With just a couple of weeks left until we get to exercise our most valuable right, the right to vote, we are bombarded with figures and propaganda from each political candidate.
If it's not Sen. Obama touting his tax plan in which he states he will only raise taxes on those making more than $250,000 or Sen. McCain vowing that he will cut corporate tax from 35 percent to 25 percent, then it's an opinion columnist writing about how great each of them is. Not here, not from me! Our one-party system under two separate names, Democratic and Republican, is broken, and now we are left to choose between two middle-of-the-road candidates!
Just to let the readers in on a well-kept secret, we live in a representative republic, not a democracy,, so when both of the presidential hopefuls talk about all of the wonderful changes they envision accomplishing, just remember the executive branch has no more power than the legislative or judicial branch. When you put someone in office, you better know them, because once elected they get to vote however they choose — even if it goes against everything they agreed to during the campaign.
If aligning yourself with someone who clearly doesn't appear to be very fond of this country is a good choice for you, then Obama is your man. There are reports that Obama refused to put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance and refused to sing the national anthem. Are these reports accurate? You decide, but when one has a history of associating himself with people who dislike this country and do not support this country while reaping the benefits of this country, then one can only assume the reports are accurate. Coming out now, during his presidential campaign and denouncing his 20-year ties to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright or his ties to an anti-Israeli group headed by Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi or his involvement with the domestic terrorist William Ayers doesn't make him a stand-up all-American guy, and he doesn't deserve a pass on these issues. We must look deeper than Obama's words.
Obama is quoted as saying in an article on the Washingtonpost.com Web site: "I just want to emphasize that this is my former pastor. Any of the statements that he's made both to trigger this controversy and that he's made over the last several days are not statements that I've heard him make previously. They don't represent my views. And they don't represent what this campaign's about." How is it after knowing someone for 20 years, and having a close enough relationship to him {Wright}, to let him perform your wedding, and be the inspiration for your book, how can you then distance yourself from him? Could it be simply for political gain? America, we already had a smooth-talking-empty-suit in the White House, do we really need another?
As for the other lesser of two evil choices, McCain is a much better choice for president when it comes to patriotism. No one can dispute that McCain was willing and able to give his life for his country. His time as a POW speaks for itself. As for McCain's more than 26 years in public office, what has he accomplished? On his Web site, McCain says "The last eight years haven't worked very well, have they? I'll make the next four better…" Great! So why did you allow the last eight to be so bad? What have you accomplished over the past 26 years as a state representative/state senator? Is the border of your home state secure, or are illegal immigrants coming across in droves? Have you fought and won in the Senate to do away with a tax system that is corrupt and broken? I don't think so, senator!
Why should we reward McCain or Obama with the presidency if neither of them could succeed while a member of the Senate? We shouldn't. This election cycle is clearly the best example of how outdated our political system has become. Americans, wake up. Turn off the TV. Put down the game console controllers and get involved. Go vote, and then, during the next four years let's fix this system!