Mediaboss Marketing

Joe Boscia| For The Times

First, voting is both a privilege and an obligation. To not vote is an abrogation of our responsibility as a citizen, and jeopardizes the type of elected government officials our nation needs. So please vote.

Second, it is not enough to just cast a ballot. Our vote must be an informed one. And that means doing our homework ahead of time. People who say they will decide when they get into the voting booth are uninformed and poor citizens. There are too many politicians pushing the need to make it easy to vote, but they never stress the requirement to vote intelligently.

No one should tell us who to vote for. That should be our choice. But that also means we should not just vote the way our parents or friends do, or simply along straight party lines. Our first president, George Washington, warned against political parties, because they become too powerful, and create permanent politicians, instead of citizen representatives. That prophecy has certainly come true. We have term limits for the office of president, but desperately need it for Congress.

Our presidential choice this year is between two very flawed candidates, so what should we do? I suggest we look at issues, and not the person. Read the party platforms, and look at the candidates past records. And look at their current stand on issues. Have they flip-flopped from what they said and believed in the past?

Will they and the people backing them bring you the kind of America you want to live in?

Here is a list of issues to consider. It is not all-inclusive. You may want to change the order around or add issues. But think about each issue carefully, and how each candidate will address it. Then make your choice.

This really is the most important election in a lifetime. So do a good job of being a responsible citizen.

Supreme Court picks. Will the candidate pick justices who will follow the Constitution as written, or make rulings based on their own beliefs or todays social opinions? Will the justices try to create laws from the bench, rather than leaving that to Congress? Remember, the picks will influence America for decades, as justices serve for life. This also applies to other federal judges they appoint.

National defense and terrorism. Is the candidate strong in these areas and will build an effective, balanced, and right-size military? Will he/she be tough on opponents and terrorists, not afraid but not precipitous in the use of force, but once used, use it overwhelmingly, and not incrementally?

Law and order, crime and drugs. Is the candidate strong against crime and drugs, and believe that there is no excuse for looting, burning and harming police, while still against unwarranted police actions? Does he/she believe that drug pushers need to be strongly dealt with, and drug users discouraged, or that these are non-violent crimes that should be leniently treated?

Governments role. Does the candidate believe the government is the servant of the people or the answer to all problems? Does he/she believe the federal government should be small, and leave many roles to the states, or build a bureaucracy of unelected government employees?

The economy. Does the candidate believe our private enterprise, capitalist system is the best, with the federal government only inserting itself when there are excesses, or believe the federal government should dictate the economy?

Does the candidate promote real jobs growth of well-paying positions created by the private economy, or phony stimulus programs that do not create long term, well-paying private sector jobs?

Does the candidate advocate a high minimum wage, in spite of evidence that it cuts jobs, especially for those at that job level?

Social issues. Is the candidate socially conservative and believes in the traditional family and morality as constant, or social activism and situational morality? Is the candidate for the rights of unborn children or womens choice?

Race relations. Does the candidate denounce intolerance, bigotry, and racism, while emphasizing that minorities have responsibilities to address the breakdown of minority families, absence of fathers, crime, antagonism toward police, etc.? Does he/she profess that all lives matter?

National debt and the deficit. Does the candidate have a viable plan to substantially reduce both, but especially the deficit, and is the candidate strongly committed to doing so? If not, he/she is mortgaging our future.

Immigration. Does the candidate believe anyone should be allowed into the country, no matter how they get here, or where they come from, or that illegal immigration needs to be stopped once and for all? What is his/her plan for the millions of illegals already here, especially the violent criminal ones? Does the candidate want to give free college education and healthcare to illegals, while you pay for yours? Does the candidate support Kates Law?

Sanctuary cities. Does the candidate condone sanctuary cities, or believe they need to be dismantled?

Government regulation. Should the government do more or less regulating our lives and businesses? Does the candidate believe that the increased regulations are stifling business growth, or necessary? Does he/she use environmental regulations in such a way as to kill business?

The environment. Does the candidate believe that while we have responsibilities to protect the environment, government actions must be balanced with common sense, restraint, and protection of business, the economy and society?

Personal integrity. Is the candidate a person of strong personal integrity, whose personal and professional life is above reproach? There is no such thing as personal performance being irrelevant to professional actions, such aslying, cheating, untrustworthiness, etc.

EEO/AA. Does the candidate believe that EEO and AA efforts are reverse discrimination and no longer used for their original intent, or they are still necessary?

2nd Amendment. Does the candidate support the right to bear arms, with reasonable limits, or that guns, not people, cause crime? Does he/she support actions like an assault weapons ban in lieu of the real problem of illegal gun sales and use, especially in our inner cities?

School choice. Does the candidate believe that the best way to stimulate better schools is to create competition through school choice, teacher performance systems, and parents who encourage learning? Or does he/she want to keep the ineffectual status quo, because the candidate is beholden to the teacher unions?

College environment. Does the candidate believe college is a learning environment where students should be exposed to ideas from the conservative and liberal sides or a protected place where activist professors and students impose their ideas on everyone and brook no disagreement? Do the colleges encourage teaching professors, or publishing and activist professors?

College tuition. Does the candidate promote college as a right that should be free, and college loans waived or lessened, or a privilege that should be equally paid for? Does the candidate believe that the cost of college is to a large degree the fault of college administrations that hike tuition all out of proportion to inflation, and spend money on sports that should be spent on academics?

Unions. Does the candidate support and seek support from unions, especially teacher and public employee unions?

Joe Boscia, a former infantry officer, is a resident of Beaver.

View post:
Guest Op-Ed: Deciding your vote: Some thoughts on voting in upcoming election - The Times