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John Kerry: The Lesser of Two Evils Robert Olson A Journal for Western Man-- Issue XXVII-- November 1, 2004 |
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The hours are ticking away as I stare at my clock, and I can only help but wonder how will this much discussed and debated election finally end? Will George W. Bush secure another term as President? Or will John Kerry be able to throw in his hand? One can only help but wonder--most people have already made up their own minds, and, thus, the election has already been decided. Just like a traditional belief in the laws of causality, I believe that the fate of this election is predetermined.
I, after all, have already made my choice, and
there can be no changing of my mind.
An ABBA? I, like I will in all future elections, will be forced to vote for the lesser of two evils. On the one hand, George Bush has led us to a war in which he has, in my opinion, all but lied about. In the other, we see that John Kerry is nothing more than a tax and spend liberal who has become increasingly hawkish in the past few years in order to ensure a chance at election. I like George Bush’s social security plan, whereas I like Kerry’s tax policy, and both have a foolish medical policy. Bush is irrationally set in certain ways, and John Kerry will lack the resolve to crack down on frivolous lawsuits. What happened to the American Candidate that I so fervently desired? KIA, as a result of American party politics, but that is a story for another day. The real question is which one is truly the lesser of two evils? I disagree with a majority of Ayn Rand objectivists on this matter. I would be voting (had I been 18) for the tax and spend liberal, John Kerry, in this election, in the hopes that he can do a better job than our current President. Why? 1. Tax policy. Now, I am not a fan of Kerry’s economic plan anymore than laissez-faire economics (I tend to be Keynesian in nature), but, I believe a sound tax policy is the best method to ensure a strong economy. The economy, according to some reports, is experiencing a classic example of overproduction and under consumption when it comes to consumer goods. (Other things, like college education and health care costs, are separate things entirely) The best method to alleviate this shortage (and encourage new economic growth) is to lower taxes on those that buy these goods, the middle class. The best response to a deficit that would grow as a result? Slightly higher taxes on the wealthiest (though I would support the creation of new tax brackets). Kerry is more likely to implement this plan than George Bush. 2. Foreign Policy. Now, don't get me wrong, I am more hawkish than either one of the candidates. War is a mere extension of diplomacy, though, preferably, never the first option. I simply don’t see either one prosecuting the war in Iraq, or anywhere else for that matter, much differently. I just don’t agree with how Bush went into Iraq. It was, in some respects, a good geopolitical move. Getting rid of Saddam and establishing a peaceful government is definitely a must for ensuring peace in the Mideast. It should have been done differently, however. We should have focused on making Jordan freer, building up forces in Saudi Arabia, and destabilizing Iraq through the support of Shi’a and Kurdish rebels.
The battle-ready army should have been reserved
for different uses-- Afghanistan, Africa, and North Korea come to mind.
With Bush apparently fighting an ineffective war, I cannot trust him to
lead us on the correct geopolitical strategy of the future. And, finally 3. Gay marriage and the return to the Evangelical right. I have no problems with the occasional religious or "extremist" President. The problem is having Bush II and Reagan within a decade and a half of each other. The pendulum begins to swing just a bit too far at that point. Bush just seems far too obsessed with legislating morality upon the public. Now, I will say that, to some degree, legislating morality, so to speak, is good. I have no problems with ensuring that certain material is not on public airwaves during the middle of the day, for example. At some point, though, the limiting of choice goes too far. Why should some people be allowed to marry, yet others are forbidden? Because the Bible says so? Because the past says so? In the past, marriage was not even a right or a union, it symbolized the transfer of women from father to husband. Does Bush think we should return to an age where women are merely property? Or, when he says that it will destabilize our society, does he believe that anything controversial must be crushed? (IE, the abolitionist movement) It is ridiculous to force the beliefs of one religion, even if it is in the overwhelming majority. Bush is simply pandering for votes, like Kerry does. The difference being that Bush is quite clearly taking away principal civil rights, because "God told him to." I could come up with a million more reasons why I would not cast my ballot in favor of Bush in this election, but I would simply be lying; I have analyzed the way I think, and those are three critical reasons I am opposed to a second term for George W. Bush, despite the fact I prefer him on character, Social Security, and litigation reform. And that is why Kerry is the lesser of two evils in this election. Robert Olson is a student at Glenbrook South High School. Besides being nominated for the David P. Pasquini Social Studies Award, he is also a member of the National Forensic League and a quality public speaker. In his free-time, he studies history and debates politics with a wide number of people, also contributing to The Rational Argumentator and a variety of other publications on occasion. He hopes to utilize his talents in a political career, and is currently working on a book that details necessary education reforms in America. Give feedback on this work at TRA's forum, which you can access at http://rationalarg.proboards24.com. Advertise your business or product permanently on TRA for a mere $1 donation to a worthy endeavor to combat human aging. Click here to learn more. Help bring about the cure for human aging within our lifetimes. Learn how you can help through the Chicago Methuselah Foundation Fund. Visit The Rational Argumentator's new Online Store. Visit TRA's Yahoo! Group, a means of notification and communication for our subscribers. You can find it at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rationalargumentator. You can sign up by sending an e-mail to rationalargumentator-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Click here to return to the Issue XXVII index. Visit TRA's Master Index, a convenient way of navigating throughout the issues of the magazine. Click here. |
