OPEN LETTER:

To US Voters

Dear US Voters:

With the elections only a short time away it is time to really think about who we want to be president for the next four years. I personally can not wait to cast my vote and let the marbles lie where they fall. But, I will remember some the headlines in the papers over the past few months like:

  1. "Gap between the rich, others grows"--Augusts 17, 2004

  2. "Record Level of Americans Not Insured On Health"--August 27, 2004

  3. "Study Finds Accelerating Decline in Corporate Taxes"-- September 23, 2004

  4. "Jumping on the billionaire bandwagon Largest number ever"--September 24, 2004

  5. "Republicans Try to Dilute Bill on Taxing Corporations"--October 5, 2004

  6. "Just Another Day in the Pit as Oil Tops $52"-- October 7, 2004

  7. "U.S. Report Finds Iraqis Eliminated Illicit Arms in 90"s"-- October 7, 2004

  8. "Tax Revenue Below 2000's Despite Growth in Profits"-- October 8, 2004

  9. "As U.S. Debt Ceiling is Reached, Bush Administration Seeks to Raise It Once Again"-- October 15, 2004

  10. "Public college tuition up 10% Second-largest boost in decade"--October 20, 2004 (The largest increase was last year.)
As a single parent who is concerned with making ends meet, that my children are safe and have a future, it is impossible to look at the past few months, let alone the past four years, and feel that I am better off.

It is not surprising that the ruling party wants an ownership society, since they already own almost everything. After working all my life and raising my children I own very little. My second-hand car and my home are owned by the bank, while my children's college loans, gas, oil, food, and electric bills are rising and my pay stays the same. Things have not gotten easier over the past four years; they have gotten harder, and my retirement date continues to slide farther and farther into the future. It is time for a change in leadership that will focus on making it easier for the have-nots, not the haves.

As you enter the voting booth, you should think about the past four years and ask yourself if you can afford another four years. Are we safer and will our country be respected more, or will we continue a path that will lead to more disparity of wealth, war, higher prices, a larger deficit, and more fear? For the many of us who have seen the truth, the struggle must continue after November 2, whether we win or lose. Don't give up the fight for a better tomorrow when we all can share in the wealth and beauty of our world.

Bob Braun
Titusville, NJ

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This story was published on October 22, 2004.