Citizens should maintain election involvement

So far it looks like Bush has won the election.

Senator John F. Kerry supporters have turned from their pat on the back to the question, "What went wrong?" What many believed would be a close win for Kerry seems to be just the opposite. If the votes have been counted correctly, America can look forward to four more years of the War on Terror and misguided homeland policies.

Hopefully everyone made it out to the polls for this crucial election. Somehow this presidential choice seems more important than past years, and what happens in the coming years will set precedent for the entire world. With Bush as president, the world will look on America as a persistant and resiliant leader in war, but the homeland policies will continue to dwindle and environmental and women's rights have little chance. One can easily see Bush's policy by looking at his record and the things he has said about same-sex marriage, abortion laws, and by backing out of the Kyoto Treaty, for starters.

Kerry would not be a strong commander-in-chief for America's gargantuan military, but on the homefront, his heart is in the right place. His voting record, though it leans to the far left, reflects the people's best interests. Ohio, with its 20 electoral votes, has made all the difference. It is hard to tell for sure, with many absentee ballots still missing and voters across the nation complaining of minor problems with the polls. This is less problematic than Florida last election, but still creates confusion and stops the final count from being definitive.

It appears that for all their trumpeting and what looked like a victorious turnout for the Democrats was all just a front, though voters flocked to the polls this year like no other. That turnout should continue for future elections, as it is the backbone of democracy. This election got people involved in a way they haven't been for years, and hopefully will continue with the precedent this has set. Unfortunately for the Democrats, that wasn't enough. If Senator Hillary Clinton runs for president, as many hope she will, the turnout will likely be as good. People really took the time to learn about their propositions and candidates. That is how it should be. If America continues to care, perhaps we will one day have a candidate to endorse instead of choosing the lesser of two evils.

The populus seems to be happy with the way the propositions turned out, at least according to mainstream media, and with so many propositions on the ballot, it was important to stay informed about each one. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger helped push his views with a guide for voters telling them what to choose come Nov. 2.

Good luck to Bush with his next four years. He will have a lot of opposition to contend with, and the nation is divided like never before. People will be emotional about the turnout. Hopefully he will have learned the views of the country and react not just to his corporate sponsors and his father's friends, but the actual good of the people. This time, if the ballots have been counted correctly, we know the people have spoken.