Know your voting rationale

I am voting for the best candidate on Election Day. I know the candidates that I am voting for and I know why I am voting for them. Perhaps you think you know whom I am voting for, but for the record, I would like to detail my decision in length.

I am voting for a candidate that will make the United States safer. This candidate has the right concerns in the War on Terror. This man will track down terrorists at the source by prioritizing the capture of leading terrorist organizers. He is someone who only seeks to fight war to make America safer and only when necessary. He is a candidate who will make America safer, not less safe.

I am voting for a candidate who will strike a balance between civil liberties and national security. This candidate will increase the security of our ports in addition to protecting national borders. He prioritizes the security of the homeland on the forefront of his agenda. This man will have the federal government meet its obligation to fund first responders.

I am voting for the candidate that will best serve the country in terms of Iraq. This candidate has the knowledge and the foresight to realize that America is safer through her alliances and he will seek to strengthen alliances and make America better respected in the world. He is a man who realizes that America cannot win a war unless it is fought correctly. He will be a president who will appropriate the necessary dollars to ensure that our troops have the needed equipment to be safe. Developing a reasonable exit strategy is also something that will be accomplished under his administration.

I am voting for a candidate that has economic integrity and fiscal responsibility and he will be a president who will work to reduce the federal deficit. He is an individual who realizes that tax cuts are sometimes necessary to help the economy. However, he is also the candidate who realizes those tax cuts must be awarded to the right people - he will not balance the federal budget on the backs of the middle class. The candidate I support favors closing tax loopholes aimed to benefit giant corporations.

I am voting for a candidate who favors the creation of a more reasonable living wage for Americans. He is a candidate who realizes the government must help the poor and not leave them behind. He is a candidate who realizes the minimum wage is an issue that must be solved in order to help families.

I am voting for the candidate who will create new jobs at home, the candidate who seeks to create jobs that pay just as much as those jobs being lost overseas. He is a president that will not outsource the heart and soul of American workers. He is a candidate who seeks to maximize the profit of working America and not maximize corporate profit.

I am voting for a candidate that realizes millions of hardworking Americans are without health care and need to make day-to-day choices between food and drugs. He is a candidate that will lower the cost of prescription drugs, reduce health care premiums and will work to provide Americans with the same quality health care given to members of Congress. This candidate will allow the consumer to choose the health care plan they want.

I am voting for the candidate who will strive to promote clean air and clean water. He is someone who will provide the resources necessary to fund national parks in addition to cleaning up contaminated waste sites. He will restore damaged watersheds and will close loopholes in the Clean Air Act.

I am voting for the candidate who will make America less dependent on foreign oil sources. This candidate will promote the development of renewable energy resources. He is a man who will encourage new production technologies to ensure that coal and natural gas are used cleanly and efficiently. He will be a president who will give tax incentives to the automobile industry for developing cleaner and more fuel-efficient cars.

I am voting for the candidate who will work to ensure that civil rights mean equal rights. He will be a president who will support programs such as affirmative action to reduce discrimination and will appoint judges who seek to advance the causes of civil rights, minority rights and women's rights.

I am voting for a candidate that will correct fundamental flaws within the existing education statutes. He will be a president that will seek to fully fund the federal government's financial promises to local school districts and someone who will seek to expand America's education system by promoting after school programs. He is someone who realizes that simple tests and numbers cannot be the only solution to an existing problem.

I am voting for a candidate that will strengthen high school curriculums so that more students are prepared and able to go to college. He will be a president who will expand the opportunity of college to more students. He will also target specific services to assist with reducing the number of dropouts.

I am voting for a candidate that will make life-long learning a priority of his administration. He is a candidate that will seek to simplify the student financial aid process and he will expedite the financial aid process so that families know earlier how much aid they will be receiving for college. He will offer a college tax credit to qualifying families on the first several thousand dollars of tuition. He is a candidate who believes an educated citizenry is America's most valuable asset.

I am voting for a candidate I believe in. I know whom I am voting for, I know why I am voting for this candidate to be president. Moreover, I know that the rationale I listed above is the same logic I have used to decide who to vote for as senator, representative and local officials. Do you know for whom you will vote? More importantly, do you know why?