Posted on 10/07/2004 9:19:45 PM PDT by naturalman1975
TWO very different leaders go head-to-head tomorrow in a contest that offers voters starkly contrasting choices.
John Howard, at 65, is standing for a remarkable fourth term and has behind him a proven record of sound government and solid economic management.
Mark Latham, 43, Labor's leader for only 10 months, has fought the six-week campaign well and made difficult calls, but is far less experienced and has few runs on the board in public life.
Both leaders have made extravagant and expensive promises to win support, though importantly they have focused on domestic issues such as health, education and economic reform.
But our alliance with the US and war against terror remain pivotal issues for the nation.
Whoever wins government should have the experience and willpower to keep the alliance strong and tackle terrorism aggressively.
The Coalition is clearly best placed on both issues.
Mr Latham's promise to bring home troops from Iraq in a cut-and-run strategy weakens his party on both fronts.
His commitment appeases both Labor's Left and the radical Greens who have displayed a paranoid hatred of the US.
Since taking Labor's top job, Mr Latham has also tended to be a one-man act -- a style that could be cause for concern if he were PM.
Many voters will recall the breathtaking pace of change from the two-man Cabinet in the opening days of the government of Gough Whitlam -- Mr Latham's mentor.
Mr Latham has sought to reassure voters that his first 100 days in office will be ``steady and sober'' -- but he added the qualification that many of his policies had to be implemented quickly.
Both sides have been guilty of lavish spending, which in itself does not equate with good public policy.
On offer is a bewildering array of tax cuts, rebates, family benefits and associated handouts.
Mr Latham's policy of taking more than half a billion dollars from 67 private schools and redistributing it to private, Catholic and independent schools has rightly been condemned as socially divisive.
It has been seen as reflecting Labor's old-fashioned, cloth-cap view that there are two Australias -- the so-called working class and the rest.
There are also serious misgiving's about the Latham Medicare Gold scheme.
Older Australians deserve special consideration in any reforms to the health system, but there are serious doubts over whether the policy is workable or affordable.
Fear about where interest rates might go hangs like a sword of Damocles over the heads of the people who live in this heavily mortgaged land.
Both sides insist that under their stewardship, rates won't rise. But Mr Latham may live to rue the day he went further by foolishly signing a pledge to keep them down.
The Labor leader's $800 million bid to save Tasmania's old-growth forests is in exchange for preferences from the Greens, whose tunnel vision agenda again threatens to damage Tasmania's frail economy.
He was subsequently gazumped by John Howard whose compromise counter offer quarantining an as yet unlogged 170,000 hectares of old-growth forest, no job losses, and adherence to the Regional Forest Agreement was cheered by 3000 Launceston timber workers.
Labor's deal with the Greens now leaves it in bed with a party whose extreme ideas include controlled access to illegal drugs such as ecstasy. If Greens hold the balance of power in the Senate, they would be an albatross around a Labor government's neck.
John Howard, better than anyone, knows what it is to have government initiatives stymied in the Senate by independents and minor parties.
For their part, Mr Howard and his Treasurer Peter Costello have overseen a growing economy, kept interest rates low, contained inflation, been firm on security issues and strengthened our world position through the free trade agreement with the US.
The Herald Sun sees no reason to vote for change tomorrow. The country is in healthy shape and in safe hands.
And as long as John Howard remains fresh and energetic, he should stay as Liberal leader and Prime Minister. If that were to change, Peter Costello has shown he is also worthy of a chance at the top job.
A full term in Opposition would allow Mark Latham to prove if he has the qualities needed to lead the nation.
I sure hope Howard wins. And you know something? If he wins, barely a word will be mentioned by the American MSM. And if he loses, the same media will be all over it like white on rice. They are such shills it's not even funny anymore.
Good luck to you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.