This was originally going to be a response to the comment by "moviefan" left on the last post about the debate. But it quickly turned into something more. Since we are approaching the date of the last debate, and our last chance to hear the candidates' plans (or lack there of) of action, I urge, not the voting public, but the candidates themselves to read on... I just hope the last debate will actually be a debate. So far, I've heard just a little bit from Obama, but I've not heard a single new idea or plan of action of any kind from McCain. Do the republicans really think that they can campaign the same old way it's been done in the past in this day and age? Talking in circles, selectively focusing on records, exaggerating negatives, and flat out refusing to answer questions then changing the subject? Really??? Do they think we're stupid?! And I'm so sick and tired of hearing what the problems are. We know what the problems are! I want to know what they are going to do about it! Step by step, give me the details!
Yes, campaign promises are usually just pipe dreams. Especially if it's "I'm gonna get this economy back on track!" How? Tell me how you plan on doing it, and everything else you promise. Step 1, step 2, step 3... And if they seem like feasible ideas, then you've got my vote. The one thing I
don't want to hear is more of "I voted for x bill but my opponent didn't."
Here's
my personal list (other voters have their own) in no particular order, of the things that concern me most for the next President of the United States:
-Fix the economy, without just throwing tax-payers' money at it. Put measures in place to ensure that this doesn't happen again. And no more golden parachutes- if I get fired from my job, I don't get a bonus for it!
-Get the credit crisis under control so people can stop panicking, housing prices can stabalize, and banks can begin lending again.
- Lower the cost of health care (which has seemed to have gotten lost in the shuffle lately), and limit patents on drugs so that there can be some competitive pricing out there. No more people having to decide between buying food or prescription drugs!
-Force states to lower property taxes on homes that are no longer worth what they were when we bought them, and do it NOW, not two years from now!
-End the war in Iraq. Just end it.
- Give me solid resources for retirement planning so I don't work my ass off my entire life just to live my last days scraping by. (Don't even get me started on social security.) And crack down on those abusing the system, sucking up all public resources, leaving nothing for those that truly need it!
- Back off my right to choose! You don't know me, you don't know my beliefs, you don't know my personal situation, you don't know my health, and you certainly don't know the decision I would make, but the decision is MINE!
-Make education a priority in this country! Shouldn't it be a wake-up call that the leader of this country for the past 8 years thinks he's "the decider"? And his wife was a teacher! It's frightening to think that people so high up in office do not even have the ability to communicate. Without education, how can we expect to compete (or even compare) globally?
(and, while we're on the subject of communication, education, and global competitiveness...)
-Make education of world history and cultures a priority. The world has become so much smaller, as we have witnessed with the current global economic shake-up. We (speaking globally) are so closely connected, yet are so horribly ignorant of the world outside of our own individual bubbles. The root of every war is firmly planted in ignorance and fear. Americans, in my opinion, have become so much less tolerant of other cultures. (That really is shocking since the foundation of this country is, and always has been, built on the backs of immigrants in search of something better.) We have been programmed to think that the US is the best country in the world and that "our way" is the only way. The truth is, most people in this country have never even set foot outside of it (spring break in Cancun doesn't count), and have never experienced the rest of the world. It sounds cliche, but we really don't realize how lucky we are in this country. But there is so much to be learned from the world outside. And from that knowledge, we can begin to understand why some cultures hate Americans so much. And here's a novel thought, we might even begin to bridge the gap and discover shared ideologies. <-- If that word was too big for you, I rest my case.
I have many other concerns for the next administration. In fact, it seems to be a never-ending list, as it should be. But if the candidates can tell me what they are going to
do about the issues above, that would be a good start for me.
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The views expressed here are my own. I realize and respect the fact that others may not share these views. This is meant to be a launching point for discussion.
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