Heres another one... Energy independence
Here is a guy, John K. Bates, in the energy business who posts a very interesting and thought provoking reason to vote for Kerry. I enjoyed his obviously conservative perspective and provides some conservative grounds for backing Kerry. This does not represent his only reason, just one of many. I enjoyed the posts and thought it was worth reposting here. Here is his bio.
Mr. Bates is a 37 year-old mechanical engineer who specializes in the energy industry. He classifies himself as a “libertarian conservative” who believes in small government at the federal level and a wide range of government options at the state and local level. He lives in Colorado with his family of critters both furry and finny.
Here is an excerpt from his post on
http://www.webcommentary.com/asp/ShowArticle.asp?id=batesjk&date=040216
Let’s start with the first and perhaps most debatable reason: John Kerry, if elected President, would do a decent job. At the very least, he would not ruin things.
Remember, a President is first and foremost Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States of America. He has almost exclusive power in the discharge of the duties required in leading this nation on the world stage. Therefore, how a man (or woman) will conduct himself in matters of state, including both diplomatic and military affairs, is by far the most important criterion in choosing a president.
In this sense at least, Kerry looks like a man who will do little harm. Yes, he is more of a pacifist than many (including this writer) would like, and yes, he has a deplorable record at times in voting to use American force. He also speaks much too favorably of “allies” such as France and Germany, and about useless institutions such as the United Nations. He is a fan of multilateralism in a time when that doctrine is not sufficient to protect our borders.
That said, Kerry is neither a stupid man nor an egomaniac. He is not a man who will go significantly against the grain of the people, especially in a first term of office. The American people are very much in favor of a strong military and a strong response to our enemies, and they will not allow a President to systematically dismantle the armed forces of the United States or to leave us vulnerable to either conventional or unconventional threats. The point is not to say Kerry would be good in the conduct of foreign policy, or that he would be better than Bush. The point is that Kerry is someone Americans can live with, someone who is not going to screw things up too much. (This is actually a vitally important trait, as will be clear in the explanation of reason #3 later in the week.)
As for domestic policy, conservatives will not have to worry about a President Kerry implementing Big Federal Government. After all, they already have a President Bush implementing Big Federal Government. Indeed, “liberal” Mr. Kerry is likely to preside over far less government expansion than “conservative” President Bush, who has been the most pro-big-government President since LBJ. Presuming the GOP holds at least one house of Congress, a President Kerry will be blocked from his implementing the worst of the Democratic Nanny State. For that matter, holding power may not matter at all: The Democrats held all the levers of power in 1993, yet could not get the awful HillaryCare passed over Senator Phil Gramm’s “cold dead political body.” Holding power, unless that power is filibuster-proof, seems to mean less and less these days.
Even better, a Kerry victory might help the GOP find its long-lost conservative spine. From the day George W. Bush was elected in 2000 and especially since the GOP (re)captured Congress in 2002, Republicans in DC have spent our money like drunken Kennedys. From the Patriot Act to the creation of a massive new federal bureaucracy, from Medicare expansion to farm subsidies to highway bills to pork-laden appropriations bills, from targeted tax cuts to Clinton-esque small government initiatives, there is nothing too big or too small for the GOP-run federal government to take care of. Time was conservatives and Republicans stood against large federal government. Maybe by having to be at least partial opposition, they will find the will do to do again.
