Here's a little project to stimulate political discussion about the upcoming election in a more organised manner on the forum. Everyone go to this webpage:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compar...presidential_candidates,_2008#Economic_issues
Then read through the table, and for each of the issues listed (those you have something to say about, anyway), state which Presidential candidate you support on it (if any), how strongly you support him, and then give a brief explanation of your answer. Please use bold headers to make things more readable. If you don't have an opinion on an issue, leave it out of your answers. I did my answers on an either/or basis between the two major candidates, but you can include minor ones if you want.
Also, if anyone finds any glaring inaccuracies or omissions on that Wikipedia page, let me know and I can make an addendum of errata in this post.
Oh, and if you're not American... eh... I guess find a similar page corresponding to your country if there's an election coming up there.
Trade
Obama, strongly.
Human rights and environmental protection are far more important than putting more money in American businesses' hands.
Health Care
Obama.
A 15% uninsured rate is unacceptable, and a move toward universal health care will both save money (see
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/gmd-social-forum/400892-who-you-going-vote-9.html#post7337857 for explanation) and prevent suffering, as evidenced by the success in all other developed countries.
NASA
Either.
This is so not a priority for our country right now.
Taxation and Budget Deficit
Either.
The budget situation is a disaster right now, and there's not going to be much wiggle room for the candidates regardless of their philosophies. Both seem like pretty fiscally responsible guys (and the shit Obama gets for advocating universal health care is completely unwarranted). What disappoints me about both candidates is that neither seems to be talking about the FairTax idea.
Social Security
McCain, barely.
I'm really torn on this issue, since on one hand it represents charity for the incompetent, and on the other hand I acknowledge that without it many people would have miserable lives in their elderly years, and that it's not necessarily one's own fault to be undereducated about finance. I do believe, however, that Social Security should allow for more individual input, or else it just feels like dictatorship over one's money. My main reservation about McCain (or any Republican who talks about privatising Social Security) is that what they really intend to do is do away with the mandatory payment altogether, but I can't imagine they could even come close to advocating that without being denounced as heartless, ruthless elitists.
Network Neutrality
Obama, completely.
This is one of McCain's most idiotic and irresponsible positions. That he could even consider putting capitalism over civil liberties is nothing short of disturbing.
Arab-Israeli Conflict
Either.
Is this issue even controversial? Fuck having a bunch of rabid Islamic extremists run rampant over the only halfway-decent country in that whole area.
Iraq
McCain.
Although I would have sided with Obama on this if it only concerned the initiation of the war, he's made it pretty clear that he has little concern for gauging our presence in Iraq on Iraq's own stability. And as much as pacifists like Obama may consider our occupation more of a threat to world peace than a benefit, it's hard to deny that having a well-established military presence in the middle of a terrorist hotbed is a huge strategic advantage against the Islamic dictatorships.
Iran
Either.
While I like Obama's emphasis on diplomacy, I trust McCain more to approach the issue with the necessary opportunism and (if needed) aggressiveness. I'm not sure how those two qualities balance out, really.
Environment
Obama.
This seems to be an issue he's thought about a lot, and I'm actually a little eager to see what he could get done as President to increase our country/world's sustainability. And although I will admit that McCain's one of the more environmentally-conscious Republicans out there, he still can't be trusted not to put financial concerns ahead of our planet's future.
Energy
Either.
Both candidates seem to have plenty of the right ideas for managing the upcoming energy crisis.
Homosexual Marriage
Obama.
Only because I've read that he at least supports homosexual civil unions (I have not read the same about McCain). I would imagine Obama to be more gay-friendly in general, which is always a good thing.
Abortion
Obama, strongly.
Although I don't necessarily consider Roe v. Wade the best standard for drawing the line on abortion, there at least needs to be room on both sides of that line, and I have a feeling that McCain would be fine with an unconditional ban on abortion.
Gun Control
Obama.
McCain: assault rifles are okay, and you shouldn't have to wait to get one. Can we say "stereotypical gun nut"?
Education
Obama, strongly.
Since this comes down to the question of vouchers, and since the idea of turning schooling into a business is despicable, I'm with Obama on this one.
Patriot Act
Obama.
Fuck the Patriot Act.
