Ryan Armitage for the DemocratsChoosing a president is no easy matter. American presidents are not figureheads; their personal priorities can lead to initiatives that have a tremendous impact on the nation and the world. After careful consideration, I have chosen to give my support to John Kerry. Behind this decision are Kerry's views on three broad issues of overriding importance to me.
Theenvironment. The 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment declared that "man's environment, the natural and the man-made, is essential to his well-being and to the enjoyment of basic human rights -- even the right to life itself." As a senator, Mr. Kerry has established a solid record of support for environmental protection. In fact, he has been called one of the most pro-environment people in Congress. He has voted repeatedly for measures that would enforce strict observance of the Clean Air and Clean Water acts as well as promote wilderness protection. John Kerry has promised, if elected, to promote cleaner and greener communities by setting new standards of environmental excellence for America. They will focus on clean air, clean water and a green landscape for all.
Healthinsurance. Year after year healthcare costs in America continue to rise. Family USA, a family advocacy group, has reported that "workers' costs for health insurance have risen by 36 percent since 2000, dwarfing the average 12.4 percent increase in earnings since President Bush took office." Furthermore, companies are being forced to cut retirees' benefits. There are also 45 million uninsured Americans who simply cannot afford to pay for insurance. John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to give low-cost high-quality coverage to 95 percent of Americans. Their goal is to provide all Americans with access to the same coverage that members of Congress give themselves.
Foreignpolicy. The world faces a real threat of continuing terrorism. America has a great tradition of working with the wider world①on shared problems. Unfortunately, the nation has recently turned away from its allies; its international reputation has suffered as a result. From his grade school education in Europe to his time on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry has acquired the international experience needed to restore America's credibility. He has called for a collective foreign policy that respects the role of the United Nations. At the same time, Kerry has stated that America should secure its freedom of action by lessening its dangerous dependence on Middle Eastern oil.(Ryan Armitage)
Dan Westerbrook for the GOPThe main reason I'm voting for Bush for president is leadership. George W. Bush has demonstrated leadership not only as president, but also previously as governor of Texas, and prior to that in business. This doesn't mean I agree with all the decisions he has made: I don't.
For instance, I was not in favor of the attack on Iraq. I disapproved not because I believed Saddam Hussein was such a nice guy but rather because my experience in living in other cultures has taught me that it is very difficult, if not impossible, for foreigners to understand and change another country's culture. Mind you, at the time the decision was made to attack Iraq both President Bush and Senator Kerry supported the policy. Thus I don't find much difference between the two candidates on this issue, even if Kerry now says he would have done it differently. Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing!
But leadership, you know, isn't about taking the easy route; it is about making the tough, sometimes unpopular decisions. President Bush has demonstrated that he can make tough decisions, and I personally like the fact that his faith, his values, are the foundation of his decisions.
On the other side, I am concerned that Senator Kerry has never been the person in charge, the responsible leader. "Recommending" and making comments about "what I would do" are very different from deciding on a real course of action, while trying to cope with too much information or too little information or incorrect information -- and uncertainty as to which it is! Kerry's Senate voting record over the last 20 years demonstrates a certain tendency to flip-flop on major issues, and this I find troubling.
Last weekend TheInternationalHeraldTribune ran an article about Kerry going duck hunting. He is obviously trying to gain the support of the gun lobby, but he doesn't want to offend the gun control groups. So he goes hunting, apparently kills some ducks, but never appears before cameras while carrying any of the birds he shot. When asked about the hunt, he changes the subject to baseball. I don't care whether he is for or against hunting; my point is that he should stand up for what he believes, no matter who agrees or disagrees. He should be a leader, not a chameleon.(Dan Westerbrook)
老外直言：今年美國(guó)總統(tǒng)大選我選誰
老外直言
我選克里
［本文作者來恩-爾米特吉(Ryan Armitage)是一名20多歲的美國(guó)青年，現(xiàn)在北京一所高校任教。］
選擇總統(tǒng)可不是件容易的事兒。美國(guó)的總統(tǒng)并非有名無實(shí)的領(lǐng)袖，他們的個(gè)人傾向可導(dǎo)致對(duì)美國(guó)乃至世界都產(chǎn)生巨大影響的決策。在經(jīng)過慎重考慮后，我決定把我的一票投給克里。我做出這一決定是基于克里在三大問題上的觀點(diǎn)，而這三大問題在我看來極為重要。
環(huán)境保護(hù)：1972年召開的“聯(lián)合國(guó)人類環(huán)境會(huì)議”宣布：“人類的環(huán)境(包括自然環(huán)境和人為環(huán)境)，對(duì)于人類的福祉，對(duì)于享有基本人權(quán)，乃至活著的權(quán)利，都是最基本的?！笨死锵壬趽?dān)任參議員期間，具有公認(rèn)的支持環(huán)保的良好記錄。事實(shí)上，他被稱為國(guó)會(huì)里最支持環(huán)保的議員。他多次投票支持嚴(yán)格執(zhí)行《清潔空氣法》和《清潔水法》以及加強(qiáng)荒野地帶保護(hù)的法案?？死锍兄Z，若能當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)，他將通過設(shè)定新的環(huán)保標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來推進(jìn)更清潔、更環(huán)保的社區(qū)。他們將把精力集中在為所有人提供潔凈的空氣、清潔的水和綠色的環(huán)境上。
醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)：美國(guó)的醫(yī)療費(fèi)用正年復(fù)一年地持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)。一個(gè)名為“美國(guó)家庭”的主張家庭利益的團(tuán)體報(bào)道說，“自2000年以來，美國(guó)工人的醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)支出上升了36%，相比之下，布什總統(tǒng)就任以來平均收入增長(zhǎng)率為12.4%就顯得很小了?！倍?，許多公司正被迫削減退休人員的福利。另外還有4500萬沒有醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)的美國(guó)人，他們根本買不起保險(xiǎn)?？死锖蛺鄣氯A茲有一項(xiàng)計(jì)劃，該計(jì)劃將讓95%的美國(guó)人享有低收費(fèi)、高質(zhì)量的醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)，他們的目標(biāo)是讓所有的美國(guó)人都能獲得與國(guó)會(huì)議員們?yōu)樽约禾峁┑尼t(yī)保范圍相同的保險(xiǎn)。
對(duì)外政策：全世界正面臨著持續(xù)不斷的恐怖主義的切實(shí)威脅。美國(guó)有著與其他國(guó)家就共同問題進(jìn)行合作的優(yōu)良傳統(tǒng)。令人遺憾的是，最近我們這個(gè)國(guó)家與自己的盟友分道揚(yáng)鑣了，結(jié)果是美國(guó)的國(guó)際聲譽(yù)受到了損害。而就克里來說，從他在歐洲受的小學(xué)教育，到在參議院對(duì)外關(guān)系委員會(huì)的任職經(jīng)歷，都使他具備了恢復(fù)美國(guó)信譽(yù)所需要的國(guó)際經(jīng)驗(yàn)。他提倡與盟國(guó)磋商、尊重聯(lián)合國(guó)作用的對(duì)外政策。與此同時(shí)，克里還申明美國(guó)應(yīng)減少對(duì)中東石油的依賴——這是一種危險(xiǎn)的依賴——來保障美國(guó)的行動(dòng)自由。
我選布什
［本文作者丹-維斯特布魯克(Dan Westerbrook)是美國(guó)一跨國(guó)公司負(fù)責(zé)人，在北京已工作3年。］
我選布什當(dāng)總統(tǒng)的主要原因是他的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力。布什不僅在擔(dān)任總統(tǒng)期間證實(shí)了這一能力，以前作為得克薩斯州州長(zhǎng)以及更早的從商經(jīng)歷，都證明了其領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力。但這并不意味著我贊同他做出的所有決定：我不贊成。
比如說，我不贊成出兵伊拉克。我不贊成并非因?yàn)槲蚁嘈潘_達(dá)姆·侯賽因是個(gè)好人，而是因?yàn)樵谂c美國(guó)不同的文化中生活過的經(jīng)歷使我懂得，外國(guó)人很難——恐怕也不可能——理解并改變另一個(gè)國(guó)家的文化。有一點(diǎn)提醒您注意，當(dāng)決定出擊伊拉克時(shí)，布什總統(tǒng)和克里參議員都是支持這項(xiàng)決策的。因此，在這個(gè)問題上我沒覺得兩位候選人有多大不同，盡管現(xiàn)在克里說，如果是他就會(huì)以不同的方式來做，事后諸葛亮真了不起??！
可是當(dāng)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，要知道，那并不是走一條好走的路的問題，而是要作出艱難的、有時(shí)甚至是不受歡迎的決定。布什總統(tǒng)已經(jīng)證明他能作出艱難的決定，而我個(gè)人喜歡的一點(diǎn)是，他的信念和他的價(jià)值觀念是他決策的基礎(chǔ)。
另一方面，我擔(dān)心的是克里參議員從未做過主管領(lǐng)導(dǎo)——負(fù)有責(zé)任的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)?！敖ㄗh”和發(fā)表評(píng)論說“如果是我會(huì)怎么做”與就一項(xiàng)現(xiàn)實(shí)行動(dòng)做出決定是很不一樣的，而要做這種決定，得努力處理或是極多的信息、或是極少的信息，抑或是不正確的信息——而這一切都是不確定的！在過去的20年里，克里參議員的投票記錄顯示，他在重大問題上有一種搖擺不定的趨勢(shì)，這讓我感到不安。
上周末，《國(guó)際先驅(qū)論壇報(bào)》發(fā)表了一篇有關(guān)克里去打野鴨的文章，顯然，他正力圖獲得那些游說允許持槍的說客們的支持，但他又不想得罪主張控制槍支的團(tuán)體。于是他去打獵了，像是打到了些野鴨，但他在攝像機(jī)前決沒有提著任何一只野鴨出現(xiàn)。當(dāng)被問及此次打獵的情況時(shí)，他將話題轉(zhuǎn)到了棒球上。我不在乎他是贊成還是反對(duì)打獵，我的看法是，他應(yīng)該堅(jiān)持自己所信奉的觀點(diǎn)，不管別人同意還是不同意。他應(yīng)當(dāng)是一位領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，而不是一條變色龍。
Theenvironment. The 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment declared that "man's environment, the natural and the man-made, is essential to his well-being and to the enjoyment of basic human rights -- even the right to life itself." As a senator, Mr. Kerry has established a solid record of support for environmental protection. In fact, he has been called one of the most pro-environment people in Congress. He has voted repeatedly for measures that would enforce strict observance of the Clean Air and Clean Water acts as well as promote wilderness protection. John Kerry has promised, if elected, to promote cleaner and greener communities by setting new standards of environmental excellence for America. They will focus on clean air, clean water and a green landscape for all.
Healthinsurance. Year after year healthcare costs in America continue to rise. Family USA, a family advocacy group, has reported that "workers' costs for health insurance have risen by 36 percent since 2000, dwarfing the average 12.4 percent increase in earnings since President Bush took office." Furthermore, companies are being forced to cut retirees' benefits. There are also 45 million uninsured Americans who simply cannot afford to pay for insurance. John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to give low-cost high-quality coverage to 95 percent of Americans. Their goal is to provide all Americans with access to the same coverage that members of Congress give themselves.
Foreignpolicy. The world faces a real threat of continuing terrorism. America has a great tradition of working with the wider world①on shared problems. Unfortunately, the nation has recently turned away from its allies; its international reputation has suffered as a result. From his grade school education in Europe to his time on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry has acquired the international experience needed to restore America's credibility. He has called for a collective foreign policy that respects the role of the United Nations. At the same time, Kerry has stated that America should secure its freedom of action by lessening its dangerous dependence on Middle Eastern oil.(Ryan Armitage)
Dan Westerbrook for the GOPThe main reason I'm voting for Bush for president is leadership. George W. Bush has demonstrated leadership not only as president, but also previously as governor of Texas, and prior to that in business. This doesn't mean I agree with all the decisions he has made: I don't.
For instance, I was not in favor of the attack on Iraq. I disapproved not because I believed Saddam Hussein was such a nice guy but rather because my experience in living in other cultures has taught me that it is very difficult, if not impossible, for foreigners to understand and change another country's culture. Mind you, at the time the decision was made to attack Iraq both President Bush and Senator Kerry supported the policy. Thus I don't find much difference between the two candidates on this issue, even if Kerry now says he would have done it differently. Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing!
But leadership, you know, isn't about taking the easy route; it is about making the tough, sometimes unpopular decisions. President Bush has demonstrated that he can make tough decisions, and I personally like the fact that his faith, his values, are the foundation of his decisions.
On the other side, I am concerned that Senator Kerry has never been the person in charge, the responsible leader. "Recommending" and making comments about "what I would do" are very different from deciding on a real course of action, while trying to cope with too much information or too little information or incorrect information -- and uncertainty as to which it is! Kerry's Senate voting record over the last 20 years demonstrates a certain tendency to flip-flop on major issues, and this I find troubling.
Last weekend TheInternationalHeraldTribune ran an article about Kerry going duck hunting. He is obviously trying to gain the support of the gun lobby, but he doesn't want to offend the gun control groups. So he goes hunting, apparently kills some ducks, but never appears before cameras while carrying any of the birds he shot. When asked about the hunt, he changes the subject to baseball. I don't care whether he is for or against hunting; my point is that he should stand up for what he believes, no matter who agrees or disagrees. He should be a leader, not a chameleon.(Dan Westerbrook)
老外直言：今年美國(guó)總統(tǒng)大選我選誰
老外直言
我選克里
［本文作者來恩-爾米特吉(Ryan Armitage)是一名20多歲的美國(guó)青年，現(xiàn)在北京一所高校任教。］
選擇總統(tǒng)可不是件容易的事兒。美國(guó)的總統(tǒng)并非有名無實(shí)的領(lǐng)袖，他們的個(gè)人傾向可導(dǎo)致對(duì)美國(guó)乃至世界都產(chǎn)生巨大影響的決策。在經(jīng)過慎重考慮后，我決定把我的一票投給克里。我做出這一決定是基于克里在三大問題上的觀點(diǎn)，而這三大問題在我看來極為重要。
環(huán)境保護(hù)：1972年召開的“聯(lián)合國(guó)人類環(huán)境會(huì)議”宣布：“人類的環(huán)境(包括自然環(huán)境和人為環(huán)境)，對(duì)于人類的福祉，對(duì)于享有基本人權(quán)，乃至活著的權(quán)利，都是最基本的?！笨死锵壬趽?dān)任參議員期間，具有公認(rèn)的支持環(huán)保的良好記錄。事實(shí)上，他被稱為國(guó)會(huì)里最支持環(huán)保的議員。他多次投票支持嚴(yán)格執(zhí)行《清潔空氣法》和《清潔水法》以及加強(qiáng)荒野地帶保護(hù)的法案?？死锍兄Z，若能當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)，他將通過設(shè)定新的環(huán)保標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來推進(jìn)更清潔、更環(huán)保的社區(qū)。他們將把精力集中在為所有人提供潔凈的空氣、清潔的水和綠色的環(huán)境上。
醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)：美國(guó)的醫(yī)療費(fèi)用正年復(fù)一年地持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)。一個(gè)名為“美國(guó)家庭”的主張家庭利益的團(tuán)體報(bào)道說，“自2000年以來，美國(guó)工人的醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)支出上升了36%，相比之下，布什總統(tǒng)就任以來平均收入增長(zhǎng)率為12.4%就顯得很小了?！倍?，許多公司正被迫削減退休人員的福利。另外還有4500萬沒有醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)的美國(guó)人，他們根本買不起保險(xiǎn)?？死锖蛺鄣氯A茲有一項(xiàng)計(jì)劃，該計(jì)劃將讓95%的美國(guó)人享有低收費(fèi)、高質(zhì)量的醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)，他們的目標(biāo)是讓所有的美國(guó)人都能獲得與國(guó)會(huì)議員們?yōu)樽约禾峁┑尼t(yī)保范圍相同的保險(xiǎn)。
對(duì)外政策：全世界正面臨著持續(xù)不斷的恐怖主義的切實(shí)威脅。美國(guó)有著與其他國(guó)家就共同問題進(jìn)行合作的優(yōu)良傳統(tǒng)。令人遺憾的是，最近我們這個(gè)國(guó)家與自己的盟友分道揚(yáng)鑣了，結(jié)果是美國(guó)的國(guó)際聲譽(yù)受到了損害。而就克里來說，從他在歐洲受的小學(xué)教育，到在參議院對(duì)外關(guān)系委員會(huì)的任職經(jīng)歷，都使他具備了恢復(fù)美國(guó)信譽(yù)所需要的國(guó)際經(jīng)驗(yàn)。他提倡與盟國(guó)磋商、尊重聯(lián)合國(guó)作用的對(duì)外政策。與此同時(shí)，克里還申明美國(guó)應(yīng)減少對(duì)中東石油的依賴——這是一種危險(xiǎn)的依賴——來保障美國(guó)的行動(dòng)自由。
我選布什
［本文作者丹-維斯特布魯克(Dan Westerbrook)是美國(guó)一跨國(guó)公司負(fù)責(zé)人，在北京已工作3年。］
我選布什當(dāng)總統(tǒng)的主要原因是他的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力。布什不僅在擔(dān)任總統(tǒng)期間證實(shí)了這一能力，以前作為得克薩斯州州長(zhǎng)以及更早的從商經(jīng)歷，都證明了其領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力。但這并不意味著我贊同他做出的所有決定：我不贊成。
比如說，我不贊成出兵伊拉克。我不贊成并非因?yàn)槲蚁嘈潘_達(dá)姆·侯賽因是個(gè)好人，而是因?yàn)樵谂c美國(guó)不同的文化中生活過的經(jīng)歷使我懂得，外國(guó)人很難——恐怕也不可能——理解并改變另一個(gè)國(guó)家的文化。有一點(diǎn)提醒您注意，當(dāng)決定出擊伊拉克時(shí)，布什總統(tǒng)和克里參議員都是支持這項(xiàng)決策的。因此，在這個(gè)問題上我沒覺得兩位候選人有多大不同，盡管現(xiàn)在克里說，如果是他就會(huì)以不同的方式來做，事后諸葛亮真了不起??！
可是當(dāng)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，要知道，那并不是走一條好走的路的問題，而是要作出艱難的、有時(shí)甚至是不受歡迎的決定。布什總統(tǒng)已經(jīng)證明他能作出艱難的決定，而我個(gè)人喜歡的一點(diǎn)是，他的信念和他的價(jià)值觀念是他決策的基礎(chǔ)。
另一方面，我擔(dān)心的是克里參議員從未做過主管領(lǐng)導(dǎo)——負(fù)有責(zé)任的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)?！敖ㄗh”和發(fā)表評(píng)論說“如果是我會(huì)怎么做”與就一項(xiàng)現(xiàn)實(shí)行動(dòng)做出決定是很不一樣的，而要做這種決定，得努力處理或是極多的信息、或是極少的信息，抑或是不正確的信息——而這一切都是不確定的！在過去的20年里，克里參議員的投票記錄顯示，他在重大問題上有一種搖擺不定的趨勢(shì)，這讓我感到不安。
上周末，《國(guó)際先驅(qū)論壇報(bào)》發(fā)表了一篇有關(guān)克里去打野鴨的文章，顯然，他正力圖獲得那些游說允許持槍的說客們的支持，但他又不想得罪主張控制槍支的團(tuán)體。于是他去打獵了，像是打到了些野鴨，但他在攝像機(jī)前決沒有提著任何一只野鴨出現(xiàn)。當(dāng)被問及此次打獵的情況時(shí)，他將話題轉(zhuǎn)到了棒球上。我不在乎他是贊成還是反對(duì)打獵，我的看法是，他應(yīng)該堅(jiān)持自己所信奉的觀點(diǎn)，不管別人同意還是不同意。他應(yīng)當(dāng)是一位領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，而不是一條變色龍。