[Exquisite5]

I too think we've been bamboozled, but as a Texan I KNOW Bush is not the answer to our bamboozled state.

McCain I could vote for, and much more happily vote for over Kerry, but McCain is not an option right now.

At present, Bush and Kerry are the two real options. I don't too much like Kerry, but I won't waste my vote that is "washed in blood" (for once I agree with Al Sharpton) by voting for Nader.

I am generally a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. I think abortion is murder, but upon taking constitional law I KNOW its a constitutionally protected right (so many people in GC forums espouse opinions on issues of which they have no true understanding). I think the death penalty on its face is a good idea even though I know that right now its not applied fairly. The thought of gay marriage makes me cringe as a Christian, but I don't believe in this country the separation of church and state allows legislating morality. Just to make me happy I'd rather the government recognize civil unions, because even though I believe homosexuality is sinful (as is all fornincation), its not compassionately conservative to me for a man who has lived and shared his life with another man for 50 years to simply lose his partner's social security and pension when he dies.

I would love compassionate conservatism if it existed. However, right now I see nothing compassionate about Bush's platform.

I believe in an independent group of the descendents of Africa who live in America. I know that the more I pay in taxes the less I have to give to the needy. However, I also know that while I would simply give more to take care of my community if taxes were lowered, there are many who financially wouldn't give at all. Because of this, I simply grit my teeth when I look at my summer law internship paycheck and see all social security money being taken away that I will never see.

When I graduate from law school I on my own will be well into the tax bracket that is most suited to Republicans, but because I am generous (what I believe to be the most Christly trait) I will vote democratic. I personally don't need $125,000 per year, but there are people who really need $12,500 per year. Without taxes, I only and the other true compassionate conservatives and many of the generous liberals would be the ones helping them.

This is one of my main problems with Bush. To me he is the rich man that can't get to heaven. He says he is a Christian, but why is he so stingy? Christ calls us to give up everything and follow him, to love our neighbor as ourselves. I don't see that love in Bush's platform. Now, I don't see it in Kerry's, but its definitely more generous to the most needy.

Show me a candidate who uses my resources wisely, leaves me with more money with which to build my community, treats people fairly, does not appoint racist judges (just look at Pickerings bio!), supports Charter schools and vouchers, maintains the federal student loan system so that ALL children really can one day attain economic and educational equality, understand that the legacy of slavery is not a fallacy, has seen war time so he personally knows what he's commiting the armed forces to when he signs them up to fight, will not cut spending on the defense and will ensure that military families live ABOVE THE POVERTY LINE, helps keep health care cost down for the ELDERLY and CHILDREN and I'll show you Exquisit5 running to the polls.

Until then, I'll sadly saunter to the polls to check off "less of 2 evils" Kerry and pray my vote somehow amidst all the corruption and greed still gets counted.

The problems of the American descendants of Africa are complex and depending on others definitely won't solve them, that doesn't mean I won't take all the help from the government I can get. We need to own our own businesses- we need to create Greenwood, OK (before the riot). If you don't know- you should. We need to economically empower ourselves and working for them won't get us there. The government won't save us, but I'm not going to vote for the party trying to stop us from saving ourselves.