Latino voters: Alfonso Trujillo

We asked eight BBC News Website readers from the Latino community in the US to share their views with us ahead of the presidential election. Latinos are a key target group for both Democrats and Republicans in the election on 2 November.

Jose Bahamonde: Miami, Florida "Kerry makes promises that he can't keep" Geraldo Alonso: San Antonio, Texas "Bush offers Latinos better access to education" Leslie Ramos: New York, New York "Kerry will be a good leader and ambassador" Mario G Corzo: N Bergen, New Jersey "Both have presented compelling reasons to be elected"

Maria Chaboudy: Houston, Texas "With John Kerry, we can help restore our image" Alfonso Trujillo: San Diego, California "I support Bush because of his support for capitalism" Julian Gonzalez: Washington DC "Politicians only seek the Latino vote for their own advantage" Jesus E Zuniga: Chicago, Illinois "Bush has turned a blind eye to issues that concern Latinos"

Alfonso Trujillo

MEET THE PANEL Name: Alfonso Trujillo Age: 28 Lives: San Diego, California Works: Engineer Current voting intention: Republican

I am voting for George W Bush for two reasons.

The first is because of his support for true education reform.

There is no other topic that can address the needs of Latinos more than education. Education is the meal ticket out of poverty and into the ranks of the middle class and above.

Kerry is trying to solve the education problem by using the same old failing tactics of the past - spending more money on education and supporting affirmative action.

Bush, on the other hand, is addressing the core problem of the failure of public schools.

If a school system knows the students have nowhere else to go, and they are not held accountable, they have no real incentive to improve. Dumping more money into these school systems won't change that.

When I was growing up in Compton, California, there were no other alternatives to the failing school system in that community.

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If my parents didn't like the school, they had no other options because they were limited in income. Vouchers completely change that, and only Bush supports them.

The second reason I support Bush is because of his overall support for capitalism. Capitalism has shown, repeatedly, to be the best economic system for the poor.

Both candidates desperately need the Latino vote and with elections as close as they are, the Latino vote could be the deciding factor.

With each passing generation we Latinos represent a greater percentage of the population, and with the majority of our people coming to this country at poverty level we have a lot riding on each politician we elect, especially at federal level.

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Your comments:

Mr. Trujillo's comments surprise me. As a Hispanic living in southern California I find Bush's No Child Left Behind policy, for the most part, a failure. President Bush's plan to allow school vouchers doesn't solve the problem with public schools, instead it removes funding from the schools that need the most help. Furthermore, our economy is in a horrible state. Government subsidisation of education/military spending doesn't encourage capitalism!
Manuel J Del Alto, Ontario, California, USA

As a fellow Latino, I fully understand and agree with most of what Mr Trujillo is saying. Education really is the only way to get into a real economic standing in this country. But I wholeheartedly disagree with his comparisons of the Bush and Kerry plan for education. Sure, public schools need to be held to account, but that takes just as much money as any other accountability plan would. In fact, No Child Left Behind required so much money, Bush chose not to fund it! Unfortunately, money talks in our country and it is the only way our schools will be improved.
Dan Reyes, Berkeley, California, USA

You should talk to students and especially teachers about how they feel about the No Child Left Behind plan implemented by Bush. You will get a negative reaction. Don't let the name of his policies fool you. No Child Left Behind leaves many schools and children behind if they don't pass his "standardised" tests. I would like to see him pass these tests.
Grant, San Diego, USA

I absolutely agree with Mr Trujillo's opinion on the importance of education. However, my commitment to education is one of the many reasons that I am a strong Kerry supporter. The No Child Left Behind Act may have looked pretty on paper, but when Bush severely under funded his own bill, he showed his real position on education. I live in a town with a very large Latino community and Bush's "true educational reform" has caused schools labelled as failing to drop dramatically in enrolment, while higher scoring schools have become increasingly overpopulated. He had his four years, and education has suffered enough!
Andrea, California, USA

Very interesting comment! This is the first and only rational justification I have seen for voting Bush. I think it is worrying though the extent to which Americans focus on single issues. The American economy is on the verge of disaster. Capitalism will not benefit the poor and education will not lead to a path out of poverty if the economy is not buoyant.
Caitriona, Brussels, Belgium

Mr. Trujillo is hitting the nail on the head. Education is the backbone with which all Americans operate in the economy. Improving the quality of the education our children receive will greatly impact every person - not only the future players in the economy, but the aged parents who will have to rely on their children when they can no longer provide for themselves. I applaud Mr. Trujillo on his foresight.
Mary Gennrich, Las Cruces, NM USA

Capitalism is the best system for the poor? Where is the reasoning behind that? Many third-world countries are capitalist! I don't know what Alfonso's personal experience has been, but his views, although well thought-out, are narrow minded. Ask anyone, they'll tell you that there aren't enough funds in public schools, there aren't enough teachers and a lot of work to do. Bush's No Child Left Behind provides incentives by pressuring the already overworked teachers. This is not the way to improve schools in poor neighbourhoods.
Adrián Aguirre , New Mexico

Like Adrian said, Bush's no child left behind is putting too much pressure on teachers. We already have a shortage of teachers due to very low pay and his policy will only create weak students who will get out of high school, but flunk college or can't afford college due to raised tuition and lack of federal grants.
Jay Waheed, Dallas, USA