On Tuesday, citizens across the United States will cast their vote for the presidency, and I, along with millions of U.S. citizens, will be supporting Sen. John Kerry. John Kerry has served the United States his entire life, beginning with his distinguished service in Vietnam, where he chose to serve, while other privileged youths chose to hide instead of fighting for freedom abroad. His distinguished service in the Vietnam is matched by his distinguished work as a senator.

John Kerry knows and understands the threat that terrorism poses to the United States, and he is the only candidate with a plan to win the peace in the war on terrorism and in Iraq. Kerry proposes increasing the size of our armed forces and is hoping to add more Special Forces units in order to fight terrorism more effectively. Sen. Kerry also understands that our soldiers cannot be left behind after war. He will fight to protect and restore veterans’ benefits and veteran services that have been stripped from soldiers. John Kerry will lessen the burden on U.S. soldiers in Iraq by restoring alliances with our allies, and he will make the United States respected again in the world.

Sen. Kerry is a powerful advocate for young people across the United States. College students now, more than ever, face the threat of not having a job after graduating. Sen. Kerry has fought to keep good high-paying jobs at home, while the Bush administration only has encouraged the outsourcing of millions of jobs overseas.

John Kerry has pledged to end the rising costs of tuition at public universities, and he has pledged to extend federal grants to more students than ever before. Sen. Kerry also will work toward ending the rising costs of health insurance, and he will make sure every U.S. citizen has access to the same health-care options that our representatives in Congress give themselves. Kerry hopes to end the reckless government spending that has occurred in Washington over the past four years. By balancing the budget and paying down the national debt, the economy finally can recover from the recession and the loss of millions of jobs.

John Kerry also supports women’s rights. He is an abortion rights advocate who will protect a woman’s right to choose and her access to contraception. Women deserve equal pay for an equal day’s work, and Kerry will continue the work that President Clinton began to end the gender gap between men and women.

On Nov. 2, make the right choice and vote for John Kerry.

Pete Laguna

communications director, College Democrats