RE: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] Missouri Young Republicans?

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Thanks, Jerry.  Your message is very helpful to me.  Like me, you decide 
who to vote for based on what you don't want!  To simplify your message, 
you have three problems with Kerry:

(1) he seems to raise, rather than lower, taxes
(2) he favors ready access to legal abortion
(3) he has changed his mind about the Patriot Act

Regarding 1:  Kerry may raise taxes more than Bush would, but he would do 
so to impact more on the upper 1% of earners.  Bush has been recklessly 
irresponsible.  Sure, he takes in less revenue, but does he spend less 
money?  Clinton, a "liberal democrat," managed to massively reduce the 
deficit, but Bush brought it right back up.  I used to hear often of "tax- 
and-spend liberals."  Bush is a "spend conservative" - no need for taxes 
when he's happy to spend money he don't have.

Regarding 2:  I don't care much about this issue, but I see access to 
abortion as a good thing.  Making it illegal or more expensive will only 
harm the poor.  Wealthy people will go to other countries.  Having more 
poor, unwanted children will not be a good thing for our country.  I know 
that you and others see fetuses as unborn children, and you see abortion 
as murder.  This is not the mainstream view and it is certainly not 
necessary.  If we allow would-be mothers to choose not to carry their 
'baby' any longer, which should be their right, the fetus will die as soon 
as it is born.  There is no need to kill it.  Given that the outcome is 
the same, I have no problem with using a vacuum pump to suction it out of 
the uterus.  This may be unappealing, but so is forcing a woman to 
continue a pregnancy against her will.  I just thought I'd make my case 
for this, but I don't want to discuss it much because it isn't important 
to me.  If abortion were made illegal again, I'd think that is wrong, but 
we could cope with it.  Adoption is a good option.

Regarding 3:  There is nothing wrong with changing your mind.  Kerry's 
statements, as quoted by you below, are perfectly consistent.  He saw the 
Patriot Act as being useful at a particular time, and that time has 
passed.  Surely, many people will agree with him on that.

Mike


On Thu, 8 Jul 2004, Jerry Gamblin wrote:

> On the Partiot Act:
>
> Kerry Voted For Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was passed nearly
> unanimously by the Senate 98-1, and 357-66 in the House. (H.R. 3162, CQ
> Vote #313: Passed 98-1: R 49-0; D 48-1; I 1-0, 10/25/01, Kerry Voted
> Yea)
>
> Kerry Used To Defend His Vote. "Most of [The Patriot Act] has to do with
> improving the transfer of information between CIA and FBI, and it has to
> do with things that really were quite necessary in the wake of what
> happened on September 11th." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Town Hall
> Meeting, Manchester, NH, 8/6/03)
>
> Now, Kerry Attacks Patriot Act. "We are a nation of laws and liberties, 
> not of a knock in the night. So it is time to end the era of John 
> Ashcroft. That starts with replacing the Patriot Act with a new law that 
> protects our people and our liberties at the same time. I've been a 
> District Attorney and I know that what law enforcement needs are real 
> tools not restrictions on American's basic rights." (Sen. John Kerry, 
> Remarks At Iowa State University, 12/1/03)
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