John McCain:

http://www.issues2000.org/John_McCain.htm

Traits/Positions for Consideration:

-         Veteran, served his country, knows the military, and that’s important for a commander-in-chief, has experience in government and military to deal with today’s tense world situations.

-         Extensive service in the Senate, years of experience in government affairs and foreign policy

-         In favor of drilling for domestic oil except ANWR, developing our resources will make us less susceptible to our enemies who we now have to buy their oil.

-         Will promote alternative fuels to replace oil in our economy, but this take time to develop and we need our oil for the interium.

-         Taxes: will maintain existing tax cuts and does not want any new taxes, this is the best medicine for our economy

-         Will keep military and defense strong in these times of many threats to America

-         No new entitlement (give away my tax dollars) programs, give away programs have proven in the past many times to be a drag on the economy, and a burden to the taxpayer

-         Wants to eliminate “earmarks” (another sneaky means of give away my tax dollars) in legislative bills

-         Is a proponent of nuclear power and other non-carbon based power sources, most other industrialized nations derive the majority of their electrical power from nuclear power plants, why can’t we?

-         Through his years, experience and knowledge of the world has the wisdom to make decision in the best interest of America

-         Would be tough on terrorists, radical groups in the world are determined to destroy America and other western societies.

-         Wants a market-based healthcare for America, which will promote individually selectable healthcare choices, thereby control cost growth and reduce dependence on tax dollars. Also, avoid the disastrous pitfalls of socialized medicine experienced by other countries that have tried socialized healthcare.

-         Age, is a consideration, although President Reagan was 70 when he took office & served 8 years in the White House.    And you must agree that a presidential candidate with an extra 15 or 20 years of practical experience over his opponent has an irreplaceable advantage. With that experience comes greater wisdom, better judgment and fewer serious mistakes, particularly in the critically complex and dangerous decisions involving national security and foreign policy. VP pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin brings to the ticket an energetic successful accomplished Governor, also headed up Alaska’s Energy and Resource Commission, was a Mayor, and ran a small business, among other experience. As Governor had to executed budgets, pull factions together, compromise on tough issues and sat in the chair where the “buck stops here”.

-         Pro life, which, if established, would take the option of abortion away from women of unwanted pregnancies pushing them toward unsafe options. Pro-choice has been law since 1972 and challenged many times. Just because of a position, does not mean it will happen. There are many much larger real problems and issues to deal with.

-          

Barack Hussein Obama:

http://www.issues2000.org/Barack_Obama.htm

Traits/Positions for Consideration:

-         Age, youthful and energetic, but thin on experience applicable for Presidency.

-         A very charismatic evangelistic style speaker, can lull many people to a false sense of security, righteousness, and purpose that can lead to personal/economic disaster; ‘danger, danger Will Robinson’. Yet, as has been evidenced, when Obama is without a teleprompter his oration becomes jumbled and incoherent, what does this mean? And even at the convention he couldn’t offer up 1 accomplishment fitting of a Presidential Candidate! Furthermore, after 2 years of campaigning for the DNC nomination, we still know nothing about the real Barrack Hussein Obama!

From O’Rielly interview: “Obama is convinced that the federal government should be in control of income distribution and, to some extent, should regulate the free marketplace. That is a classic liberal position and he promotes it well. The senator also believes that poor Americans have a basic right to free health care and monetary supplements from the government with no strings attached. The American substance abuser, for example, would derive the same benefits, as would a hard-working, laid-off worker, again classic liberalism.” 

What we do know and don’t know:

-         Inexperienced, only 143 working days as a Senator, most of which spent pursuing a new position, becoming the Presidential candidate, no legislation or accomplishment associated with governmental experience, was an Illinois Senator during which he voted Present 135 times, no creditable experience in foreign policy, apparently indecisive with continuing issue position changes, perhaps that’s why he voted Present so many times.   Senator Biden doesn't believe that Senator Obama is ready to serve as president. When asked about Senator Obama's lack of experience he said, "The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training."

-         Questionable or unknown impact of relationships and influences from radical, anti-American persons/groups, which he has had lengthy relationships, such as: Rev Jeremiah Wright (Obama family radical pastor), William Ayers & Bernadine Dohrn (of the Weathermen, domestic terrorists, founded in 1969, an American radical left organization, helped kit off Obama’s initial senate race), Frank Marshall Davis (professed communists & suspected of un-American activities with the Soviets), Stokley Carmichael (a Marxist revolutionist), Tony Rezko (convicted influence peddler), Rashid Khalidi (pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli), and there are more. How do they play into Obama’s plans?

-         Against drilling for and development of domestic oil reserves, this will keep us dependent on foreign oil from countries of which many are not our friends

-         A proponent of ethanol made from corn, which drives up foods cost and ethanol costs more per gallon, when you compare energy content, vs. gasoline. Ignores more viable fuel alternatives such as natural gas and the infinitely renewable hydrogen fuel, both of which are more environmentally friendly.

-         Against development of our oil reserves to reduce level of dependency on foreign oil, he sponsored Senate Bill S.115, which would make it illegal to even perform exploration to evaluate our true oil reserves around out coastline.

-         Jobs and wage policy will lead to higher built-in growth in inflation, which is not good for retirees, business or low-end wage earners. Advocates unionization of labor, which has a negative impact on initiative and personal growth.

-         Pro-Taxation: will let tax cuts expire (which will impact everyone who pays taxes now), wants to increase taxes more, remove social security income cap, increase the tax on any inheritance you might get (even though that money has been taxed many times already), tax your IRA/401K/ROTH at a higher rate when you withdraw it and initiate other taxes to pay for $300 Billion++ in new entitlement programs added to current budget.

-         Has stated will slash military spending incorrectly thinking that diplomacy will work (Israel and Palestine have been trying diplomacy for 50 years, observe the situation, there are many other examples) this will make America vulnerable to attacks from enemies and much less effective in the pursuit of world peace and order. He has already identified the military programs he’ll go after to cut.

-         Foreign policy, naive as to the workings of the world, his statements are out of step with our allies and instep with our enemies, pull the troops home and let terrorists fester abroad will sooner or later make their way here

-         Would be soft on terrorists, from his spoken words he would use diplomacy to address issues, he will talk to them while they blow us up.

-         Wants a National Healthcare System run by the Federal Gov that will be a sink hole for tax dollars and cost the taxpayers Billions of Dollars and lead to poor quality medical services. Universal healthcare has not worked in other countries that have it, do the research (Canada, U.K., France, Germany) and see I’m right. Creates large deficits, long lines at medial facilities and degrades treatment quality, as evidenced in the above-mentioned countries. 

-         Does not support the most readily available environmentally friendly power generation, nuclear power. Many other countries derive most of their electrical power from nuclear (France, Belgium, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary to name a few) and they recycle their nuclear waste, why can’t we

-         Has stated/written that he supports reparation payments to black Americans (ancestors of slaves) not necessarily in cash but in federal programs that favors black Americans (ignoring all other ethnic groups?), indirect payments such as free tuition, healthcare, jobs programs, etc. This is paid for by our tax dollars! We already have this in Washington, D.C.; observe how inefficient our federal government is.

-         Obama is “sold on himself”, egocentric, so he cannot see his shortcomings and inadequacies, this is not unusual for people in his position, but for him it’s a fetish and that would result in flippant decisions dangerous for America

-         Wants sweeping change (?), what is that, does anyone know, are you sure you want whatever Obama means by sweeping changes, I don’t like unknowns

And of course with Obama comes 4 more years of having to see/hear from Nancy Pelosi

Obama Notes:

-         Michelle Obama’s downbeat attitude on America, as expressed on several occasions, may well have it’s roots in their association with their minister Rev Jeremiah Wright who conducted the Obama’s wedding ceremony, baptized their daughters, and has been caught on video screaming “God D___ America”. It is difficult to swallow her views of America as a mean-spirited country from a woman who has been given so many opportunities and garnered a high economic status and standard of living. Is this who we want redoing the White House?

-         Barack Hussein Obama Sr., Obama’s father who died when Obama was 24 years old, was a Harvard educated economists who adopted socialism and Marxist Doctrune as his prefered governmental model. He was a Nairobi bureaucrat advisor to the pro-Western Kenyan government and preached redistribution of wealth through taxation. His outspoken socialist mindset influenced Obama during his formative years. Writing in a 1965 scholarly paper, Obama’s late father slammed the administration of then President Jomo Kenyatta for moving the Third World country away from socialism toward capitalism. He chafed at the idea of relying on private investors, who earn “dividends” on their venture capital, to develop the country’s fledgling economy. He professed that he did not see why the government cannot tax to the extent necessary those who have more to fund social programs for those who have less.

Whether you agree with me or not, please do yourself a favor and read through the following that is well documented. I am an independent voter and evaluate the issues and vote for candidates that are best for America. I cannot vote for a Democratic nominee at any level of government at this time that adopts the current Party line because the Party has strayed from looking after American interests and needs to be given a wakeup call. This is evidenced, in part, by the items below and reiterated in the Democratic Party Platform for the 2008 Convention that provides policy guidance for the next 4 years. Furthermore, the current Democratic controlled Congress has been the most unproductive in 3 decades, stonewalling and playing party politics on important issues affecting American’s everyday lives. 

The Democratic Party needs a wakeup call for:

-         CREATING the CREDIT CRISIS. The Democratic Party created the current Credit Crisis that has resulted in the expansion of the housing bubble followed by the housing decline, when it burst, creating havoc with the banking and mortgage lending industry. This was set in motion by the Community Reinvestment Actpassed in 1977 created by Jimmy Carter and the Democratic controlled congress, later in 1995 expanded by Bill Clinton and the then Democratic congress. The Act requires lending institutions to make loans (mortgages) to individuals that would not normally qualify, with implied restrictions against institutions that did not comply applied by Government Regulatory Agencies. This gave Federal blessing (and requirement) to risky loans and the Act should be grossly modified if not repealed.

-         KEEPING AMERICA DEPENDENT on FOREIGN OIL. The Democratic Party is responsible for our level of dependency on foreign oil; we have to import 80% of our oil and 11% of our gasoline. The Democrats have managed to hold their moratorium on domestic exploration, development, and drilling and new refineries for three decades and still, in light of today’s oil issues, refuse to lift the moratorium. We should have been developing our oil reserves decades ago. Obama’s proposed Senate Bill S.115 makes it illegal to explore for oil around our coastline on the continental shelf. The largest oil companies in the World are foreign government owned; most of those governments are not our friends; by America not being in the oil production game, we are sending Billions of Dollars off shore, providing U.S. $ to petro-tyrants from Moscow to Tehran to Caracas to fund their activities to harass America and its allies! Not to mention leaving ourselves vulnerable to malicious restriction of oil supply. Drilling and developing America’s oil reserves would set off an economic boom and help pull the world out of the recession that falling global markets now seem to be signaling.

-         TAX & SPEND without regard to BUDGET DEFICIT. Under Obama leadership the Democratic Party will abandon their “pay-as-you-go” rhetoric to spend more, as they already did on the 2008 Farm Bill. This will grow our national deficit to historically high levels in the name of social reform and if they maintain control of the Congress and get the White House they will have a field day with spending money WE don’t have. The Washington Post reported (reprint in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette 8-11-2008) an analysis that showed Obama’s Tax Policy would swell the budget deficit and increase the tax burden on everyone except those who don’t pay any taxes at all, due to income level. We currently pay the first 5 months of income to taxes at one level or another, it seems the Democratic Party wants 6 months or more of our income to go to taxes. Many economists have stated that current and future, as outlined in the 2008 Party Platform, policies of the Democratic Party will certainly push our economy into a recession.

-         HIGH FOOD PRICES. The Democratic Party must shoulder part of the blame for rising food costs because of the support and subsidy of Ethanol production from corn. Germany quickly realized the impact this approach and the fallacy of turning food into fuel, with its resulting impact on food cost, and abruptly ceased all support for Ethanol from corn or any food crop. Corn is a major input factor in the food industry for feed, cereals, and other food products. Corn last year was $2.00 a bushel and, even with bumper corn crops, is $6.50 a bushel today. Even with these results the Democratic congress still has Fuel From Food as a big part of their planned energy package. The Democratic Party is apparently ignoring more rational choices of fuel for automobiles, such as natural gas or better yet hydrogen fuel, instead pushing higher cost and inefficient fuels.

-         HAS PUT PARTY POLITICS AHEAD OF AMERICA. Senator Joe Lieberman, a popular democrat, left the Democratic Party because the party put political gain ahead of America’s interests in decisions and policies. 

-         THE BANNER OF SOCIALISM FLYING OVER THE PARTY. As documented in the Democratic Party platform, a 94-page document that lays out the Party direction for the next 4 years and establishes, among other social programs, a “Social Investment Fund Network”, a Barack Obama brainchild. This would create a government office to coordinate grants to “chosen groups” and “nonprofit efforts” providing a permanent taxpayer-funded pipeline to Democratic partisan outfits masquerading as public-interest do-gooders. This is nothing more than a smoke screen for redistribution of assets from those who pay taxes to those who don’t. The Democratic Party has been captured by the Far Left Liberal segments of the Party that are pushing the Party to extremes of Socialism that is not in any American’s interest and the Party needs a Wakeup Call to come back to America’s principles.

-         THE FRAM BILL of 2008. The Democratic controlled Congress passed this bill into law over a Presidential Veto. It represents a massive tax dollar giveaway to farmers in the form of crop subsidies. The Democratic controlled Congress waived their “pay-as-you-go” rule to allow this Bill to go forward. It is one thing to provide subsidies for “family farms”, but to give these large subsidies to corporate farms that are making large profits is ludicrous. To qualify for subsidies farm income has to be below $750,000 or $500,000 from non-farm income. If your income is under $500,000 do you get a subsidy, I’ll bet not, you just get to pay taxes.

-         CHASING FANTASY ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION: The Democrats are focusing on wind and solar for power generation. These are potential supplements to a power grid but what if the wind isn’t blowing and the day is overcast or it’s nighttime? You can’t store electrical power for a rainy day! You either use it or lose it when it’s generated. Many industrialized countries derive most of their electrical power from nuclear energy, recycling spent fuel rods. This is too big an issue to be focusing our tax dollars solely on a sometimes energy source.

-         AGAINST VOTERS RIGHTS to a SECRET BALLOT: Current law affords all workers the opportunity to vote by private ballot on whether or not to be represented by a union in their workplaces. This private ballot ensures that workers are able to make a choice without the undue influence of their union organizers, employers, colleagues and friends.  “The Employee Free Choice Act” (EFCA), interesting play on words, would supplant a worker’s right to a private vote with of a public card check system in which paid union organizers persuade workers to sign cards indicating their agreement to union representation. These organizers would have the liberty to seek signatures anywhere and at any time, including showing up at workers’ homes. As soon as a simple majority (50%, plus one) of employees sign a union authorization card, EFCA would force the employer to immediately recognize the union for all workers—even those who did not sign authorization cards.  The Democratic Party supports this travesty against voter’s rights. What’s next; have voting in National elections made public? I personally experienced union organization when in high school working part time. That experience convinced me that unions represent themselves first and the employee last. As a result of that experience I decided that union representation was a workers best interests in this day of Government oversight of workplace issues. 

The American people need to ensure themselves that they really understand and want the Democratic Party policy if they are going to vote this Party line, because I’ll guarantee you it’s bad for those of us who pay taxes, it’s bad for individual lifestyles, and it’s bad for the economy. 

This country was built on and has become great because of entrepreneurs and capitalism. Immigrants have come to this country for centuries to escape tyranny, socialism, anarchy and oppressive societies. They came here and, along with fellow American’s, helped grow this country because they had/have a chance to expend their energy and skills, and apply their knowledge to improve their lives, grow the country and give something back, and in some cases sacrifice their (or their descendants) lives to preserve the American dream. 

The problem is the Democratic Party seems to be heading in a direction that wants you to give it all back, a state run society fraught with redistribution of wealth. And I don’t mean redistribution from only the very rich; it’s from anyone who earns enough to pay taxes! 

Is that “change” and is that the “change” you want?