Like I have said before, I don't usually talk about politics unless "the Spirit moves me" because I really don’t enjoy debating and I find that people can become very heated and emotional when discussing politics. This is a really important election though, so in the hope that I may help some undecided voters make up their mind and so that people know that I actually have put some thought into my choice, I hereby present the reasons why I am voting McCain/Palin. I haven't, of course, offered every reason, I just picked some main reasons and gave some evidence for each so don't fault me for not including everything because this would be a very long and boring post (much more than it is already) if I did.
Economy
Well, in 2006, John McCain and other Republicans in congress wrote a letter (you can read it
here) to the rest of congress trying to get the problems with Freddie and Fannie on the agenda for reform. Democrats opposed reforming it. You will notice by looking at the letter that no democrat (Barack Obama included) signed that letter. In addition to the letter, John McCain also spoke forcefully to congress about the need to reform Fannie and Freddie.
Here is the transcript.
Here is a video of some of democrats in congress, on tape, denying that Fannie and Freddie needed to be reformed.
Now, while McCain was trying to get congress to reform Fannie and Freddie, Barack Obama was suing banks for turning poor people away for loans. Yes, you are right, it is a lot more complicated than it sounds so if you want more details, you can read them here. If you want even MORE details and explanations, you can read here. You have seen the name ACORN come up in the news lately about voter fraud and scary intimidation tactics used on banks who denied poor people loans? Well, Obama is trying to deny his well documented connection to it. I could go into way more scary detail and give you tons of links supporting everything, but since this guy already did, I don't really want to take the time. But it is definitely worth your time to look into it. It may also be news to you that Senator Obama was second only to one other senator (also a member of the democratic party) in the amount of monetary political contributions received from Fannie and Freddie. By the way, the senator who received the most contributions in the 19 year record has been in the senate for 28 years. Barack? Only 4. You can check out the list here.
The Wars
We are in two wars right now, one quite a bit more controversial than the other. It is clear that Senator McCain believes that succeeding in the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan is strategically important for the United States. I can’t help but agree with him. Why not allow our troops to come home victorious, validating their incredible sacrifice and that of their families? It is easy for one to criticize war as just a bad thing that is never necessary; to demand that our troops come home immediately, but it is also incredibly naïve. Obama plays the game of supporting the conflict in Afghanistan, but opposing operations in Iraq. This allows him to appear strong on terrorism while maintaining his anti-Bush appeal. I believe this is frankly irresponsible. Both of these conflicts demand the full attention of our leaders, and both have tremendous consequences for the future of the middle east and our involvement there. Let's not get caught up in how these wars started. Whether or not Al Qaeda was a strong presence in Iraq before the United States started combat missions in 2003 is irrelevant. We’ve got them coming at us right now, so lets fight them off. As the incredibly successful troop surge has proven, the Iraq war need not be a lost effort; effective strategy can produce good results. As John McCain said: “The best way to secure long-term peace and security is to establish a stable, prosperous, and democratic state in Iraq that poses no threat to its neighbors and contributes to the defeat of terrorists. When Iraqi forces can safeguard their own country, American troops can return home.” So hey, let's get our troops home, but let’s not jump the gun here. We can bring them home in victory rather than in defeat. Let’s get the job done now while we have the chance rather than pulling out prematurely with the likely need to return sometime in the future.
Taxes
The high taxes on the rich punish success and hard work. Imagine working hard toward your goal (wealth) and then when you get there, the government tells you that they know how to spend your money better than you, so you have to give them 50-60% of your income. Would that encourage you to try to succeed? Would you work harder and harder if you knew once you met success you would have to give most of it away? This idea of taxing the rich is just one way of breeding mediocrity. One of the main reasons that capitalism is successful is that it is a highly incentivized system. Work a little harder, innovate a little faster, and if government can stay out of the way you have a good chance of reaping the benefits. Sure there are people making exorbitant amounts of money. Last I checked that in itself is no crime. People of wealth are now talked about in disgust, as if being wealthy is inherently linked somehow to their greed, luck, moral compromise and the like. Sure, there are wealthy thugs, but there are also a lot of brilliant, hard working people that have earned every penny honestly. Obama’s tax suggestions are frankly irresponsible and unfair. Sure, it sounds wonderful when he promises every American that makes under $250,000 that they will get a tax cut. You are looking at over 90% of America right there. But what Obama doesn’t say out loud is that 44% of these people don’t pay taxes in the first place. However, they will still get their “tax cut” in the form of a fatty check. That is redistribution of wealth. In Earth language, we call this socialism. Check out Wall Street Journal’s take on Obama’s tax cuts. If Obama is elected, those in America that actually produce the jobs that the masses depend on will find it increasingly difficult to conduct business in an Obama administration, both because of increased taxes, and smothering governmental regulations. This naturally leads to companies further developing operations off-shore, or just shutting down operations altogether. Either way, you may get a tax cut, but now you just may be out of a job.
Say you do succeed, and spend your life earning a good chunk of change, and you decide that you’d like to pass it along to your kids. Well, if you don’t mind giving 50% of it to the government first (even after you’ve already paid taxes on it), then vote for Barack Obama, who supports a 50% death tax. Again, this is simply taking from a minority (in this case people who die each year and their surviving families) and giving it away to appease the masses.
Also, Americans are the most charitable people in the world. We don’t need the government to force us to give. I believe most Americans are more effective and efficient at seeing their gifts used responsibly than any government agency.
Abortion
I will say this right up front. I am pro-life. If you disagree, ok. McCain has always been pro-life and Sarah Palin obviously has too. I will admit that abortion is a very shady grey area in which it is often hard to say what is right and wrong in certain instances and timelines. I also understand that just because someone is pro-choice, they aren’t necessarily evil baby killers.
It is one thing to advocate abortion in the first trimester. It is another thing to deny medical rights to babies born ALIVE during a late term abortion. That is exactly what Obama voted to do. Then he lied about it..... Then he admitted it..... Check out this article that talks more clearly and intelligently about it. You can also check www.factcheck.org if you really don't believe me.
Character
McCain has gone through a lot for our country. If I stop and try to really imagine myself going through what he went through as a POW in Vietnam, I don't know if I would survive. But if I did survive, I know that I would be much stronger because of it and that I would have my priorities straight. It would be hard to deny that McCain cares about this country more than anything else. We know John McCain, we know what he stands for. He doesn't sway with the polls like Obama, who called Reverend Wright his mentor until the polls showed it was unpopular so he threw Wright under the bus.
Compare John McCain to Barack Obama, who is a radical. And he isn't even a pro-American radical. He has said in his speeches that he wants to bring America together, no red states, no blue states, etc. But what in his record has shown that he has tried to do that? Perhaps he wants some new color of state that represents the ideals of the most liberal member of the senate?
He has consistently hung out with anti-American radicals. Jeremiah Wright, Frank Davis, Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, the list goes on. How has he convinced people that that he is mainstream? You may say, "Larissa, stop attacking his character. You are being so negative!" Well, maybe he should stop doing things that I can attack him for! Why shouldn't I bring it up? He may be our next president and we aren't supposed to question or bring up any bad things about his character? You may say, "He won't bring that radicalism into his presidency!" What makes you say that? Have his policies in the past been mainstream? Do some research and you can see that they have not. You hear about all the great work he has done as a community organizer? Well, besides funding ACORN with $800,000 and encouraging them to keep up their efforts, what has he done as a community organizer? Here is an article that talks about the extreme anti-American curriculum he has approved of and funded through the education foundation that he was in with Bill Ayers (an unrepentant American terrorist). It also outlines how Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama are connected. It's downright scary....
Energy
The two candidates don't differ much here except that McCain's plan is much more comprehensive. I think investing in renewable energy is extremely important for the future. But I also realize that we use a lot of oil right now. I think it is important that our future president isn't in denial. We don't have the infrastructure at this point, nor the technology to switch completely to alternative power. That is why I like McCain's comprehensive energy plan. His plan will help us free ourselves from foreign oil by drilling here in the US, increasing the number and capacity of nuclear power plants, and place a huge focus on discovering the technology we need and building the infrastructure we need, to get us to the place where we can use renewable energy alone.
Conclusion
In conclusion, McCain had the foresight to warn about the current economic crisis; Obama helped create it. That is why I must vote for McCain/Palin and cannot vote for Barack Obama. McCain wants America to win in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Barack Obama wants to bring the troops home immediately, no matter the cost. McCain wants to lower taxes that will help create jobs; Obama wants a socialist tax system. McCain is pro-life; Obama is radical pro-choice. McCain has gone through the crucible and has come out gold; Obama hasn't proven himself to the American people and has surrounded himself with a lot of radical anti-American people. McCain has a comprehensive energy plan; Obama's plan is lacking. Those are the reasons that I must vote McCain/Palin and cannot vote for Barack Obama. By the way, for all the liberals who are reading this who think Sarah Palin is dumb,
here is an article by Camille Paglia, a very respected liberal feminist columnist talking about Sarah Palin.
FUN VIDEO
Now, if you read through all of the above, and want something short, sweet and more lighthearted; if you like light sabers and witty exchanges, check out this video. It is fun to watch and hits a lot of key issues on why I am a conservative republican.
That is pepper jack cheese by the way. Tonight we played Balderdash at Blake and Katie's house and I didn't win. That is all that matters.... :]
