Grab a snack and prepare for extreme boredom...

Wanting to find somewhere that listed political issues and what each candidate stands for, I searched "who should I vote for?". This website came up. Who knew, a website with the url: whoshouldyouvotefor. I should've known.

Before I disect the issues, here are my general thoughts on our lovely presidential candidates, neither of which I'm super excited about:

Obama: Great speaker, very inviting charisma and picked a lousy running mate. That guy (Biden) just bothers me.
McCain: Seemingly older and wiser, not as outwardley passionate as Obama, strong "old fashioned" values (especially those related to economics) and picked a bizarre running mate. I think he picked a female to get female votes since Barack will get the black votes. Call me racist and sexist, but that's what I think.

Back to the little quiz... I think the questions present interesting discussion points. So here I go...

PERSONAL, CHARACTER AND EXPERIENCE
Long service in the Senate is good preparation for being President - I think there are plenty of people that can have the qualities and values of a good President for our Country that haven't served long in the Senate.
The nominee should NOT have taken illegal drugs - I actually don't really care, as long as they don't do them now!
The nominee should be less than 65 years old - Again, I don't really care how old the President is. Since when is someone younger than 65 more qualified?
The nominee should NOT be a divorcee - Some things don't work out. Without knowing the extent of the circumstances, you can't determine someone's character just from knowing they've been divorced.
The nominee should be a person of colour - This should NOT be an issue. Ever.
The nominee should have served in the US military - I will admit I think this is a plus, but at the same time, the upcoming Presidents are going to be from newer generations that didn't experience War like the older generations. For me, the only reason this is a plus is because I feel like someone who's served in the US military would recognize the importance of National Defense.

SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY
The USA should NOT have invaded Iraq - There are two very, very opposite stories coming from Iraq. From the "real" stories I hear, not from our lovely media, it seems more good has come from than this bad.
US troops should remain in Iraq for as long as is required to ensure peace in the region - I think the US has some responsibility to help other countries while ensuring that the US is protected. However, knowing that nowhere in the world will ever have 100% peace, there needs to be a more definitive plan on when the Troops will come home.
The President should be prepared to meet with the Iranian leadership without requiring them to meet any pre-conditions - I don't get why everything has to be so complicated. But since they are, if leaders aren't willing to agree to certain conditions, what's the point of meeting with them?
Waterboarding should be allowed as a means of interrogation - Um, no. Torturing someone is never okay in my mind.

LAW AND SOCIETY
A woman's right to an abortion as laid out in Roe vs Wade should NOT be limited - We all have the same rights. People that choose to have sex choose to take the risk of becoming pregnant. The only form of birth control that is 100% effective is abstinence. Once they've made their choice, they've exercised their right and now it's the unborn child's rights that are priority. Obviously the unfortunate event of rape and incest carry this into a different level of discussion.
Partial birth abortion should be banned - I dare you to read just one article about this practice. It is nothing less than murder.
The death penalty should be banned - I do not believe in "an eye for an eye" BUT, there are some terribly wicked people on this earth that will be a risk to anyone they come in contact with as long as they are alive. Last weekend Jason was watching "Lockup" (I think that's what it's called). Some of the guys were saying how they aren't sorry for murdering people and they will keep killing people any chance they get until they die. Some of these people kill more than one person (guards, workers, inmates, etc.) while in prison because "I'm already in here for life, so what do I have to lose?" Why is the federal government paying to keep these sickos alive? Marijuana should NOT be decriminalised - I don't agree with legalization of marijuana. Drugs just aren't okay. But my understanding is marijauna isn't addictive. So why not legalize this and ban alcohol, which seems to be more harmful to society?
The sale of assault weapons should be banned under Federal law - Aren't murder weapons usually stolen? People that buy and register their weapons typically aren't the crazy ones using them on other people. My favorite phrase to prove the point: Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Banning the sale of assault weapons won't decrease crime, I think it would increase because criminals would find ways to sneak guns into the Country.
The Federal Marriage Amendment (amending the constitution to define marriage as only being between a man and a woman) should be passed into law - You all know how I feel about this. I think defining marriage is important. It doesn't mean disallowing civil unions, it doesn't mean other relationships should be disallowed, it means not changing the definition of the word MARRIAGE.

IMMIGRATION
Illegal immigrants should have the right to remain in the USA and follow a path created to enable them to earn the right to citizenship - Hmmm, why do people want to pick and choose which criminals get away with their crime? I have met so many immigrants that I love. They bring intriguing culture and diversity to our Country. In fact, I'm related to one. Immigration isn't the problem, but ILLEGAL immigration. It's against the law. If the law is too restricting,reform the laws, but we still need the laws for order.
Illegal immigrants should NOT be given US drivers licenses - Seriously, some of these are SO ridiculous. Just like citizens have to obey laws and wait until they are 16 to get a license, people wanting to live in our Country should also have to wait until they have obeyed the law to get their's.

HEALTHCARE
There should be universal health coverage - The government can't run a program and I certainly don't want them running healthcare. It's already a mess, so reform the industry. It's expensive, I know. But, often people choose not to afford it because it's expensive and then they complain they can't afford it. There was a time where we didn't have healthcare through a group plan. We had an individual policy. It was expensive, but we cut other expenses so that we could afford it because we know it's important. Don't tell me you can afford cable, a cell phone and eating out regularly but you can't afford health insurance.
Health coverage should be increased through tax cuts enable personal choice rather than state provision - I'm not sure I completely understand, but I do think having the option to make personal choices is generally better than having the government make those choices for you.

TAX AND ECONOMY
The Bush tax cuts for families making >$250000 a year should be repealed to fund tax cuts for middle class families - I don't make $250k or anywhere near that. However, I know several people that do and I know that they pay a disgusting amount in taxes. The Bush tax cuts were to take this tax bracket from 39% to 35% (I think those were the numbers). But they are still the highest tax bracket than the middle class and they still pay a higher percentage of taxes than people that make less. Also, for those people that make that much, they are lucky, a hard worker, or often times, both. Good for them! Just because I'm not making that much doesn't mean I expect them to subsidize my income. They earned it and they most likely deserve it. Plus, those people generally started where we are and worked their way to that point. Not to mention they are the ones investing in real estate, giving us jobs and buying things from the retail store we work at. So in a sense, they are helping out the middle class in a very natural way. Maybe someday I'll have my chance to work to that point, but until then, I don't expect someone else to share their success with me.
The US should retain CAFTA and NOT hold back from similar new trade agreements - Too tired to research this one... :)
Tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs overseas should NOT be abolished - This is a hard one. A really hard one. Outsourcing keeps our costs low but it also reduces the availability of jobs. I don't know if I have a solid opinion on this.
The minimum wage should be increased at a rate higher than inflation to return it to its historic spending power - This is another hard one. The whole root of economics, supply and demand, will generally keep minimum wage in check. Meaning, if the market down the street will pay you $5/hour and the one a block away will pay $6/hour, you'll go with the higher one. When the market down the street realizes this, they'll pay more. I'm pretty neutral on this point.
There should be tighter government regulation of financial institutions - I agree with this. However, I don't think the role ignorant borrowers played in the mortgage disaster should be disregarded. Nor the shady actions of the loan officers. Once again, accept responsibility, people. I happen to have a perfect example: our house in Utah. We were totally misrepresented when we got our construction loan and I found out later that the loan officer totally lied to the lender in an effort to get us the loan. He lied to us throughout the whole process and failed to mention several important factors. Now, over two years later, we still own the house. We could very easily just give up and walk away (okay, emotionally it wouldn't be easy, but financially it would) because we have a mortgage that is out of our league. BUT, Jason and I were both taught the importance of taking responsibility for decisions and working hard to get out of tight situations. So yes, more regulation of financial institutions, but that doesn't mean relieve other's of responsibility.
There should be no limit to offshore oil drilling - I'm a big fan of moderation and most things need reasonable limits, so to say no limit is too broad. Allow offshore drilling, but enforce certain regulations and restrictions, just like with anything else. In the meantime, I would also like to see more research done on alternative energy plans.

ENVIRONMENT
US greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by at least 60% by 2050 to cut global warming - Once again, I'm all about moderation. Yeah, we need to be better at conserving. But I'm still not convinced that global warming is that big of a threat. Just like we have record highs sometimes, we also have record lows.
$150 billion should be invested over the next 10 years to build a clean energy future - IF the budget allowed for this, I think it's a great idea. However, there are plenty of other things that are of higher priority in my opinion.

Conclusion: All of these issues are important, but some are more so in my opinion. If I had to prioritize, the economy/taxes, abortion, health care and national defense would be at the top of my list. Now, what does each candidate have to offer in these areas?
Economy/taxes - last night I read through both candidate's tax plans. Most of the things they are claiming they'll change won't effect me right now. However, if capital gains taxes are raised and if small businesses end up paying more taxes (both would happen if Obama's plan is realized), I think that will really hurt our economy. Those people won't be investing and they won't be able to stay in business. With small business shutting down, that is just more job loss. I feel like McCain has a better understanding of the economy. Unfortunately, so many people in our generation are ignorant when it comes to economic principles. (Side note: I don't think either candidate will carry out their plan in entirety, it's just not possible).
Abortion - After seeing an ad on Obama voting against the infanticide bills (it's true, I checked the voting record), I was totally disgusted. Having no respect for life is as low as you can go. I saw him field a question about this and he said there were other things written into the bill. All I can say, is what else was written in there that was more important than one, let alone thousands, of lives? Besides, who knows if he's just trying to make himself look like not such a lefty. Oh how I wish we could believe these presidential candidates.
Healthcare - Watching the debate on this topic made me so angry. Obama kept saying his plan would be to force all big businesses to offer healthcare, but that small businesses wouldn't fall under the same laws. Can someone please tell me of a "big" business that doesn't offer healthcare? Seriously!
National Defense - I feel safe living in America. I hope it stays that way. Obama hasn't convinced me that this is something of importance to him. From what I've seen/heard/read, it almost seems like he's naive to the potential threats of other Countries.

Now get out and vote. Whoever wins and no matter how the next four years go, R will blame D and D will blame R. I will say my biggest immediate fear if Obama gets elected is the economy. I think it will suffer more before it gets better. Unfortunately, too many people are ignorant about economics, so they don't understand the implications of Obama's tax plan.

The End (thank goodness).