The right choice for our future

Democrats have built an impressive and solid record of leadership during the last eight years: the longest, most robust economic expansion in American history. Al Gore and Joe Lieberman want to continue moving America in the right direction, while ensuring we leave no one behind in our drive toward progress.\nThe Record\nAmericans' hard work and sound public policy under Democrats led to: \n• The most jobs ever created under a single administration. \n• The first real wage growth in 20 years. \n• The highest home ownership rate ever. \n• The lowest African-American and Hispanic-American unemployment rates in history. \n• The lowest crime rate in 25 years. \n• The lowest number of people on welfare since the 1960s. \n• The largest drop in poverty in nearly 30 years. \n• The lowest level of child poverty in 20 years. \nAfter 15 painful years when the rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer, America is finally growing together instead of growing apart. "If America is to secure prosperity, progress, peace and security for all, we cannot afford to go back," the Party's platform states.\nWe must move forward together and we must not leave anyone behind.\nThe Issues\nThis column's weekly discussion of where the candidates stand on various issues has hopefully been helpful in making the right choice today. We discussed civil rights, women's rights, foreign affairs and the military, education, tax relief, guns, health care, campaign finance reform and Social Security. There are a number of issues space did not permit us to discuss in previous weeks, so an important one not before covered -- the economy -- is addressed here.\nA key issue for Democrats is the economy, which one could argue is a part of most issues directly or indirectly. \n"Prosperity itself is on the ballot," Gore said while campaigning last week. The vice president focuses on eliminating the $3.4 trillion national debt, while providing targeted tax relief to workers and families. He would increase spending on education, health care and the environment -- all of which make America's economy stronger in the long-run. \nJeff Faux, president of the Economic Policy Institute, said in Sunday's New York Times, "There are two big issues: keeping the expansion going, and the neglect of social investment over the last decade and more. Bush's big tax cut puts the economy in a much more vulnerable position on the first point, and pretty much precludes us from getting back to a more balanced set of investments. We have this huge and vibrant private sector, yet fundamental human needs are not being met."\nThe Choice\nToday we decide in what direction we want the country to go. Every four years, millions of Americans choose to let someone else decide for them how much they pay in taxes, the quality of their schools, how safe the air they breathe and water they drink is and whether they have quality, affordable health care. They let someone else decide whether a woman has the right to choose, whether to enact campaign finance reform and in what direction our economy will go.\nParticularly disappointing is that young people often stay home, allowing older Americans, who nearly all vote, a disproportionately strong voice in government.\nLet's change that.\nThe economy. Education. Health care. The environment. Foreign policy. Campaign finance reform. Abortion. Guns. The Supreme Court. Whom do you want making your decisions in the White House? Al Gore and Joe Lieberman are clearly the right choices for our future.