The ability to find a job is one of the most important issue for most young voters in the upcoming presidential election.

The main reason students come to college is to get the skills needed for a well paying job. Students will help determine which candidate has a better plan to help the struggling economy provide those jobs.

President George Bush wants to grow the economy beyond our borders, supporting a free-trade philosophy by exporting manufacturing and some service type jobs. Sen. John Kerry wants to grow the economy by increasing the size of government, taxing the wealthiest Americans and stoping corporations from moving oversees.

First, let’s give credit where credit is due. Bush has cut taxes for all Americans, which has helped small business owners continue to generate 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs annually.

According to www.whitehouse.gov, there have been almost two million jobs created since August 2003. All this after a recession was jump started by 9/11. Growth in our economy has averaged over 3 percent a year in the last 12 fiscal quarters. The current unemployment rate is lower than the average of the last 30 years, so there is progress in the right direction.

I keep hearing Kerry say, “I have a plan to create 10 million jobs.” I went to his Web site to get the details, but I could not find anything specific. Under the topic of economy and jobs, www.johnkerry.com says, “As president, John Kerry will cut taxes for businesses that create jobs here in America instead of moving them overseas.”

Is Kerry going to control how much Mexico or China pays their employees? Are tax cuts going to help businesses pay for the minimum wage increases Kerry is hoping for? Too bad our free-trade policies enacted by our last president have caused the steady exodus of U.S. jobs overseas and across the border because of cheaper labor cost.

There is a letter signed by 368 of the top economist from all over the nation at www.economistsforbush.com that fear Kerry’s plan for the economy and jobs. One of the main concerns in the letter says, “Entitlement reform is the most important fiscal challenge facing the country, yet Kerry’s approach has been to deny that any fix is needed.”

I am not an economist, but I realize the importance of growth in the economy in creating jobs. Individuals and small businesses create the most jobs, and raising their taxes will not stimulate growth. I suggest a crash course in economics in order to make an informed decision.