Elite School & Political Cartoons

I found this political cartoon to be pretty hilarious. We've been talking a lot in class about whether or not it was right for McCain to jet off to Washington in contrast of attending the debate. Luckily he managed to fit time into his busy schedule for both of these, but I saw this cartoon online and found it to be a pretty hilarious representation of both of the candidates and recent issues surrounding the debate (FINANCIAL CRISIS ring a bell?) If you can't read what McCain's briefcase says...it is: "Washington or Bust." Pretty hilarious if you ask me. Who does McCain think he is? Some almighty problem-solving being...Allah? Oprah, perhaps? None the matter, as of right now he is still an Arizona senator trying to make it all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue. Rushing off to Washington to solve everything was an over-zealous move that he made in order to try and sell the American people the idea that he can get his hands dirty to fix things...which is great but...is it really realistic to say that one man is going to do all of this in a few days?
As far as elitist colleges and universities go, I mostly agree with what Steven Goodman had to say. It doesn't matter whether you're better off at Harvard or Yale if you're hoping to become the next president...but the fact of the matter is that the Ivy League schools will always have a coveted air about them--isn't that their point? Beside the fact that they have some of the largest endowments in the nation, people want to go there because of status. "I went to Harvard Law School" sounds a heck of a lot different from "I went to Roanoke College to study law." Now, does it mean that you are inherently better off going to Harvard over Roanoke? Not necessarily, but it does mean you will be seen as "better" than everyone else as Goodman talks about and those around you will probably be wary of your presence in the courtroom if they know you studied at Harvard.

I would vote for....

Obama. Not just because I was the one to make the speech supporting his beliefs, but because I think he has his mind in the right place when it comes to environmental and energy issues. I think Obama would focus more on getting new types of energy jumpstarted, where I think John McCain wants to focus to much on clean coal energy sources...which to me seem to be a bit of a waste anyways because that is not a renewable resource...at least not for long. Obama's "green jobs" will also help with the economy--something we seem to truly need right now.

Based on the one issue of environment and energy, I'd vote Obama...

McCain's RNC Speech

Surprisingly, I liked a lot of what McCain had to say. I always considered myself an Obama supporter but after actually listening to McCain I can honestly say that I would have no idea who to vote for...should I have to vote in the 2008 election.

I think it was important for McCain to strike on the point that he is not a supporter of war. For some reason I had always associated him with pro-war sentiments in my mind. "I hate war," were his exact words.

Interestingly enough, I was watching a FOX special on Sarah Palin and I really like her too. I think she knows her stuff. She started at the bottom and worked her way up. Not only did she start small and climb the ladder, but she's a mom on top of it all. I think she was a good choice for McCain because she adds an aspect that he did not have in his campaign before. I think a lot of people are taking her as a joke because she's a woman...who also has a 17 year old pregnant daughter...but this in fact makes her all the more qualified: she knows what it's like to raise five children, deal with a pregnant daughter, have a mentally challenged child, buy groceries for her family, pay a mortgage...she's HUMAN. I think this is incredibly important to balance out McCain's "maverick" affiliation.

Once again, McCain promised something in his speech that made me unenthusiastic to hear. It was his plan to increase tax exemption for families...giving them back more money by the time taxes are filed. This sounds like a great idea in theory...but does the budget really allow for this to happen? Won' t the economy in turn suffer if American people are offered tax exemption. Not to be a devil's advocate, but KNOW THE BUDGET JOHN MCCAIN!!!

All in all I liked his speech. If I was voting I would pay very close attention from here on out to John McCain and Barack Obama. The choice would not be an easy one to make.

"In the end, it matters less that you can fight. What you fight for is the real test."
-John McCain

"Upbeat"

I'm not really sure what it means to be "Upbeat" on politics...well I know what it means from the definition the website gave me...but I think I mismatch with more of the characteristics than match. I do not consider myself "conservative, mostly" or a "rich suburban kid." Though I do go to school with mostly rich suburban kids.

I found the video in which democracy was "tested" on the students to be quite interesting. Technically even we do not live in a true democracy, but it was even more interesting to see Communist China's reaction to testing democracy in a classroom of 10 year-olds. I don't think democracy would work in China. Maybe some nations are better off being Communistic.

Important Political Issue

The most important issue to me in the '09 election is whether or not the candidate knows THE BUDGET. I think it's extremely important to know the budget like the back of your hand, otherwise you cannot make any changes you are promising because you won't have the resources to draw from to create these changes. I'm worried for Obama because of this reason. His main emphasis right now is on change, however, if he doesn't know and understand the budget he will crash and burn with every attempt at new programs...
I'm also concerned with issues such as alternative energy sources, international aid, THE WAR IN IRAQ, and the ever-evading economical "recession." However, I think it's key to know the budget before you attempt to make changes or big plans about any of these topics. It's easy to say "the troops will be over by Christmas" but the real question is "Do we really have the resources available to make a final surge and end the war?"
Whoever becomes President...I just hope to God that they know the budget. Or that they have a right hand man who knows the budget.