Hey Lio. That was a really good post and your concerns are really valid. It's good to see that you're picking up on these things now and that you'll be voting. You know America's going through a change when Lio's gonna vote. ;)

This election year has some issues that lots of people can care about. For most people, employment is obviously going to be the big issue. If you look at where we were before the Bush Administration and where we are now, it's very easy to blame it all on Bush and be done with him even though the decline was starting at the end of Clinton's term. Obviously, the Bush Administration's policies and tax cuts have not had the effect that was hoped for, and we certainly have not picked up to where we were. However, there have been some bright spots - for one: technology spending is, slowly but surely, rising again. When I got out here back in June, I'd be willing to bet my boss was barely able to pay the bills due to the reluctance of people and businesses to spend. Now, due to some really good moves by the boss and a pickup in business spending, we're really chugging along. We actually have a little bit TOO much work for the small staff we've got. Hehe. I have a feeling that a lot of smaller business like mine, under Bush, actually ARE doing better. Unfortunately for him, though, it may be too little too late.

Every candidate is campaigning under the employment bandwagon. It's up to you, though, to look at what they plan to do to fix it and determine who suits your needs. You also need to look at the candidate's other policies. Because of Mayor Newsom over in San Francisco, gay marriage has now become an important part of the election year. How do you feel about that? What are your feelings on the environment? Corporate liability? Campaign finance? Censorship? Especially because of Janet Jackson (of all people) and the Super Bowl boobie, censorship is now becoming a very important issue. The FCC is cracking down heavily on everything. Who knows where they're heading, but what's their limit? I mean, there's a shitload of stuff to think about. Stone, Caniprokis, Pappy, myself, or anyone on here; we can only tell you about things, we can't give you the answers. Republicans are going to tell you about helping the working class, Democrats are going to tell you about the wealthy getting all the benefits under Republicans; you just need to check them out, and find the truth in their statements.

In the primaries, I'm voting for Edwards. I'm not an Anyone-But-Bush person, first of all, and Kerry doesn't appeal to me. I hope Edwards wins because his plans seem like they will help. I don't particularly want to vote for Kerry if he gets the nod just to get Bush out of the White House (although, obviously, I will). Edwards seems dead serious, dedicated and very in touch with lower-middle and working class persons like myself without distancing himself from the corporations. There are a crapload of third parties, but if you want to get something done, there's no point in voting for them. If you only care about the two-party system and its evils, then yeah, vote for a third party. The candidates all have web sites, which have statements and plans.

Here are the main candidates' sites and another page with a lot of 2004 campaign info where you can read about the third parties:

George W. Bush Re-Election
John Edwards in 2004
John Kerry in 2004
2004 Presidential Election

Good luck on making your choice, man. :)