With the upcoming presidential election just around the corner, it is important that adolescents and young people know the issues addressed by the candidates. President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry are the Republican and Democratic candidates for this presidential race, respectively.

In the last presidential election, about 37 percent of citizens between the ages of 18 and 24 voted—a sharp decline from 1972, when more than half did. However, when it comes to money, teenagers have the highest amount of spending annually. If teenagers have such a great impact on the economy, and if the choice of president is going to affect everything from education to a military draft, their voices should be heard when it comes time to choose the next leader of this nation.

According to a poll by MTV, young people say that the war in Iraq is the issue that concerns them the most. President Bush will continue the war in Iraq and says that he intends to build a worldwide coalition against terrorists. The President and Congress created the Department of Homeland Security to use Federal resources more wisely and to strengthen homeland security through better coordination of individual agencies. Just weeks after the September 11 attacks, Congress and the Administration united to pass the USA PATRIOT Act which gives the government the right to tap phone conversations, read e-mails, letters and other things that invade the privacy of citizens of the United States.

Senator Kerry, the Democratic Presidential nominee, says that he will try to build alliances with countries that haven’t supported the US invasion of Iraq. He and John Edwards, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, have a plan to stop the spread of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. They also claim that they will try to stop America’s dependence on the Middle East for oil. Kerry and Edwards realize the failure of American intelligence (the CIA) to provide accurate information when the US invaded Iraq. Kerry and Edwards say that they will rely on global as well as American intelligence when making decisions affecting the global community.

These are just some of the ideas that Bush and Kerry have regarding homeland security and the war in Iraq. To learn more about George Bush’s position, go to www.GeorgeW.Bush.com, and to learn more about John Kerry’s position log onto www.JohnKerry.com. Remember to use your vote in the upcoming election because your vote is your voice. Make a difference!

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