Tuesday our great nation will hold one of the most important elections in its history. This is an opportunity for America to remove its inept rulers and replace them with bold and visionary leaders. There are countless reasons why citizens should vote the Democrats into power on the federal and state level, but I’ll be voting for the Democrats because of my concerns about national security, the economy and ethical violations in the Utah Legislature.
Under Republican rule, the United States suffered from a devastating terrorist attack. Although the blame for Sept. 11 rests entirely on al-Qaida, Republican ineptitude has allowed these terrorists to escape justice and continue to threaten the United States.
With so much of our military and money being used to quell civil war in Iraq, we are wasting valuable time and resources that could be used to bring the perpetrators of Sept. 11 to justice and to protect the United States from future attacks.
With Barack Obama as president and a solid Democratic majority in Congress, our troops will be redeployed from Iraq to the regions of the world that have become havens for international terrorists.
As our military is freed from the quagmire in Iraq, we must immediately reinforce our troops in Afghanistan, the heart of the War on Terror where the Taliban and al-Qaida are regaining strength. With so much of our military might diverted to Iraq, these terrorists have had little to stand in their way. We need a commander in chief like Barack Obama who will bring the fight to our enemies’ doorsteps.
Under Republican rule, we’ve seen pensions lost, jobs sent overseas, hazardous imports from China, the skyrocketing price of oil and the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. American consumers and workers, who are the core of this nation’s economy, have suffered as Republicans neglected to protect them from the greed and shortsightedness of Wall Street.
Under an Obama administration, the economy would be energized and reinvigorated. Green industries would arise, creating millions of new jobs. Laws to protect Americans from predatory loans will be passed. Businesses that send American jobs to other countries will no longer receive tax breaks. Our public education system would be made a priority so the next generation of Americans will remain competitive in the global economy. Additionally, Sen. Obama intends to lower taxes to all who earn less than $250,000 a year, finally bringing tax relief to the long-neglected lower and middle classes.
Our state, the reddest in the nation, has suffered greatly from Republican rule. In Utah, there have been more legislative ethics scandals as Republicans maintain their super-majority control of both the Utah House of Representatives and Senate.
First and foremost, we need an independent ethics board to investigate wrongdoing by legislators. Second, we need an overhaul of Utah’s redistricting procedures to avoid the rampant gerrymandering found in our legislative and congressional districts.
Utah Republican leaders have had years to implement these reforms, but have refused to bring accountability and transparency to our state government. If we want an ethical legislature here in Utah, we need to elect more Democrats.
This is why America needs Barack Obama in the White House and more Democrats in Congress and the Legislature. We can’t afford vulnerability, economic instability and the lack of ethics Republicans have brought us. We need Democrats because only they will put al-Qaida back on the defensive, bring our economy into the 21st century and restore integrity to our government.
Editor’s Note8212;Oakley Gordon is the president of the U College Democrats.