Kerry has plans to move America forward

When George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States, he promised to strengthen our national security, help fund education and provide tax relief to those who needed it most. Coming off of Bill Clinton’s presidency, the United States had one of the most successful economies in the world. According to bbc.com, more than 15 million new jobs were created during President Clinton’s years in office, and the economy generated an immense $400 billion surplus. Not only did President Bush fail to sustain America’s economic prosperity, the Web site www.centrists.org indicates that he managed to generate a $500 billion deficit. Also, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in 2004, 60 percent of Bush’s tax cuts went to the top 20 percent of Americans. By rolling back Bush’s unfair tax cuts, John Kerry promises to help 27 million people (out of the 40 million without health care, according to an August edition of Newsweek) to receive health care right away. His goals may seem over the top, but Kerry firmly believes in making America a prosperous, respectable country once again.

I think Kerry is a strong presidential candidate. He has received a great education and understands that social and financial equality is the key to a great America. A Newsweek article in September found that about 2.7 million jobs have been lost and only 1.5 million of them have been recovered. Again, a strong economy will truly reflect a strong nation. The minimum wage, which hasn’t been raised in years, will go up from $5.15 an hour to $7 an hour under Kerry’s watch; this plan is thoroughly examined and explained on his Web site. Not only is he pushing for a stronger economy, Kerry is pushing for a greater education system. He believes that anyone who wants to go to college should be able to not only attend school, but also afford it. According to John Kerry’s Web site at www.johnkerry.com, Kerry is in favor of offering a “fully refundable” College Opportunity Tax Credit (up to $4,000) for every year of college. As a junior in high school, I like knowing that I won’t have to worry excessively about how I am going to pay for college. Just choosing the right schools to apply to is hard enough.

There are many more reasons why I think that John Kerry should be president. Kerry is against gay marriage, but he supports civil unions and is opposed to an anti-gay marriage amendment. He cares about the environment, promising to preserve “fragile coastal habitats.” He supports a new domestic spy agency, which would investigate potential terrorists within America and promises to provide more money for state and local law enforcement. It also is plausible that the war on terrorism and invasion of Iraq will have a huge influence in this year’s elections. America must take action now and put our future on the right track. We cannot revive the more than 1,100 troops sent to Iraq who gave up their lives to keep the world safe; we cannot let our debt go any higher; we cannot leave thousands of young children without after-school programs. We can, however, take matters into our own hands and not only vote for a happier America, but a stronger America, by giving Kerry a chance.

Tiffany Kwak is a junior at Free State High School.