P. Diddy just appeared on The Late Show wearing a "Vote or Die!" t-shirt. I vote, but I hate to break it to you Mr. Diddy: more than 100 million Americans eligible to vote will stay home come the first Tuesday in November--and they'll still be alive the next day. Their lives won't be fundamentally different no matter who wins. This is because there are just two credible candidates, and as a result both fight for the votes of the mushy middle. Both support big government at home and abroad. You have choices when you go to the supermarket, turn on the television, and go to college. You get A or B when you step into the voting booth. Anyhow, on David Letterman's show Mr. Diddy read his top ten list of reasons why Americans should vote--which, I must say, was more compelling than the threatening slogan on his shirt. The best of P. Diddy's reasons (if publicized, it will certainly result in a record turnout) was number four: "Anyone who doesn't register to vote will receive nude photos of Ralph Nader." See you at the polls.

Voting is indeed a life or death matter. Aside from the obvious fact that the President controls the fate of the millions of Americans in uniform, many Presidental decisions and appointments involve life or death issues. Take the perscription drug market. Misregulation of the perscription drug market costs hundreds of lives a year. Prescription drugs are a leading cause of death. Weather Bush appoints someone who cares more about protecting industry than protecting lives depends on if his in office. Which depends on the election. Which depends on you voting!! Other examples of life or death issues are enviromental regulation, public health policy, verterans health care, prescription drugs from Canada, etc. There is a great deal of difference between the canidates on these issues. Voting is life or death. And in many cases, Kerry is Life. George Bush is death.

To illustrate, recently the Bush administraion relaxed workplace safety restrictions on dry cleaming bussinesses. The restrictions banned the use of cheap, yet carcinogenic chemicals involved in the cleaning. Mr. Bush had OSHA overturn the regulation, deffering to a big campaign donor who owns the largest chain of dry cleaners in the country. This deregulation will effectivly shorten the lives of many workers in the dry cleaning industy, many of whom are uneducated immigrants who are unaware of the dangers of thier workplace.You can try to rationalize this with conservative lassiex faire idelogy al you want. The fact is the President has put thousand at great risk of contracting cancer because it was in the intrest's of a friend's bussiness. Although both parties engage in political spoils, it is doubtful that a Kerry administration would stoop this low in jepordizing the lives of hard working Americans so a friend can make a buck. Kerry is a choice. A choice the reasoned should make.

Let me disagree with your premise. Most peoples lives are very different because they didn’t vote in 2000. As an example I am sure you will acknowledge that if Al Gore had been the President we wouldn’t be Iraq today. We also would not have had this Bush tax cut. Many conservative judges wouldn’t have been appointed to the Federal courts. These profound differences are because people didn’t vote. I would say America would be a vastly different place if everyone voted.

i agree.

Vastly different had Al Gore won? I doubt it. Most people seem to believe that the important election only comes around every four years. More people certainly vote in the presidential elections than they do their local election. I would argue that those local and state elections are much more important in the long run. Those local representatives are the ones who push for jobs in the local area in which YOU live. A change in president will not drastically change my life. I went to Iraq last year for one president, and I will most certainly get a chance to fight for my country under a different president. The question is, when I fight will one arm be tied behind my back with the intellectuals arguing my heavy handedness, or will I be able to do my job as we most certainly did in Iraq.

Mike it wasn't just the intellectuals arguing. Many generals had problems with the Iraq war. Several have resigned.

DB; I don't think any generals have resigned their commissions. A very few may have retired, but resignation of a commission is much more drastic. But then again most people don't know the difference unless they were in the military.

Michael I know the difference. No general resigns his commission nowdays because of politics. They do retire. When a general abruptly retires before a war commences that he doesn't believe would protect our security, I would say that's as bad as resigning his commision, even if it isn't in a technical sense.

Most of the laws in this country are not made by congress. They're made by the agencies that our under the President's control. Elect Bush for another four years and you've got complete chaos.

I am not voting b/c I want to tick off DB, P. Diddy, and Natalie Portman.

Thank you. One less vote for Bush.