by Anna Diaz

In my quest to find information about the upcoming presidential election I sat down in front of the computer ready to spend hours in search of informative sites which I could share with others. I found a great many sites, some less unbiased than others. Here is the cream of the crop:

http://vote2000.lycos.com

This site is provided as part of Lycos news. They do an excellent job of breaking down the issues categorically, giving a brief synopsis and then linking to each candidate’s stand on the issue. You can also link to each candidate’s web site from this page. In addition there are also articles about the election, a forum for site visitors to voice opinions and links to resources such as government agencies.

www.govote.com , America’s Political Portal

This site was started by a man who just wanted a forum to voice his opinions and had nowhere else to do so. What it has become, at least from what I can make of it, is an excellent resource for dealing with the upcoming presidential election. Included on the site are news (with headlines updated every fifteen minutes, twenty-four hours a day), political commentary, election news and a forum in which visitors can voice their opinions. There are also voter resources which allow visitors to the site to find information about presidential and congressional elections and - my favorite part of the site - http://govote.speakout.com/votematch/index.asp, the vote match presidential selector. Take this quiz and find out which of the presidential candidates feels the same way you do on the issues. The questions are based in a strongly agree-strongly disagree spectrum on many issues. If you are confused by the questions or answers you are given to choose from just click on the link and a new window will appear explaining the issue and the responses to you. At the end of the quiz you are given a listing of the candidates starting with the one whose political philosophies are most like the ones your responses indicate and working its way down through. It also labels you a political ideology and gives an explanation of what it means. For example, according to the quiz, I am a liberal populist. What is great about this quiz is that after you get your results you have a basis for doing your own research on the candidates and their views of the future of our country.

Which brings us to the candidates’ sites...Beware: These sites are put together and maintained by supporters of each candidate; the views expressed therein are not unbiased in any way. Use your judgement. Personally, I went to look at these sites with an agenda in mind. I wanted to know where the candidates stood on particular issues which are relevant to my life; I suggest such an agenda to anyone who isn’t sure about their political position. Remember that you are choosing a person you want to represent you fairly, who has the same concerns and stances on the issues you do.

This is your basic campaign site, with information on where GWB will be appearing, news on the campaign, a biography, ways to get involved from wherever you are and where to send money. Included are links to a collection of proposals for "A Fresh Start For America" (the link was broken when I tried to access it.) and a link to voter registration information. You can also sign up for the Bush mailing list to get information via email of GWB sightings and whatnot. Just for fun, check out GWB’s tax calculator. I don’t pretend to know anything about the way we are taxed right now, but according to GWB’s tax calculator, with his proposed tax changes I would be paying one hundred and fifty dollars a year in taxes. Interesting. Things to keep in mind are that GWB’s key issues are education(pro-vouchers), abortion (pro-life) and defense. Give this site a look regardless of your political orientation. If you are for Bush in 2000 then it is a good way to keep informed; if you are not, then remember, it never hurts to know what the enemy is up to.

Then there is the Democratic candidate, Al Gore. You may remember him as our current vice president. He is Clinton without charisma, but he’s better than nothing. Visit him at www.gorelieberman.com.

Once again, this is your generic candidate site. You can sign up for Gore2000 news via email, find out where he will be appearing, access the text of his speeches, find ways to get involved locally and where to send your money. In the Gore2000 briefing room you will find the latest news on the campaign front. Gore’s key issues are the environment, health care and foreign policy, and he is pro-choice. Through another link there is a breakdown of why Gore’s "Retirement Savings Plus" is better than Bush’s "Social Security Minus." What it basically says is the Retirement Savings Plus will create tax_free savings accounts to build a retirement nest egg in addition to Social Security’s guaranteed benefit. The federal government would match individual contributions with tax credits, with the hardest-pressed working families getting the largest tax credits," whereas "According to a report from the Century Foundation, Bush's privatization plan would cut benefits by 54 percent for workers 30 years or younger. Even with Bush’s individual accounts, benefits for retirees would still be reduced by 20 percent."

It’s something to think about, but again, don’t take the site’s word for it! Do your own research. The purpose of the candidates’ sites is as much to give misinformation about the other candidate as it is to give information on the candidates sponsoring them. For example, follow the link on the Gore site to www.bushinsecurity.com and you’ll find "facts" on GWB’s plan to privatize social security; if you look a little closer you will see the site is paid for by Gore2000. I can’t stress enough the need to do your homework and seek out unbiased reporting on the elections and candidates. It is the only way to make an informed decision.

Now onto the lesser-known candidates. I am sure I will be leaving out someone’s favorite underdog, but I can only share what I was able to find.

From this site you can conveniently link to the Green Party and their perennial favorite, Ralph Nader. The Green Party can be visited at www.greenparty.org and Nader at www.votenader.org.

You may remember Nader as the guy who wrote Unsafe At Any Speed, which exposed the safety- or lack thereof-of GM’s Corvair. The issues Nader is interested in are abuse of corporate power, stopping the World Trade Organization, universal health care, and civil rights. Nader is running because "instead of government of, by, and for the people, we have a government of the Exxons, by the General Motors, and for the DuPonts." This site is set up like all the others, you will find the latest campaign news, how you can get Nader on the ballot in your state, where you can send your campaign donation, a biography, and how to sign up for the newsletter.

There is also the unofficial Nader site, www.Nader2000.org, which is equally engaging and worth a look. It has a biography of Nader’s running mate, Winona LaDuke, and links to an interview with her. The site contains lots of Nader news, links to other Nader and Green sites, and other information links.