Habib,

I agree with most of your points on Gore and Bush being more or less the
same. However, you are wrong about Gore being silent about racial profiling.
I believe he coveres that point in many of his speeches I have heard, and
especially in the debates. Bush does making a passing "politician's remark"
on the subject whenever he feels he cannot avoid the issue. Personally, I am
like Daddy Sang, voting for one of these candidates is just voting for the
lesser of two evils. These guys say what they think the people want to hear,
although Bill Clinton has done a great deal for the economy of this country,
and I believe Al Gore will continue along the same lines. I also believe that
although things may not be ideal, the Democratic party in this country has
reached out to and stood for the interest of poor and non White people in
this counrty over the years, while the Republicans are a party that stands
for the interest of the monied filks around here. That is pretty clear.
Finally, in my opinion, George Bush Jr. does not have a clue about many
important issues that impact not only the United States, but the World at
large just because the U.S economy does yield some important effect that
eventually reaches much farther than America's shores.
I am also one who believes that voting for third party candidates is just
what everyone, including the two main parties see it as, a vote spoiler. It
takes away votes from the two main candidates one of whom always ends up
winning, namely the Democrats and the Republicans, while these other
candidates make a statement but never win.What they may accomplish is to tip
the balance in the wrong direction somethimes. E.g, the Republicans are
hoping that more people will vote for Ralph Nader instead of the Democrats,
while they try to get as many of their voters out to the voting booth come
Novenber. This is why they are now using the Ralph nader Ad to attack Al
Gore. However, such is democracy, even if the results are so predictable.My
opinion is that if George Bush goes to the White House, it will be a sad day
for America's majority, the poor working people oif this country. School
vouchers are not the answer to the education problem in America. What it will
do is merely throw a few crumbs at poor fmilies in the form of these
vouchers, and no one can guarantee that the private schools will accept their
kids when they come calling with these vouchers. Funding public schools and
making resources available to the schools in the less affluent neignbourhoods
of this country, as well as reducing class sizes, providing more money for
training for teachers etc is what will tip the balance, and the Repuiblicans
will not do this I promise you.If public schools get the funding and attetion
they need, you will be mamzed what they can accomplish. I have graduated two
daughters from a public school that has higher  standards and more
accomplishments than any expensive private school here in Nashville, and
there are many of them.These are magnet schools, and because we do not get as
much money from the state, the parents have footed bills for a variety of
things, and this is what has brough the excellent standards that this school
enjoys. Kids friom this school get into schools that the private school kids
can only dream about. This Republican voucher deal will leave out the
majority of America's poor children in the cold as far as education is
concerned.

Jabou Joh

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