Whalertly Endorsements: For The President of the United States of America

Post 69

There will of course be another map update tomorrow, the last of the polls before election day actually finishes. Furthermore, my entry on Wednesday will be bragging about how I was right 100% of the time (or, if my Oscar picks show anything, none of the time).

To start this off, I would like to first talk briefly about third party candidates. Both Ralph Nader and Bob Barr and the who string of other candidates have no overall chance of winning this election. At most, third parties will pull in 5% or so ALL TOGETHER. This means that a vote for a third party is not only a wasted vote, it is a vote AGAINST your favorite mainstream candidate. That said, lets chat briefly about what third parties actually do. Third parties usually are very similar to a mainstream party, just they have one big difference. When that difference (their campaign base) gets enough attention and support, it jumps to the mainstream parties. Basically, third parties are vetting parties for new and interesting ideas. They should be allowed to get local power, but never national.

President of the United States of America

Please feel free to respond to this, challenge this, etc.

Taxes

As shown before in this entry Obama is better for most Americans than McCain if you are looking only at taxes. It is all good and dandy to keep taxes low (McCain's pledge) but at some point people have enough money to live on. Who needs to make more than 250,000$ a year? Frankly, I agree with the founder of capitalism, Adam Smith when he says that at some point people should start paying more taxes. That said, the spread the wealth theory of Obama has some work to be done on it. I think that we should tax the wealthier more, but that money should first be used to pay for Iraq, Education, Infrastructure, getting out of debt, etc. before we move onto cutting taxes for the lower classes.

Iraq

I believe that we need to remain in Iraq until the job is done. I hold this belief even though I was opposed to the invasion when we went in, and still contend that there was no logical reason to ever go in. My theory is quite simple, why should we cry over split milk when we should just be cleaning it up? I believe that McCain has a much better plan than Obama in this regard. Our troops deserve our full support, and the generals should be listened too. That said, Obama has pledged to listen to his generals, but McCain, having a fair bit of experience (both in the field and in the Senate) definitely wins this category.

Education

I think that education is one of the most important things that our country needs to deal with. The school systems are harming our children, and college tuition is sky-rocketing. We as Americans need to come together to create a plan to rectify this. This issue is not only a personal issue, it is a danger for our next generation of leaders and, frankly, a national security issue due to the US being surpassed by China and India in sciences. Both Obama and McCain have good plans for the reform of our educational system but only one would work in my mind. McCain wants us to keep looking at achievement rates (based upon testing) for moneys and improvements. I think that this is an absurd manner as it is punishing the schools for the students. Their should be (as Obama suggests) peer reviewed teaching which makes sure that good teachers are rewarded and that bad teachers are kicked. We also need to spend far more on education (something that both agree on).

Gay Rights

The president can not touch this issue so it should be ignored.

Abortion

The president can not touch this issue so it should be ignored.

Internet

A fair number of people feel that Internet censorship (it isn't, but ignore that for now) should be a hot topic this election. They feel that so called 'net neutrality' is something that the president should come out strongly in favor of and believe that the free world is at stake. I am strongly against this idea, and think that private companies should be able to do with their property as they see fit (see a future entry), provided it violates nobody else's rights. That said, The president can not touch this issue so it should be ignored.

Foreign Relations

There is no way to argue that Obama will win this category. Years in the Senate, on various committees and otherwise, have given McCain a strong lead in this category. Obama is quite well liked by other countries, which is a great plus in a US president, but McCain's strong standing here helps him out greatly.

The Economy

Cutting taxes is not the answer, period. Our economy is struggling because of outsourcing, and a loss of jobs. We need to create deals that help companies stay, and help keep Americans out of debt. McCain's idea of cutting taxes will only lead our country into a larger debt, and I can not stand for that. After all, it is my generation that will be paying the interest on that.

Experience

I do not really see how this should be a major issue. Not one presidential candidate has any executive experience, and one veep has 2.5 years. This is a non-issue, and really quite absurd.

Bipartisanship

This should be the number one issue in any persons mind this election, but, alas, it sadly is not. All Americans should care about working with all other Americans, because, after all, that is the only way that we are able to get anything done. McCain has a strong background of supporting both parties, and working through and against his own party. Obama, on the other hand, has little bipartisanship background. That said, McCain's own argument against Obama based on time in office helps Obama in this regard; Obama has pledged to work with both parties (and I believe him when he says that) and can explain his lack simply as not having the time yet. See here Mr. McCain, every dagger has two sides.

Global Warming

All candidates and their veeps believe that this is real and somewhat man made. They differ on how to fix it, but as long as they talk to their advisors it is a-okay.

Energy

Both candidates think that we should get off of our foreign oil addiction, and I agree. We need to work on alternate energies and fuel sources to ease our economy, to create more American jobs, and to make sure that Global Warming can be addressed. However, I do not think that this is within the Presidents area so I do not think that they should touch it (though I am all okay with them going around the country lecturing on it).

Health Care

Now, I do not think that we should start health care for all right away, but, in about 2 years time it should be a good idea. In about 2 years Massachusetts will have had state-wide health care for some time, and we will be able to see how this system works in America. Obama has a great plan with health care, one that makes sure that all Americans have it, and that all Americans can be treated as normal persons. McCain's, on the other hand, is good in that it ensures health care, but it guarantees nothing and actually still allows where we are now.

So, with pros and cons to both candidates, who should Whalertly endorse? McCain has strong standings in Iraq and foreign relations, while he falters on education and the economy. Obama, on the other hand, is loved around the world and has a good plan to keep jobs in America, however, his lack of experience in international politics and his plan to increase spending by trillions of dollars show that he is not an ideal candidate. However, there are several things that gave me a clear choice onto whom I would pick. Obama, with his strong stances on education, improving the economy, and his health care to all plans shows the leadership needed to be the next President of the United States of America.

Read more ...

Barga's Analysis of the Debate (VEEP)

Let me start by saying that if this debate were between the two parties only then Palin would win; however, when dealing with the national public I think that Biden won. To me he seemed to be the person who was better tuned to what Americans en masse want. Palin was just a better debater and came off much friendlier.

I will be going through the debate start to the end. I will briefly explain the issue and then rate each person by their response. The winner of each section will be bolded (their name) but I will not rank these or give them points (as I did with SaddleBack).

• Intro

  • Palin scored a large point towards the American public here when she asked to call Biden Joe. While he was stuck sounding old and fogy saying Governor Palin, she was able to sound friendly and outside-of-Washington by seeming all impressed with whom she got to meet. Very nice psychological move here.

• Lets chat about the bail-out-bill

  • Biden starts with the normal thanks which, frankly, bore me. He then moves onto how the bailout would effect the middle class if it followed Obamas plan. That said, Biden did not really answer the question.

  • Palin argues that McCain has been sounding the reform bell for a long time. While she is correct, there is an issue with the fact that McCain has not attempted to call for full reform as Obama has. How republicans can win on the economy startles me.

• Partisanship on the hill

  • Biden starts by saying that he has worked with both parties on many different issues. He then moves into attacking McCain on the economy again and mentions that McCain is very, very far out of touch.

  • Responds about the economy, then attacks Obama for being party line while McCain is a maverick. She seems to not notice that McCain has not been a maverick for about the same amount of time that Obama has been in office.

• Neither of them really answered the question; however, Ifill moved on onto – the subprime lending meltdown [BARGA NOTE – don’t borrow what you can not pay back, and always have a safety net, because they both blamed the bankers and not the stupid Americans (not that they could) neither gets any boost here]

  • Palin blames the banks for being deceiving when it came to the mortgages. I am sorry, but people need to be smarter when it comes to getting into debt; don’t buy that 300,000$ house when you can only afford the payments on a 100,000$ house.

  • Biden responds by blaming the deregulation that McCain had been pushing. Deregulating the industry can be both good and bad for the economy, depending on the external situations. Attacks McCain on health care.

• Responses to the attack on McCain regarding health care

  • Palin attacks Obama and Biden on tax increases. She argues that these increases harm the American people and the middle class.

  • Biden points out that not only did McCain vote the same as Obama on what Palin was referring to, he voted to raise taxes 477 times. Nice counter.

• How taxing the rich (Biden) is not class attack and how taxing health care (Palin) does not harm the poor

  • Biden attacks on fairness. His logic is that most Americans do not make more than 250,000$ a year and so they should not pay as much as those who do. He says that the middle class (for the record, the middle class is far under 250,000$ a year) will not be harmed.

  • Palin responds by making the 250,000$ about businesses, not persons. She argues that this harms small businesses and thus stalls the economy. She then attacks big government. The problem is that businesses are not covered in the Barack plan under the tax cuts/raises, so there is no issue there.

• McCain’s health care plan

  • Palin states that McCain will give out 5000$ as a credit for health care and thus it is budget neutral compared to Obama’s plan. Just wondering, but how is not taxing 5000$ that you would otherwise end up as budget neutral?

  • Biden responds by mentioning that McCain will fund this credit by taxing the health care provided by employers and thus is actually harming the health care. Attacks using the Bridge to Nowhere

• The audience laughed at this point, ruining my belief that the politicians were actually talking to me… assholes

• What promise is not going to be kept

  • Biden explains that they will need to slow down on Foreign aid and tax cuts. He then mentions that they are full steam ahead on plans such as education, health care, and keeping people from hiding their money from the IRS

  • Palin responds by saying that McCain does not do flip-flops like Obama does (which, Biden just helped her point out with examples). She then uses a vote that Obama had (helping the oil companies) and her opposing to it and gained points as defeating big oil.

• Climate change

  • Palin mentions that it is natural AND man made, countering most scientists AND most of the anti-GW crowd. Interesting move. She then moves on to explain that no matter what we need to clean up the nation and become energy independent. Had she quoted Genesis (stewards of earth) she would have won the bloody debate.

  • Biden argues that it is man-made (which, it is) and then mentions that McCain voted against energy independence and cleaner energy.

• They talk about clean coal, say nothing, and refuse to admit that it can not exist

• Same-Sex benefits

  • Biden starts by arguing that benefits should be universal to all parties involved and are guaranteed under the Constitution. This is why I think that there should be no governmental marriage and only a series of contracts. He agrees that there should be no gay marriage.

  • Palin agrees with biden 100%.

• Funding the Iraqi troops

  • Palin attacks Obama for voting against funding the troops for political reasons.

  • Biden responds by saying that McCain also voted against funding the troops due to political reasons. Mentions that McCain knows no history.

• Withdrawing from Iraq

  • Palin, the pitbull, attacks full swing saying that withdrawing is a white flag and would result in nothing. Attacks Obama for being wrong on the surge and still not admitting it.

  • Biden tries to argue that the planned withdraw of his camp will be good, looks like an idiot.

• They talk about Pakistan, Iran, and Isreal. The normal party lines are followed and all parties LOOK STUPID. Biden does score some points by arguing that McCain is the same when it comes to foreign policy as Bush.

• They talk some more about Afghanistan, about nukes, and about Bosnia. They basically are arguing party lines AGAIN and do nothing.

• Talking about what a Veep does

  • Palin starts by arguing the Cheney branch of VEEPNESS, that is, that it is separate from the executive and is strong.

  • Biden attacks back arguing that the Constitution is pretty clear (and it is) that the VEEP is in the executive branch. He then attacks Cheney.

• Their Achilles heels (Palin experience and Biden discipline)

  • Palin comes off strong by arguing that she has a ton of experience though I am not so sure what being a governor of a large (not in population) state and a mayor have to do with it. Mentions the hilly peninsula of Boston.

  • Biden responds by going on about how he is stubborn and that that is a good thing because people know what they are going to get. He then launches into a little chat about raising his kids alone after his wife died and teared up a little.

• Change

  • Palin launches into this topic by talking about McCain as a maverick and how he is a great leader and person due to it.

  • Biden responds by simply showing that McCain has been voting with Bush for a long time. The logic is simple, one side is the same as before ergo the other must be changing. Always remember, change is not always a good thing.

• Have you changed a long-held view due to a change in facts (Which is what any normal person should do)

  • Biden responded by talking about the judiciary. When he came in as a young lawyer he thought that education and good standing were all that mattered but soon found that the way they would decide should matter.

  • Palin argues that it is about what is best for the economy. She talks about taxes she wanted to cut and budgets she wanted to short, but didn’t for the betterment of her people.

• Bipartisanship ROUND TWO

  • Biden respond by saying that you should question the judgment of people always and that you should work with all sides based on what is needed.

  • Palin responds by saying that she appointed people, has family, and has friends, from all different political backgrounds. She then moves on to attack the Obama camp on jobs. Palin would have won had she stuck to talking about bipartisanship instead of making the question about parties.

• Closing Statements

  • Palin states that McCain and she will fight for all Americans and that as RR put it, we need to always fight for freedom. She then plays the VET card for McCain.

  • Biden counters by saying that the Americans need to get back up (vote D) after being knocked down (from Bush). He blesses us and the troops.

Read more ...

On People Who Want Out Of Iraq

Post 15:
On People Who Want Out Of Iraq


*NOTE*
I am sorry about not having an entry up on Friday, I know that I copped out, but I really was doing a lot of other work
*END OF NOTE*

In 2001 the World Trade Center was hit by two airplanes and collapsed in the event that will forever be known as 9/11. About a year later President Bush decided to invade the country of Iraq claiming that it had something directly to do with 9/11. We now know that was false, and so many Americans have taken up the chant that we should get out of Iraq immediately. While I was at first for this position, and I never supported the invasion to start, I have reformed my position to one in which I think that we should stay in Iraq. While I have only one mail reason for staying in Iraq, I have two secondary reasons that are more defenses against persons who wish to leave - We need to clean up our spilled milk - The Soldiers signed up for this - The past is the past. People who want to leave Iraq - What Really Grinds My Gigantic Notched Wheels.

We need to clean up our spilled milk:
Really, I have only one reason for supporting the staying in Iraq. That is, We need to clean up our spilled milk. While we should never have gone into Iraq in the first place, we are now in there, and now need to fix what we have done. We have torn down (literally) the infrastructure of Iraq and made it extremely unlivable. We have allowed rouge gangs to roam the country, killing those who disagree with them on the slightest things. Frankly, we have taken Iraq from the Hell-hole that it was into a worse Hell-hole, don't ask me how we did that. Frankly, I think it is time that we stop making a mountain out of a mole-hill and stop crying over the milk. Let's clean up, get it back to at least how it was when we went in, and then get the hell out.

The Soldiers Signed Up For This
When arguing about the Iraq war people often bring up the fact that so many soldiers have died in Iraq. Yes, in March of this year we did indeed pass 4,000 deaths in Iraq. However, that is a far toss from any other war, where we lost tens of thousands, if not hundreds. 4,000 mothers, fathers, wife, brothers, and children lost their families, 4,000 people lost a main income source. Yet, didn't these soldiers know the risks when they signed up? Didn't they know what they were getting themselves into? That is my position; they knew what they were getting into, so, while sad, this is not really our concern.

The Past is the Past:
This has always been a pet peeve of mine, the people who claim that because something was in the past means it should not be now. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has long argued that because cows were originally not like they are now (not dominated by humans, not producing as much milk, etc.) they should not be like that now (I do reserve the right to use this same argument when I complain about PETA). The problem with this argument is that if we release all cows now, they would die of starvation and need of us (they now do need us). Remember, the past is the past, not the present. With Iraq there is a large argument that we should not stay because we should never have been there to start with. That argument is, of course, very fallacious. Yes, we should not have been there, BUT WE ARE. Stop worrying about what happened in the past and worry about what is now.






As always, please leave any comments, no matter how large or how small about the contents of this blog post. Also, please leave any comments/suggestions about this site/post as a whole.
Thanks,
Barga,
Editor of http://whalertly.blogspot.com/
barga.24@osu.edu


Read more ...