Seldom have two Presidential candidates presented more starkly contrasting visions of what course to take, both internationally and domestically. But this election is not about John Kerry or George Bush or even about the next four years.

It is about a country at a crossroads and closely divided as to which road to take -- roads from which there may be no turning back for many years. We are talking about our future and the future of our children and grandchildren.

If you don't have the time or the inclination to give that the serious attention it deserves, then it is irresponsible to vote on the basis of watching a couple of men exhibiting their debating skills or watching TV anchor men spin the news to suit their politics -- or watching the shouting matches between spinmeisters on what are charitably called "discussion" programs.

If there are issues you care about, there are records of how John Kerry voted on those issues in the Senate and what George W. Bush did on those issues as President and as Governor of Texas before that. Never mind how they talk now. Look at what they did when it was time to put up or shut up.

On education, do you want to hear rhetoric and "plans" or do you want to know what the candidates actually did when the chips were down? Secretary of Education Rod Paige was a district superintendent in Texas when Bush was governor. What did he do? What happened to test scores in Texas? Test scores of black children? What is the "No Child Left Behind" Act all about?

How did Senator Kerry vote when the issue was making vouchers available to let parents take their children out of failing and dangerous public schools in the District of Columbia? It is all in the record.

If you can't spare the time from watching sit-coms to go check out a few facts one evening at your local library, with the help of your local librarian, then don't pretend that you are a responsible voter, or even a responsible parent.