The 2008 election is going to be one of the most important
elections of the near future. There are many different issues most people
cannot agree on ? issues such as health care, the wars in the Middle East and
illegal immigration. Not only do Republicans and Democrats differ in opinions,
many candidates in the same party cannot come to agreement. This shows how
large an impact the next president of the United States will have on the
country. Our nation needs someone who is willing to make change and bring Congress
together with bipartisan ideas. As Mr. Lincoln said in 1858, ?A house divided
against itself cannot stand.? We must bring together this country as Americans,
not as Republicans and Democrats.

Rudy Giuliani has a plan to do this if elected. Mr. Giuliani
has 12 commitments for America that will help change Washington for the better
and make America more accountable on the global scale. We need to end illegal
immigration and find the illegal immigrants already in the country so they can
re-enter this country legally. Once this is done, we must secure our borders to
prevent illegal immigration in the future. Another aspect of Washington that
needs an overhaul is the issue of spending and taxes.? Many people believe
we need to raise taxes to help reduce our national debt. This is not what the
U.S. needs right now. The economy is slowing, so the last thing we want people
to have to worry about is having less money.? If we want to boost this
economy we need to cut wasteful spending in Washington. The government must
become more accountable so money that is spent actually helps America. This
will then allow our next president to lower taxes to help the economy.

Another main issue that has arisen multiple times in debates
is health care. It seems that everyone has a different idea on how to fix this
problem. The U.S. cannot have a universal program that will give health care to
everyone. I am not saying everyone shouldn?t have health care; I am saying the
government cannot afford to just give high-quality health care to more than 300
million people ? the price would be astronomical.? The health care system
just needs to be reformed. With tax code reform, families could be given
credits on their taxes to make it easier to afford health care in a free market.?
Individual states can also work to improve health care by reducing costs
through innovation.

The war in the Middle East is probably the most debated
issue on the campaign trail. In recent months, we have seen improvements in the
war in Iraq showing that, if developed into a trend, would allow us to end the
war in a timely fashion. Pulling out of the Middle East right now would set us
back to where we were before Sept. 11. We must finish what we have started,
which means continuing until troops there do not need further assistance by the
United States. The U.S. must also stay on the offense in the War on Terror. We
must be prepared to handle any situation thrown at us by strengthening the
military and creating stability in the areas of the world that could be
terrorist safe havens.

The United States needs a president who is willing to do all
these things to make sure America is heading in the correct direction.? We
need change in Washington on many fronts, and that is why when I go to cast my
vote for president of the United States, I am going to vote for Rudy Giuliani.

?

Nick Novak
([email protected]) is the campus chair of
Students for Rudy.