This Tuesday, America decides the leader of the free world for the next four years. Our decision will have direct consequences that will affect our daily lives, our generation, future generations and our world. We at MDAA encourage you to vote.

There are many issues that the two presidential candidates differ on, from taxes and job creation to health care and education, just to name a few. These issues are valued differently by each of us, and our perceptions of their positions and ability to lead will help determine who each of us will vote for. Despite the candidates’ marked political differences there is one issue that both presidential candidates agree is the most important: our national and homeland security.

As MDAA shows through our surveys, the issue of public and world safety is a top priority of the American public. Both presidential candidates have displayed different views on what they would implement and how they would lead to protect our homeland and national security. This election on Tuesday will be decided on how each of us perceive and believe who can best lead and keep America safe.

In this capacity, missile defense is an important issue and our perceptions of what each candidate will do with missile defense plays a role in our judgment and vote. To this extent, MDAA has explored the candidates’ positions and has formulated, to the best of its knowledge, a perception of what President Bush and Senator Kerry will do on the issue of missile defense in the next four years as President of the United States; provided that the United States, her troops overseas, her allies and friends do not sustain a ballistic missile attack.

President George W Bush:
– Deploy, operate and enhance a robust multi-layered defense system that offers limited protection of our homeland from ballistic missile threats.
– Deploy Operate and Enhance theater ballistic missile defenses for our troops overseas, our allies and our friends.
– Sustain & maintain the annual current funding allocated to missile defense (around 3% of the DOD Budget that provides 50,000 jobs)

Senator John Kerry
– Freeze current deployment of missile defense and halt operations until more testing is completed.
– Deploy, operate, and maintain current theater ballistic missile defenses for our troops overseas, our allies and our friends
– Reduce funding by 50% of the annual current funding allocated to missile defense (around 3% to 1.5% of the DOD Budget causing a loss of 25,000 jobs)

Rest assured that MDAA will advocate and fight for Missile Defense to which ever candidate our democracy chooses.

Vote and make a difference.