Decision 2008
Thanks to a very helpful Voter guide put together by the Indy Star, for the first time I know who I am going to vote for in every single elected position. Usually for stuff like Surveyor or corner I pick at random.
However, we all know the presidential election is the big one this year, and I know who I am voting for, so I want to give my reasons. Early this Tuesday morning I am going to cast my vote for Barack Obama, and here is why:
What I like about him
1. I really, really like his energy plan. I appreciate that he wants to fully invest in alternative fuels instead of drill, drill, drill. Oil is not the answer, and if we even have the possibility of being completely off foreign oil in ten years then we need to pursue that. Over the summer I listened to the speech where Obama laid out his energy plan and I was sold then.
2. I also really like Obama's health care plan, and if that makes me a socialist, then so be it comrade! Really the whole socialists argument is borderline stupid. Since Regan republicans have been throwing out the S-word in regards to health care. Often the rally cry is "Do you really want a bureaucrat making health care decisions for you?" The reality is a bureaucrat already makes decisions about our health care, the only difference is the one currently over seeing us is some pencil pusher at a HMO. I would much rather have the responsibility of health care in hands of the American people instead of a corporation. Health care has become a basic human need much like education, law, and public safety-which are already socialized. When it comes to health care Barack Obama does not go as far as I would, but in my opinion he is taking steps in the right direction.
What I don't like about McCain
Of course I am not just voting for Barack, I am voting against McCain, and I am doing so for some very specific reasons.
1. McCain is in favor of school vouchers and I am strongly opposed to them. There needs to be education reform, but vouchers is wrong. Vouchers are essentially a vote of no confidence in public schools. The idea is it will make under-performing schools work harder to be more competitive. The problem is the under-performing schools are usually under-funded, under-staffed, and under appreciated by the community and students. In my opinion the first step would be to get all schools on equal grounds. For example, it is not fair that Carmel High School has $3,000+ TVs just to show announcements on while IPS schools have to rely on community organizations to buy basic books. Before we start abandoning the schools that we pay for, lets level the playing field first.
2. If McCain had picked someone other than Sarah Palin then it would have been a much harder decision for me about who to vote her. The chick is crazy, and I do not want to see her as president. She claims to be a maverick, but every single investigation on her has shown that she plays politics as usual, and she plays dirty. Given McCain's age and the fact that he is a POW and a cancer survivor (which both statistically shorten his life expectancy), create odds I don't want to bet against.
What I don't like about Obama
I do not align with a particular party, which means there are things I don't like about Obama as well, even though I think he is the best choice.
1. I don't like that he has no military experience. The role of commander in chief is a big one, and any military decision risk the lives of soldiers. Given the gravity of those decisions, it would be nice to have someone making them who has been the shoes of the person who's life is being risked.
2. The one thing that almost pushed me to voting for McCain (and actually for Bush in 2000) is the understanding of the constitution in regards to supreme court justices. I don't particularly care for the Supreme Court, as it currently has unconstitutional power which it wields with NO checks and balances. Traditionally republicans believe in a more strict interpretation of the constitution, where it is important for judges to hold up the original intention of the document. While democrats traditionally believe that judges should view the constitution as a living document that needs to be reinterpreted in light of new contexts. I tend to line up a bit more with the republican view on this one. This means I would theoretically be more in favor of potential McCain judges over Obama Judge appointments. I know that groups like Focus on the Family are up in arms about this issue, and are fully convinced that Obama will appoint judges who will ever cement Roe v. Wade and make homosexual marriage legal. Those are hypothetical only, and while I might sympathize a bit with their position, a bunch of maybes are not enough for me to vote against who I think will make the better president.
As a side note, I do want to point out that on Tuesday I will actually be voting for more Republicans than Democrats overall, and that is the first time I have done that.
However, we all know the presidential election is the big one this year, and I know who I am voting for, so I want to give my reasons. Early this Tuesday morning I am going to cast my vote for Barack Obama, and here is why:
What I like about him
1. I really, really like his energy plan. I appreciate that he wants to fully invest in alternative fuels instead of drill, drill, drill. Oil is not the answer, and if we even have the possibility of being completely off foreign oil in ten years then we need to pursue that. Over the summer I listened to the speech where Obama laid out his energy plan and I was sold then.
2. I also really like Obama's health care plan, and if that makes me a socialist, then so be it comrade! Really the whole socialists argument is borderline stupid. Since Regan republicans have been throwing out the S-word in regards to health care. Often the rally cry is "Do you really want a bureaucrat making health care decisions for you?" The reality is a bureaucrat already makes decisions about our health care, the only difference is the one currently over seeing us is some pencil pusher at a HMO. I would much rather have the responsibility of health care in hands of the American people instead of a corporation. Health care has become a basic human need much like education, law, and public safety-which are already socialized. When it comes to health care Barack Obama does not go as far as I would, but in my opinion he is taking steps in the right direction.
What I don't like about McCain
Of course I am not just voting for Barack, I am voting against McCain, and I am doing so for some very specific reasons.
1. McCain is in favor of school vouchers and I am strongly opposed to them. There needs to be education reform, but vouchers is wrong. Vouchers are essentially a vote of no confidence in public schools. The idea is it will make under-performing schools work harder to be more competitive. The problem is the under-performing schools are usually under-funded, under-staffed, and under appreciated by the community and students. In my opinion the first step would be to get all schools on equal grounds. For example, it is not fair that Carmel High School has $3,000+ TVs just to show announcements on while IPS schools have to rely on community organizations to buy basic books. Before we start abandoning the schools that we pay for, lets level the playing field first.
2. If McCain had picked someone other than Sarah Palin then it would have been a much harder decision for me about who to vote her. The chick is crazy, and I do not want to see her as president. She claims to be a maverick, but every single investigation on her has shown that she plays politics as usual, and she plays dirty. Given McCain's age and the fact that he is a POW and a cancer survivor (which both statistically shorten his life expectancy), create odds I don't want to bet against.
What I don't like about Obama
I do not align with a particular party, which means there are things I don't like about Obama as well, even though I think he is the best choice.
1. I don't like that he has no military experience. The role of commander in chief is a big one, and any military decision risk the lives of soldiers. Given the gravity of those decisions, it would be nice to have someone making them who has been the shoes of the person who's life is being risked.
2. The one thing that almost pushed me to voting for McCain (and actually for Bush in 2000) is the understanding of the constitution in regards to supreme court justices. I don't particularly care for the Supreme Court, as it currently has unconstitutional power which it wields with NO checks and balances. Traditionally republicans believe in a more strict interpretation of the constitution, where it is important for judges to hold up the original intention of the document. While democrats traditionally believe that judges should view the constitution as a living document that needs to be reinterpreted in light of new contexts. I tend to line up a bit more with the republican view on this one. This means I would theoretically be more in favor of potential McCain judges over Obama Judge appointments. I know that groups like Focus on the Family are up in arms about this issue, and are fully convinced that Obama will appoint judges who will ever cement Roe v. Wade and make homosexual marriage legal. Those are hypothetical only, and while I might sympathize a bit with their position, a bunch of maybes are not enough for me to vote against who I think will make the better president.
As a side note, I do want to point out that on Tuesday I will actually be voting for more Republicans than Democrats overall, and that is the first time I have done that.
posted by SeanXor at 6:12 PM
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