Labor Day typically means the end to summer. But in an election year, it symbolizes the push to get elected. It took one day after the holiday for the Republican-led congress to come out with its election year strategy. They call it Security September. I call it Scare September.

According to the latest CNN poll, the Republican-led congress has a disapproval rating at 64 percent. This November, the Democrats will take back one of the branches of Congress, if not both. This leads to Scare September.

The Republicans are using scare tactics, which is their only weapon that actually works, to either get elected or re-elected to Congress. It is obvious that this administration uses fear to get what it needs passed.

Why is it when Bush’s poll ratings are extremely low, all of a sudden we hear of another terrorist plot either being foiled or being thrown together? Because he uses the fear that it creates to keep people scared, thus getting his agenda passed.

Republicans in Congress know this and have aligned with him through this process in order to get re-elected.

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann ran an excellent piece on how every time something negative came out or was about to come out against the administration, something terrorist related happened and every time, the plot was not as dire as the administration said it was, if it was a plot at all.

Do not be fooled by the propaganda that is going to come out in the next couple of months.

I guarantee that there will be at least one more terrorist warning before the midterm elections. The warning will be shoved in our face to remind us all that Bush and his Republican-led Congress are the only ones who can keep us as a nation safe.

If you really believe this, you need to open your eyes. Bush has not kept us safe and we are not safer than we were after Sept. 11. If anything, we are more vulnerable. Don’t think so?

OK, when the conflict in Lebanon was happening, we were basically helpless to fight with Israel. Why? Because we have no Army Reserve. Almost all of them are in Iraq.

Or if we were to have another event like Hurricane Katrina, or an earthquake here in California, we would not have the National Guard to help and evacuate citizens. Why? Because almost all of them are in Iraq.

What about Iran and North Korea? Iran is trying to get its hands on nuclear power, which could be made into a nuclear weapon. Remember North Korea tested missiles that could have hit an ally of the United States. But, there is almost nothing our military can do about it because most of them are in Iraq.

Now I am not going to go over the other reasons why I think Republicans should be voted out of Congress. I am just going to ask you to make an informed decision.

If you are happy with how the United States is in the world today, then I would say vote for a Republican, because if they retain control of Congress, nothing will change.

But if you believe that the United States is on the wrong track domestically and internationally, then vote for a Democrat who will work to change the direction that we, as a nation, are going toward.

Now, if Democrats win back Congress or even one branch of Congress, impeachment talk will begin. That will not happen. President George W. Bush will not be impeached. The Democrats should not even bring it up if they win back any form of Congress because they would not have the votes and it would divide this country even more.

Do not be scared of the scare tactics that are already coming your way. Vote your conscience and not your fears.

Justin Satzman can be reached at justin.satzman95@csun.edu.