Question before the election

I recently sent a letter to the editors of our local papers trying to remind people of their responsibilities as voters, and I would like to share that with you.  I also composed a letter to be sent to my senators with questions that I would like to have clarified to become a more informed voter.  I wanted to share them with you for your consideration.  
Sorry, I didn't properly cut and paste.  I will correct and resend
A Plea to All Voters
Now that we have begun our quadrennial responsibility to choose who will be our next President, I address this to all voters – Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, no party affiliation. At this time of year we see all leading candidates spending their time either maligning their opponents, or making grandiose promises in such general phrases that we are never sure what they are saying.
I urge each and every one of you to take a few minutes, and write, or e-mail all of the major candidates asking for their specific ideas and plans for the issues that are most important to you, whether that be the economy, our role in Iraq and Afghanistan, our position toward Iran, national educational policies, federal deregulation of big business, the rising costs of gas and oil, or our trade policies with Canada, Mexico and the rest of the world. Ask specific questions with as much detail as possible.
It appears that we, as a country, are becoming more polarized than ever before in our nation’s history and that as we become more polarized we become more susceptible to negative campaigns, and pie-in-the-sky promises. Remember especially that if a candidate is blamed on taking the opposing view to you on any issue, it may have been made based on information that was incorrect or incomplete at that time, or it may have been attached as an amendment to another bill that was of vital importance to the nation.
Remember that our founding fathers understood that a true democracy could only be achieved when all citizens understood the issues, and went into the voting booth as a part of a truly informed citizenry. I ask of you that you make every effort to make yourself a part of that informed citizenry.

Barbara Crumb

Dear Sen
I am writing to you because I am looking for some guidance as to where one can look to restore faith in the democratic process, especially after the last eight years. Bush invaded Iraq on pretenses that were later found to be totally untrue. There have been continuous indications that the primary purpose of the invasion was control of a major oil supplier. But now that our involvement in Iraq threatens to become a major campaign issue Bush is moving quickly to finalize a troop withdrawal timetable even after first quarter statistics show no significant change in the number of Americans killed or injured in Iraq. What had been nearly daily reports on violence in Iraq have virtually disappeared. It seems that all information on what is going on there is being deliberately withheld from the American public. Also, Bush had in one speech indicated that he was ready to negotiate a withdrawal that ensures that American interests are protected. This alone is enough to raise my concerns that his intent is to make sure American (and his own) oil interests are protected.
We know that Bush has employed questionable tactics from the beginning. For example, I believe that the legislature only approved funding for the troop “surge” into Iraq under the condition that it was to be a temporary surge, and that if the Iraqi government failed to meet the 11 goals, agreed upon by both governments within six months. I remember that at that time only 3 of the goals had been met, with some progress having been made on 2 others. Yet there was no move to return our troops, nor was there any kind of outcry about the fact that Bush had lied about his intent to stick to his agreement not only with the Iraqi government, but with our own legislature, as well.
Also, I do not understand why Bush was so concerned to continue with the provisions of the Patriot Act that appear to violate the rights that were guaranteed to all citizens by the provisions of the Bill of Rights. These provisions have been interpreted to permit the government to monitor e-mails, telephone conversations and to declare any form of peaceful demonstration against the war, or in opposition to policies put in place by the Executive Branch of our government as being an indication of suspected terrorist activity. Why is it that the government feels the need to put such checks on the average American citizen, but at the same time seems to have discounted any significant threat from the same Iraq that was touted as one of the major players in the September 11 tragedy? Why are our citizens required to purchase a passport in order to view a Broadway show on tour in Toronto or even to view the Falls from the Canadian side when a huge percentage of foreign cargo carriers potentially carrying members of terrorist organizations, supplies or communications move through our ports on a daily basis?
I understand that these provisions of secrecy and withholding of accurate and ongoing activities of our government have probably been going on for a number of years, but I feel never as blatantly as within this administration. I refer these questions to you at this time because I don’t know where else to turn. I realize that many of these questions may be unanswerable by your office, but I would appreciate if you could at least direct me to a source that will let me become the type of informed citizen that we need to make rational decisions in the voting booth and in our own political involvement. I apologize for the length of this letter, but the fact that I have not been able to find any reasonable information on these kinds of issues leads me to a fear that we seem to be moving toward a fascist form of governmental control and governmental secrecy.