Nov. 7 is not only Election Day; it is a day that will affect not only you and me, but the world. It is whom we as a country elect into office that will determine the fate of America in multiple areas and the rest of the world as well. It is imperative that we as a country continue to keep the focus on fighting terrorism, maintaining a strong economy and keeping our taxes low. It is with these issues that only the Republican Party is leading the way and fighting for you.

With control of the United States House of Representatives and Senate in the balance, it is essential that the when you cast your ballot we keep the Republican majority in each chamber. It is if the Republican Party loses control of the one or both chambers that this country will forever be changed; however, it will be a change that is not in the best interest of America.

Protecting America is essential and the Republican Party is the party that will best protect us from those who want to attack and kill Americans. Under the leadership of the Republicans in the House and Senate the protection of America has never been greater in this post-9/11 era.

Republicans want to do everything within our power to protect the lives of all Americans, both domestic and abroad. Prevention rather than prosecution is the mindset that we need to live and operate under as a country. The Democratic Party, though, disagrees with this assessment as it does not want to give our agencies the tools they need to execute the war on terror.

The USA Patriot Act, National Security Agency terror surveillance program, and the targeting of the terrorist financial network are tools that the Republicans in Congress have fought to implement in the war against terror. The Democratic Party unfortunately does not wish to give these tools to the men and women who protect the land of liberty.

It is with these tools and programs that the United States and our allies have disrupted at least 10 serious al-Qaida terrorist plots since 9/11, including three al-Qaeda plots to attack inside the United States. We have stopped at least five more al-Qaeda efforts to case targets in the United States or infiltrate operatives into our country.

The United States economy is the strongest we have encountered in decades. Much of this economic success can be directly attributed to the policies of President Bush and enacted by the Republican Congress. Republicans have turned an economy that was hemorrhaging in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and turned it into an economy that is healthy and thriving.

Just a few days ago the federal government released new jobs figures and 92,000 jobs were created in October. The unemployment rate decreased to 4.4 percent, the lowest rate since May 2001. Payrolls have now increased by $470,000 over the past three months and more than $1.9 million over the past 12 months. Since August 2003, more than 6.8 million jobs have been created — more jobs than all the other major industrialized countries combined. Our economy has now added jobs for 38 straight months.

These economic numbers are directly correlated with the agenda of the Republicans in Congress. It is only with keeping Republicans in control of the Congress that we will see that any Americans who want jobs will be able to find jobs.

The prosperous economy does not stop at the thriving job market, but also in the stock market. We are in a bullish market, where we are seeing unprecedented successes in the Dow Jones Industrial Average has recently been setting record highs day after day, most of which are in the 12,000 area.

Much of this success is due to the Republicans wanting to keep your taxes low. Republicans believe the American people know best how to spend their money and fight to keep taxes low. The Democrats, on the other hand, if elected into power, will raise taxes and take money out of your pocket.

When you go into the polls to vote, think about the America you want to live in. If you want America protected from terrorists, a strong economy and low taxes, then it is the Republican Party that offers this vision. Tuesday is a crossroad for the future for the United States; the question is which path will you choose?

E-mail Matt at [email protected].