In his first term, Pres. George W. Bush successfully pushed Congress to enact legislation providing for tax cuts to put more spending money in the pockets of taxpayers and also remove thousands of low income citizens from the taxpayers’ rolls. Most Democrats predicted doom and gloom. The present economic realities now tell us they were wrong.

The tax cuts that took effect in 2003 was followed by economic growth rate averaging 3.5 percent, higher than the averages for the 1980s(3.1) and 1990s (3.3). Government revenues increased by 14% in 2004 and 11% in 2005. It produced the highest number of home ownerships even for minorities. It propelled Wall Streets numbers to the roof, with the Dow Jones hitting more than 12,000 for the first time in history.  The current unemployment rate of 4.6 is lower than the average for the 1990s (5.8).

It is a measure of the strength of the economy that it was able to wither the effects of the spike in gas prices and the destruction caused by hurricane Katrina.

The present Democratic leadership has signaled their intentions to reverse the Bush tax cuts which were recently extended to 2010 if they take control of Congress. That is something that will have a direct hit to our pocketbooks. Will you let the Democrats take more of your gas money?

On another front, we have to deal with the issue of our security for there is no prosperity without security.

Notwithstanding the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the war has removed a tyrant who was just biding his time to resume his nuclear weapons program. America could have faced another nuclear hot potato in Iraq more dangerous than Iran or North Korea had sanctions been lifted on Saddam’s regime.

By their words and actions, the Al Qaeda terrorists have chosen to take a stand in Iraq. The fight against a fanatical movement that is determined to destroy our way of life is going to be long and hard and will continue to be violent. When America must use force to stop a suicidal enemy, we must be prepared to accept unsightly consequences.

The constant dose of TV footage covering violence and death in Iraq has taken a toll on the popularity of the President according to the polls. I fear that people’s natural  revulsion to violence could cloud a rational debate on the best course of action to fight a war where losing could put us in a dire peril.

While the administration may change strategies and adapt tactics according to the conditions on the ground, it cannot pack its bags before a legitimate Iraqi government is strong enough to enforce its will. Many Democrats are now calling for a pull out. It would not promote our security to precipitously  leave Iraq lest it becomes another Afghanistan during the rule of Taliban.

Iraq or no Iraq, the fight against terrorism will pester us for years. The Bush administration has resorted to electronic eavesdropping and monitoring of financial transactions of suspected subjects to discover evil conspiracies before they become mournful tragedies in our homeland. The administration also fought for the passage of an aggressive Patriot Act to give our law enforcement and intelligence agents the necessary and effective tools to do their jobs.

I do not question the patriotism of those who opposed and criticized the methods approved by the administration in the war on terror. I am just afraid that their intelligence timidity would emasculate our intelligence agents and prevent them from connecting the dots that could unmask a horrible plot.  

This election is more than just about Sen. George Allen or Jim Webb. It’s really about voting to keep our tax cuts or let government take more bites of our gas money.  And which party is willing to go the extra mile to protect America?  Which party is willing to resolve doubts with respect to aggressive intelligence methods in favor of protecting the nation and keeping us safe?

I will vote Republican.