This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE (9-27-04)

Well, the two contenders to head America for the next four years will come head to head on Thursday.

I don’t know how you feel about the upcoming elections, but I know how I feel.

First, it’s only fair for me to say that I am a Republican....but before any political affiliation....I am an American. I have fought for my country....I have served politically for my city and my county, and am still deeply concerned about where we are going.

I listen to all the talking heads saying that Kerry should do this in the debates.....President Bush should do this.....just as if the future of America was depending on the outcome of these debates.

Let’s face the facts.

We are at war. Our young men and women are dying and facing danger daily in Iraq. That is a fact.

What do we do about it? Do we lose our will to fight and cut and run....or do we meet these brutal, unconscionable terrorists head on and kill and capture them...and emerge victorious in this war...thereby giving the 25 million people of Iraq an opportunity to embrace freedom.

Now...you can argue about plan after plan...or carp on the fact we haven’t found stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction....but that doesn’t change a thing. War is war...we’re in the middle of it. and there is no doubt that we must succeed...not only for ourselves but also for the Iraqi people.

Now...let’s turn to the other issues that seem to have been shunted aside in this election. Let’s take the economy.

You can wring your hands about outsourcing, but it has been going on for the past few administrations....under President Clinton as well as President Bush. In a capitalistic system such as ours....the cost of doing business is a big factor. If one can secure his basic needs at a lower cost....he or she will do that. The fact is that we, as Americans, are going to have to compete with the rest of the world. To date, our unions, our work rules and our governmental regulations have levied a heavy cost on our working people. It is obvious that we must now do what we do best and do it better and perhaps even cheaper than any other country in the world. That’s how we compete.

A number of factors have contributed to our rate of joblessness. When times are good..jobs are easy to find. We, as a government, have virtually priced many of our workers out of jobs by rules and regulations governing just about everything we do or produce. That trend must give way to some realistic economic thinking.

Inflation, today, has made it necessary for both parents to be wage earners if they want to acquire the things that people used to save in the past until they could afford them. I can recall in 1948 going to work for a radio station here in Klamath Falls for $90 a week...yes, a week, and I was pretty well paid at the time., What would it take today?

Now...let’s talk about education. Everyone seems to decry the level of education today, but the cost of education today has become a terrible burden on all communities. Where once local education was tied to local economies....it is now all tied to state budgets and union negotiations. It is vital that education must meet certain national levels in order that our young people can successfully compete in a society that constantly has to vie with other nations and the heavy demands of a complex society.

Health care is another hot button in this campaign. We’re told that 43 million Americans are without health care. Broken down this figure reduces considerably when you take out those who live on the streets or are homeless by choice. Non-the-less, health care of one level or another must be provided at certain levels. President Bush has made a start on that with his $600 yearly payment to families in the poverty range...and discount cards for seniors beginning next year. There’s also the provision that people can start health savings account that are sheltered from taxes.

And....then.....above all.....there is the question of national security and leadership. Without security we live in an atmosphere of fear, and we must have faith that our leader in the White House has the courage and the will to provide the needed leadership....and the knowledge to keep the country safe.

Those, in my mind, are the clear issues in this campaign....not just who will do best in a meaningless debate.

This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.