Never has an election been so important to the people of America than the one that will occur on Nov. 2. Voters in this election have very clear choices, and it is my hope that our electorate will look beyond all the negative attacks, lies and empty promises of our current president and examine what is truly at stake.

If you think 2.7 million manufacturing jobs lost during the past three and a half years is a good thing, I would encourage you to vote for President Bush. If you want to see jobs created and a reduction in the number of American jobs being moved overseas, then you should vote for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). Instead of supporting tax incentives for companies that move plants to other countries, Kerry will support tax breaks for companies (big and small) that keep jobs here. Kerry will also cut middle class taxes, reduce our deficit — which was a surplus before Bush took office — and invest in jobs that will utilize new technology.

If you think 45 million Americans without health insurance is okay, I would also encourage you to vote for Bush. However, if you want to see health care coverage extended to 95 percent of Americans — including every child in this country — and family premiums cut by up to $1,000 per family, you should vote for Kerry.

If you think everything in Iraq is going fine and Bush has a solid plan for peace, you may want to give him another term. If you recognize the number of American soldiers who have been killed is far too high and it is only getting higher because of our current president's lack of planning, you may want to consider voting for Kerry, who will bring in the international community and win the peace in Iraq. Bush led this country into war based on false intelligence and he refused to wait until force was an absolute last resort. Now our friends and relatives in uniform are paying the price. Kerry will never go to war until it is an absolute last resort and he will never lie to the American people. He will refocus America's efforts on a very real threat to our security: al Qaeda.

The differences between Bush and Kerry extend to far more issues than those that I have just listed. Bush has rolled back environmental regulations, rolled back years of Civil Rights advances, failed to adequately protect our homeland by underfunding state and local security efforts and failing to secure chemical plants, airports and borders and done nothing as college tuition has increased by 35 percent.

If elected, Kerry will take a very different approach on these issues. He will fight for a cleaner environment by enforcing rules to keep air, water and natural resources safe. Kerry will enforce Civil Rights laws and appoint judges who will do the same. He will keep our homeland safe by supporting first responders in America and securing borders, airports and chemical plants. Kerry will also offer a tax credit on up to $4,000 of college tuition to make it more affordable for Americans to earn a college degree.

Come Nov. 2, we will all make a choice between two very different men. We will make a choice to create jobs or to continue to lose them. We will make a choice to accept the healthcare crisis in this country as a way of life or to do something about it. We will make a choice to continue to watch American soldiers die in Iraq while chaos there ensues, or to bring peace to the country. We will make a choice to go on pretending that this country is safer than it was before 9/11, or to actually make it safer. We will make a choice between what is just and what is unjust, what is right and what is wrong. The choice is ours. I hope we make the right one.

Cashman is a freshman political science major.

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