Incredibly, we continue to hear about undecided voters.

Voters have the clearest choice in memory. The Republican and Democratic parties have less in common than ever and sharply divided opinions about how best to govern.

The Republicans advocate George Bush’s economic policies, Dick Cheney’s foreign policy and Rick Santorum’s social views.

The GOP wants to institute a voucher system for Medicare, cut taxes for the wealthy, and increase the Pentagon’s budget with a hawkish foreign policy. It seeks to criminalize abortion in every instance, including rape and incest, and does not support equal marriage.

The Democratic platform includes a tax cut for the middle class and higher taxes for those earning more than $250,000. Democrats seek to reform Medicare to guarantee health care for the elderly. They believe in expanding health care coverage by increasing the market for private insurers.

They advocate for equal marriage and equal rights, regardless of color, gender, race or sexual identity. They support a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her own body and contraception, including the right to choose.

The party’s foreign policy is evident in Barack Obama’s first-term policies — ending the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, increased use of predator drones, holding the Pentagon budget in check.

Read the party platforms. Pick up a newspaper. Don’t rely on television’s talking heads to digest the issues for you. Educate yourself and vote according to what you know, not what someone tells you to think. Ignorance is a poor excuse.

Dori L. Burnham

Monmouth