trying to grok

ok lets start with the economy, you make more than 200k pwe annum??........didn't think so. Health care, well being a dependent spouse you currenly have no worries, but imagine your self in the private sector you like the picture under this administration?? Moving on to energy and environment you think more drilling, and wastefulness is preferable to CONSERVATION of both fuel and the environment?? As to foriegn policy it is obvious you want to impose American hegemony on the world, but do you honestly think diplomacy is entirely useless?? Post war Iraq...see above comments. Trade: I take it you prefer "free" trade where we try to compete with nationally subsidized companies as opposed to "fair" trade. And the last item on thiat list Israel and the Palestinians, I guess you think Isreal has had it 100% correct since 1948, and that all Arabs are "little broen" people undeserving of consideration as being human beings???? Seriously Sarah the reactionary amongst us are the reason we can not even beging to discuss any differences with one another. I wish you could blow off the far right as easily as I can ignore the radical liberals. Seems to me that neither extreme wants true debate and discussion on these issues. I suppose you think republicans like Arlen Specter, Lincoln Chaffee and Olympia Snowe are too liberal too.

And I suppose you think you know everything. Idiot. At least proofread--you might look like less of one. And "far right"? Seriously. A real far-righter wouldn't give millions of illegal immigrants amnesty. A lot of that "far right" crap is just more political hullabaloo. Want to know why he was so popular as Texas governor? Because he sought to work with both sides...and was largely successful.

I seriously hope you're not voting for Kerry. For instance, I'm all for conservation myself, but not utter limitation to the detriment of people in general (oh, and then they whine about high prices), which is what many on the left do.

Also, my family works in Muslim countries often, and, while I have many friends among them, I can tell you that many of them are bigoted in a way that would never be "tolerated" in this country. No Israel isn't 100% right--maybe 70%. Heh.

And Sarah, *please* don't tell me that personality is one of the first factors in making your decisions. Lincoln and others would have never gotten into office had personality been as large a factor as it is now.

No, I wouldn't vote based on personality. (I actually didn't like President Bush's personality in the last election, but I've grown to admire and respect him.)

I really do agree with more of President Bush's ideas and plans than Kerry's. But I also trust President Bush more (ha, that'll make some bush-lied people cringe). If President Bush says he's going to do something, then I believe him. On the other hand, I can't understand this at all:

[Kerry] says he can halve the record half-trillion dollar budget by the end of one four-year term, even while spending $72 billion a year to extend health care to 27 million of the 40-plus million uninsured. His campaign has provided no details.

He never seems to have any details. Free college education for people who volunteer...then two weeks later, buried at the bottom of another article, we see that Kerry has backed down because it's just not feasible. I never know what he stands for, except that he represents the anyone-but-Bush folks.

Bush doesn't believe in free trade at all. His administration imposed steal tariffs, and now they are working on imposing tariffs on Shrimp. This time they are using the crazy excuse that communist countries are more efficient, and so the US can't compete with them.

The other thing is that Bush has let federal spending get out of control. Although, I suppose that is just the consequence of one party controlling the presidency, and congress. Don't you think he should be doing more to keep spending under control?

Yes, I think spending is out of control. But I don't believe it would be better under John Kerry. "His campaign has provided no details."