For the many undecided Americans trying to determine the candidate to support with their vote, the three debates between President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry were of paramount importance. The first was held on September 30. Both the President and the Senator were asked if they thought they would do a better job of responding to 9/11 than their opponent if elected president.

Kerry's answer was, "Yes I do. . .I also believe President Bush and I both love our country equally. But we just have a different set of convictions about how you make America safe. I believe America is safest and strongest when we are leading the world and we are leading strong alliances."

Bush's answer for the same question was that September, 11 changed how America must look at the world. Since that day, our nation has been engaged in a multi-pronged strategy to keep our country safer. He said that we're pursuing a strategy of freedom around the world. "I understand free nations will reject terror," Bush said. "Free nations will answer the hopes and aspirations of their people. Free nations will help us achieve the peace we all want."

When asked what misjudgments Bush had made, Kerry said that Bush had made the misjudgment of saying to America that he was going to build a true alliance, that he would exhaust the remedies of the United Nations, and he would go through with the inspections. That was not done.

Kerry also said that he would cut the national deficit by half, at least, in his first term, in part through repeal of the Bush tax cuts for wealthier Americans.

Bush said that he was not forced to go to the United Nations, he went on his own.

Regarding economics, Bush cut taxes in 2001 and 2003. He said he wanted to make them permanent to ensure continued economic growth. He also has discussed the need for broad reform to simplify the federal income tax structure. To ease the business burden of health care costs, Bush proposes to provide tax benefits to encourage what he calls medical savings accounts and allowing small businesses to pool their resources to get better deals in insurance.

Bush's target is to cut the deficit, as a percentage of gross domestic product, in half within five years.

Kerry said his administration, "will continue to work with Congress to study the various minimum wage proposals." On his web site, Kerry indicates he plans to link jobs and health care as the centerpiece of his economic package. Kerry also promised to cut the federal budget deficit in half over four years. He says he would create 10 million jobs in four years. As an incentive, he would offer an employer tax credits for new jobs created in manufacturing and certain other businesses.

Kerry proposes tax credits to help small and midsized businesses pay for employee health care. Kerry says he would create U.S. jobs by ending a tax benefit enjoyed by American companies with operations overseas. And he would offer a onetime tax break for companies that repatriate some of the $600 billion in U.S. profits being held abroad.

Kerry would pay for his proposals by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans earning more than $200,000 a year. Kerry would lower the top corporate tax rate from 35 to 33.25 percent.

Flu season is here! Each year, thousands of Americans die from the flu. The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. Symptoms of the flu are high fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and muscle aches.

The flu can result in illness ranging in severity from mild to life-threatening. An estimated 10% to 20% of U.S. residents get the flu each year. An average of 114,000 Americans are hospitalized for flu-related complications. Some 36,000 Americans die each year from flu complications.

Perhaps the best way of protecting oneself from the flu is to get a shot of flu vaccine at the start of flue season. Most of the flu vaccine used in the United States comes from Great Briton. British food and drug regulators recently shut down the major flu vaccine supplier, citing manufacturing problems at the Chiron Corp. factory in England where roughly 46 million doses destined for the United States had been made.

That means that there will be only about 54 million flu shots administered in the United States. In an effort to ensure that flu shots are available to the most at-risk populations, the federal government is recommending that most healthy people not get the flu shot. That will be save the vaccine for more at-risk people.

The vaccine is being held for babies, people who are 65 or older, anyone with a chronic condition such as heart or lung disease, pregnant women, and anyone who cares for babies or the elderly such as child care providers and nursing home employees. British regulators suspended Chiron’s license for three months, officially prohibiting export of the Fluvirin brand that Chiron manufactures in Liverpool. The sanction means more than a delay, Chiron officials said. The company will ship no Fluvirin anywhere this year.

The result will be less vaccine available. People who have had previous vaccine-associated allergic reactions should not get the vaccine. Also if you are allergic to eggs, you should avoid immunization because the viruses used in the vaccine are grown in hen's eggs.

The vaccine may be given in the presence of minor illnesses, but adults with acute illnesses involving fever level temperatures should usually wait until their symptoms abate.

For those who get the flu vaccine or have gotten the shot there are usually no side effects. About five percent of recipients have mild side effects. Among the side effects are headaches or a low grade fever.

The best time to get the shot is September through mid-November.

The British have brought more than one million doses to this country in past years. The flu can cover an area quickly since it spreads by air easily from person to person. The disease moves mostly through respiratory droplets found in coughs and sneezes. These droplets can travel up to 3 feet and infect someone.

Studies show that infected people can spread the virus before developing symptoms themselves, and up to seven days after getting sick.

Flu pandemics, or massive outbreaks, have regularly struck the world throughout history. There were three pandemics in the last century, with the worst being in 1918. More than 500,000 Americans died from the flu that year. Some scientists say another pandemic could arise in coming years.

In Canada there are flu shots for people who need them. Canada doesn’t have a flu shot shortage because there is no trade from the British. Canadian vaccine maker Aventis Pasteur, announced recently that it will be able to produce an extra 2.6 million doses of flu vaccine from Canada. That brings to 58 million the number of flu shots available this year, still far below the 100 million doses that had been expected. Some Canadian pharmacist charge Americans the same price as Canadians, $15 Canadian or about $12 U.S.

There will be extra doses in mid-January. The combination of Aventis vaccine, along with 2 million doses of a nasal spray vaccine and enough antiviral drugs to treat roughly 40 million people, gives us the ability to stave off the harsh results of flu this season.

Sherika Mitchell is a participant in the Young Publishers Club sponsored by the Michigan Bulletin which meets at the Magic Johnson Foundation Creation Station located at the Black Child and Family Institute - 835 W. Genesee, Lansing MI.