Bush record is anti-family values

To the editor:

As an independent voter, I challenge Bush-Cheney supporters to defend a record that has promoted outsourcing of U.S. jobs overseas to reduce costs and taxes, increased unemployment, turned a huge budget surplus into the largest budget deficit in U.S. history, permitted assault rifles back on the market, shifted taxes from wealthy to lower income Americans, left millions without health insurance, reduced veterans benefits, encouraged pollution of our water and air, promoted the destruction of our national forests, developed energy policies that serve corporate interests rather than Americans, suppressed and ignored scientific evidence when these don't suit their politics, undercut public education -- the cornerstone of democracy, sold war with a pack of lies and distortions, largely ignored the perpetrators of the 9-11 attack in favor of an invasion of Iraq that has served the economic interests of themselves and their buddies in Halliburton and Bechtel, successfully turned a moment of international sympathy for and identification with the United States into almost universal international resentment, squandered over 1,000 Americans lives (and caused tens of thousands of casualties, increased recruits to al-Qaida and promoted terrorism), promoted abuse of prisoners of war, seriously compromised civil liberties in the U.S. and maintained the greatest secrecy of any presidency in history.

These may be your family values, but they certainly are neither mine nor mainstream. Let us send Bush and Cheney home.

ALAN JOURNET, Cape Girardeau