Many non-voters rationalize their behavior by arguing that there isn’t a dime’s worth of differences between political candidates. That’s been said so often that some people actually believe it. Just as the NAACP did earlier this year, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies made public a report this week showing there are indeed major differences between George W. Bush and John Kerry.

Kerry returned his responses to the Joint Center questionnaire on August 17. Bush failed to reply, forcing the Joint Center to rely on his campaign documents and Web site.

Replying to the questionnaire, Kerry wrote, “I am a strong supporter of affirmative action…I agree with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in …Grutter v. Bollinger [the University of Michigan Law School case that the court upheld]…which held that public colleges and universities may consider race in admissions as a way of increasing diversity. I also agree with the companion case of Gratz v. Bollinger [University of Michigan undergraduate case that the court struck down]…that quotas are constitutionally impermissible.”

The report notes, “Although the material we were able to review did not specifically address this issue, President Bush, through his Justice Department, filed briefs with the Supreme Court expressing support for diverse student bodies in higher education, but opposing the affirmative action plans of the University of Michigan in both cases.”

The Joint Center wrote to the candidates, “A number of states with large black populations continue to have a representation of the Confederate flag on their state flag. Would you recommend to those states that they remove the image from their state flags?”

Kerry responded, “Yes. The Confederate flag is a hurtful and divisive symbol for many Americans of all races. It’s a piece of history, and like other historical objects it belongs in a museum.”

The Joint Center noted that although Bush did not reply to the questionnaire, “President Bush has previously expressed the view that this decision should be left to the states.”

Interestingly, neither candidate gave a direct answer when asked: “Do you think that the government should set aside a percentage of contracts for firms controlled by women and minorities in order to deal with the effects of past discrimination and to encourage business development among women and minorities?”

Kerry talked about his support of affirmative action and small businesses, but did not provide a direct answer. Bush’s campaign material did not address the issue.

Kerry expressed opposition to vouchers, saying “drawing money out of the public school system and sending it to private schools hurts our children.” Bush favors vouchers because they “provide parents, particularly low-income parents, of students who attend low-performing schools with opportunities to transfer their children to higher-performing public, charter or private schools.”

The Democratic nominee supports extension of certain sections of the Voting Rights Act that are scheduled to expire in 2007. Bush has not taken a public stand on the issue.

As for restoring the voting rights of ex-felons, Kerry stated, “I believe that restoration of voting rights is the first step…We need to go further…with more supervision and support. And we must insure that former felons have access to education, job training and opportunities.” Bush has made no mention of restoring such voting rights but favors job training, placement services and transitional housing for ex-offenders.

On the minimum wage, Kerry proposes increasing it from $5.15 to $7 by 2007. President Bush, on the other hand, said he will work with Congress to “study” various proposals.

President Bush supports the USA Patriot Act and feels all sections should be extended. Kerry supports the act but supports “a bipartisan proposal…that would ensure that this [“sneak and peek” search] authority is used only in the right circumstances and for fighting terrorism. We will also work to stop unwarranted seizure of library or business records…and…will require the FBI to meet a higher standard before obtaining library records.”

In addition to the Joint Center questionnaire, Kerry has pledged to appoint more mainstream Supreme Court Justices. On the other hand, Bush says he will appoint judges similar to Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia, the two most conservative members of the Supreme Court. The next president is expected to appoint two or three justices. With recent civil rights victories being won by the slimmest of margins, these appointments are likely to alter the court for decades.

As you see, there are major differences between the two candidates. If anyone tells you otherwise, they don’t know what they’re talking about.