush / Sen. Kerry] see as "critical qualifications" for a Supreme Court Justice nominee?
6. What is [President Bush's / Sen. Kerry's] plan for ensuring that ALL children are presented with equal opportunities for education in a safe environment?
7. What is [President Bush's / Sen. Kerry's] plan for reducing the National debt, safeguarding Social Security, and simplifying the tax laws such that everyone pays their fair share?
8. What is [President Bush's / Sen. Kerry's] plan for making healthcare more affordable? And revising government policies prohibiting the purchase of generic drugs--at substantially lower cost--in Canada and/or overseas?
9. What are the preventative steps [President Bush /Sen. Kerry] will make in immigration and nationalization, and national security to reduce the risk of another episode of "9/11"?
10. What is [President Bush's / Sen. Kerry's] stance on calls for a constitutional amendment defining marriage exclusively as a union between a man and a woman?

Jobs for Americans. Healthcare. Education. Immigration. Taxes. Abortion. Gay Rights. Supreme Court appointments. National Security. International credibility. You may not care about some of these issues, but if you're reading this, odds are you care about at least a few. How much do you really know about where the candidates stand on the issues? Probably about as much as you know about where they stand on 527 organizations...and that ain't much! That said, what are you going to do about it? At the time of this writing, there are just 63 days left to election day. There's lots of time left to make an informed decision. Make your vote count...

Peace,

+THINKER