LET"S TALK POLITICS

(Eric) I have to say, I have found the thought of voting for Obama appealing. Something in me that says, “who says we have to vote Republican?” Sure our fathers have told us that since we were young but “because I said so” doesn't hold as much merit as it used to. I want to know, who are these candidates, what are they all about, what do they propose to do in office? And then I can make my own informed decision on who I think is best, right? Right!

So I dig in. I listen to National public radio, I watch the debates, I read the news articles, I listen to what people are saying, and I listen to some more NPR. And somewhere along the line I'm starting to think that maybe I ought to give Democrats a chance. I mean Donald Miller is at the Democratic convention leading them in prayer. Maybe I've just been following the tradition of man in my Republican stance all along.

Obama is talking about how he wants to take what hasn't been working in this county and make it right. He wants to refocus our resources into things like renewable energy instead of spending money on furthering oil drilling. He wants to reshape our tax system for the benefit of the individuals instead of lining congress's pockets. He's got a plan to find and stop terrorist threats in Pakistan.

And I'm thinking, you know what? Maybe our country needs a fresh set of eyes. I think of my work place and how there are many young staff members, whom without, the Church wouldn't be as good of a place as it is. If our influence wasn't made among leadership, services would become stale, and stagnant. A younger generation has ideas, ways to do things differently and isn't boxed in by the “this is the way we've always done it” mentality. So maybe America finds itself stuck in too many systems, policies, and procedures, and needs somebody who's willing to make some change. Right?

But... And there is a but, when I dug a little deeper, and I looked at what kinds of things both candidates stood for. And what kind of change may actually come with voting in Senator Obama, I have to say that besides the sweeping general statements of a better environment, a better economy, better warfare, there are some things that really started to concern me.

One, it's an old one, and one that goes right along with why my parents ever told me to vote Republican in the first place, abortion. I was speaking with a friend recently and they were saying how we need to look a little deeper into the candidates. Like they think that if they give us pro life that we're theirs.

And I was like, YA! We're smarter than that! But wait... isn't that a pretty big issue? The fact that our choice between one candidate to the other could determine the fate of millions of babies. Whether they live or die? I mean say the president does a lousy job in steering our economy and I in turn am living with more financial hardship. Would I trade that so that these babies could live? Yes. Absolutely.

Barrack Obama is said to be the most liberal Senator in office. On this issue, he has voted on multiple measures furthering pro abortion policies. As a president he would only have more influence to make this an easier, more accepted procedure.

It is also said that John McCain is the most outspoken pro life republican in the history of those running for president. And his VP running mate Governor Palin holds the same values. As president he too, would have more influence on how easy or how accepted this procedure is.

Two, Obama would be taking office at a delicate time for our country in the area of military opposition.
We are in a war, and if Obama were to take office right now, I would be concerned that he would make a decision that could set us up for disaster. It could be in cutting military spending, or invading on unwise terms, it could be a number of things. I guess I just feel like ever since 9-11 I've thought that we need somebody who knows how to fight, leading this charge. We've seen that we can't just sit back, chant peace, and hope nothing bad comes our way. There are militants that are taught from a very young age, that America is the enemy. They think that we hoard our wealth, that we're too prideful, that we don't really care about anybody else. Which I know is true to a certain degree, because we are very human and have those tendencies. But it's also not true of a lot of people in this country and is certainly not means for wanting to kill us, but regardless, that is what is happening. And there's things that could be nothing, if everybody remains calm, but we owe China money, there's tension with Russia, and the world knows we're struggling economically. They could see this as a good time to strike.

With this in mind, I have to say, ok forget the wind farms, (although McCain is for those too anyway), the tax breaks, the healthcare plan, the fresh new ideas. This is a life or death situation and if we don't choose wisely it could mean death, in a lot of areas. We can't afford to run with our non conformist desires and be different. We need to vote for somebody that will be a leader in the areas that really need it.

So with all that said, I wanted to tell you I'm voting for John McCain. I'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts, comments, opinions and all.