I don’t want to live in a John McCain America

John McCain scares me more than President Bush ever did. Having watched all three presidential debates, I find McCain to be a belligerent, snarky senior citizen who should probably focus on taking naps instead of taking control of our country. I think anyone who has lived in America for the last 8 years knows that we need a course correction, a change in our direction. Given the recent economic crisis and the poorly informed conflict in Iraq, it is clear that someone needs to clean up President Bush's mess and I do not believe John McCain is the man to do that. His service to our country in the Navy and in the Senate is admirable, but he is not an agent of change. He is the status quo. He can talk about being a "maverick," "working across the aisle," and "going against party lines" all he wants, but his aphorisms do little to support his continuation of Bush-like policies. Wouldn't a maverick bring fresh ideas to Washington? It seems like electing McCain will give us four (and if elected, probably eight) years of more misguided policies in America.

Tax policy: benefits the wealthy, does little to help the middle class, is projected to expand our budget deficit by more than $200 billion over Obama's plan.

Healthcare policy: sounds like another form of deregulation, which has really worked wonders in the financial sector. Tax my benefits? No thanks!

Education policy: vouchers? That's your answer? I've got kids in 11th grade, at a charter school, who read at a 7th grade level if they're lucky. They need Early Childhood intervention, not school choice. I'm sure he would love to give us some more unfunded mandates like No Child Left Behind.

Energy policy: offshore drilling? We don't have any oil, onshore or offshore, when compared to the rest of the world. Oh, and your spending freeze would mean no new money to invest in alternative energy sources, right?

The WAR: we can't leave before the job is done, seeing as how we've screwed up that patch of sand in the last 5 years, but don't talk about VICTORY. How can you win a war that has no real enemy? Faceless insurgents without national organization? When do you claim victory and how will you know that you've won? We've already destabilized the region with our aggression and continuing to stay on will certainly result in more deaths of young men and women for no real reason. We need a viable exit strategy, not a 100 year occupation.

Those issues matter most to me. I am by no means an expert in any of those areas, but I know that Obama has a better plan. As far as foreign relations and free trade go, I think Obama's pick of Joe Biden for VP will certainly provide him with excellent counsel on matters beyond our border. As for McCain's VP pick, what needs to be said? She's clearly the wrong choice to lead our country should something happen to our geriatric commander in chief.

Obama '08-'16