As we enter this Presidential election year it is important that family issues are heard and addressed by the candidates. Do you know where the candidates stand on issues that are important to families? In these days of "spin," it is hard to find the real positions of the candidates. Their ads often "dumb down" their positions on the issues until they are not even recognizable. For example, the Leave No Child Behind Law was presented as the solution to the educational system problems. Yet, few families have seen any real changes in their local schools. As many public schools "flunked" the tests, it appears that most of the children have been left behind. The question for the candidates must be exactly what needs to get done for schools to "pass"? And what is the plan to make school safe? Columbine was all too real and many children continue to go to schools where guns, knifes, and violence are common place. How can schools be safe when our streets are not? A Million Moms marched on Washington not that long ago demanding gun control. Did we really only end up with safety locks on guns?

Not enough time is most parents biggest complaint. Work demands continue to increase as companies chase the after higher productivity. Many parents report they don't have enough time to help kids with homework, coach Little League, attend a political debate, or even watch the news! And that's the parent who is lucky. enough to still have a job. Others whose jobs have been out-sourced or eliminated in the name of lower cost and more productivity face unemployment benefits running out with few good jobs available. Exactly what are the candidates going to do about making sure we have good jobs here in America?

The number families that have had to seek out welfare benefits to survive has been steadily rising in 2002 and 2003. Single-parents remain the poorest among us. In fact families with the youngest children continue to be the poorest.

Healthcare costs are rising and many elderly, even with the new drug benefits from Medicare, still can't afford prescription drugs. As our population ages, healthcare issues will grow. American continues to be the only industrialized nation in the world where healthcare is not universal. Candidates need to show us a real plan for healthcare for all.

With the deficit growing to pay for the war in Iraq, and revenue down due to the tax cuts, our children will be burdened with the largest deficit ever, and they will probably never see the social security benefits that their grandparents are receiving. Is this the future we want for our kids?

What about the environment? Are we leaving our children a world not fit to live in so that the productivity monster can be fed? What are the candidates saying they can do to keep the environment safe and keep America's economy strong?

September 11 brought war to the American shore. Parents now find themselves talking to their kids about terror. Foreign policy seems to always come back to the source of energy, oil or nuclear, to keep that productivity going. Alternate forms of energy, ethanol from soy beans and other natural sources has been discussed but never really acted upon. How have the oil companies been able to block an effective and efficient energy policy?

An informed and participatory citizenry is the basis of a free democracy. These issues and a constitutional right of freedom of religion, press, speech, and protections which assure civil rights and the right to vote all need we the people to participate. The last election showed us all that every vote does count. Be sure to vote! Be sure yours is an informed one! Attend political debate, take time to read the news paper and watch the news, and research the issues.. Truly we need to be the nation our founding fathers envisioned: for the people, and by the people.