polīticus

I see that Gabby made a comment on "Emily's Rant". I'm curious about any other opinions that are out there. I know there many readers out there because you tell me that you check this blog. It would be fun to start a discussion here...

I'm still struggling about my vote for president. I'm definitely an independent when it comes to the issues. Here's where I stand:

The War I definitely don't know enough about what is going on there to have an opinion. I have to put my faith in our military leaders that they are being truthful and doing what is best for our troops and the Iraqi people.

Gun Ownership I support our right to bear arms, and I also support a waiting period and background checks to ensure that only responsible people can purchase them.

Abortion Unquestionably pro-life

Education No politician ever puts the blame where I believe it lies for a vast majority of failing students: the parents. There are exceptions, of course, but I believe that most schools and most teachers are doing a good job. In Texas, most of the failing schools are filled with many immigrant students, some illegal. While many of these children are good students many are not, and teachers are expected to work miracles in the short amount of time these students have been in country. How are they supposed to learn about the Revolutionary War when they've never even heard of Massachusetts or Delaware?

I heard that Obama would like a national pre-school program. This may help some students, but it will be expensive and will not fix the root problem. Some students will still come to preschool unprepared to learn and from homes where education isn't valued. Many students fail because they are truant. If parents can't get their kids to school every day when the child is in first grade, how will that be different when the child is in preschool?

Taxes I don't care about tax cuts as much as a balanced budget. If the next president could minimize spending and reduce the deficit, I don't need a tax cut. I also don't think wealthy INDIVIDUALS should be taxed further, but I think that too many big businesses like oil companies get too many tax breaks.

Healthcare and the Economy I believe government is too big and inefficient. These things should be left up to the private sector with little government involvement. Read: No bailouts or economic stimulus plans. No national healthcare coverage. I do like McCain's proposal of a tax credit. I like the concept behind HSAs, too. We have a large deductible on our insurance as well as $430 monthly premiums. We have to budget for this expense out of Ryan's teaching salary. Because of the large deductible ($1100 per person), we don't visit the doctor for unnecessary reasons, and we shop around for the best deals. Because it costs us to visit the doctor, we want to take the initiative to stay healthy.

The Environment I think we should support renewable sources of energy like wind energy. We use Green Mountain energy which is 100% renewable. I'm not sure about domestic drilling.

I do think that we should minimize pork barrel spending. All of the candidates talk about it, but they seem hypocrital to me.

What do you think???