Politics

McCain chooses Palin, Obama chooses Biden. Honestly, I feel like either one would be a billion times better than what we have and neither would be terribly bad. McCain isn't afraid to stand up for what he thinks is right, even if it means pissing off his party. I find that admirable. And I like that he picked a woman VP. Obama also has that same independent quality. He wasn't afraid to say how stupid the federal gas tax break idea was, even when the other Democratic candidates were for the popular plan. However, I'm a little more liberal than McCain is and a teeny bit more conservative than Obama. So how is this newly-registered Independent going to vote?

I've decided that I have to pick issues that are important to me. So I've narrowed it down to a few. 1. Environmental Issues 2. Inequalities 3. Economy/War 4. Immigration

1. Even though McCain has much more progressive views on environmental issues than most of his republican counterparts, I'm not sure he goes far enough. Palin has stated that the Alaska pipeline is "God's will". Uh huh. Whatever... Was the Exxon-Valdez oil spill also God's will? Until people have an incentive to develop alternative energy sources (ie. less abundant and more costly gas), we will be dependent on oil forever. While Republicans don't go far enough, Democrats go too far. I still want the ability to enjoy the outdoors. Democrats tend to make it off limits or extremely limited.


2. Inequalities. Over the weekend, there was a pretty intense discussion about gay marriages. So I went a little further and investigated the differences between civil unions and a marriage. It turns out there are HUGE differences. Civil unions do not allow for tax benefits (you cannot file jointly, as married couples can). They also do not get other the federal benefits that married couples get, such as social security, medicare and pension protection. So basically, gay people can never get married and have that same sense of security that a married couple has. Every citizen (so no, getting married to your dog is not an example) should be entitled to the same benefits, regardless of whether or not the lifestyle is something that you agree with.

Unfortunately, it will take time to erase the current ignorance that exists. While both parties have a long way to go on this issue, the Democrats have more progressive ways of thinking. Religious conservatives, in my opinion, follow a semi-caste system. Its not necessarily advertised (nor recognized by many of them) this way, but when you look deeply, you see that there really is an unbreakable mold for many people. This way of thinking only pushes the inequalities among citizens - whether they are women, gay, or black.

3. The economy has definately suffered. A lot of it has to do with this Iraq war. Clearly we need to clean up our mess and get out. Its time to be humble and admit that it was a mistake. This is where McCain still has his head somewhere up in the clouds (or maybe in a much darker place).

4. Immigration. Seeing how much immigrant students are costing our schools (and I don't just mean fiscally), is unacceptable. Free breakfasts, free lunches..and thats just the beginning. The learning process is dramatically affected when most of the children in the class don't even know English. Just a few non-English speaking students can decrease the academic progress of an entire class. The school system is not the only problem. The justice system is also clogged. I am not against immigration, I just think it needs a major overhaul. Again, neither party particularly stands out on this issue. However, Republicans have done more to speak out about this than Dem's.