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I think the whole question is flawed to begin with:
"I'd like to hear any good reason why I should vote for obama."
Be honest, how much do you really know about his opponents? What have they ever accomplished in their much longer time in Washington, and what is their argument for voting for them?
To be fair, you should ask for the same scrutiny and skepticism for all the candidates, not just Obama.
Bill C. put it nicely in 1992, when some voters were skeptical of the then fresh face: "We need the courage to change".
So I say, give him a chance. Read up on the candidate's websites and choose the best policy. The media wants to keep talking about trivia and gaffes, etc. But at the end of the day, what matters is things like jobs, economy, the war, etc.
Whether or not you and I ever agree on anything, this world keeps turning long past our small lives and hopefully we can pride ourselves in the end at having invested our energy wisely. I wish that for all people everywhere, even when the world is blind to what is truly priceless.
Harborlady, you sound so reasonable I am starting to be ashamed for being agressive
You made me think what I've invest in Charleston community. I never thought about my input. Now I realized I've done a lot of good things like free professional service for poor. I just didn't give myself a credit for that.
'homo hominis lupus est' philosophy is ,unfortunately, exists and thrives. It doesn't mean it is good. it is one of the engines which drive the world. Like greed, laziness etc.
PS wow, did Obama influenced all these off-topic debates?
Well big al, I'm not exactly a shrinking violet either. When I see a thief, I'm going to call him that without mincing words. My grandmothers WV charms were not hereditary, so hopefully I can learn from people more selective with their words.
Since we can agree that constructive behavior is all that should count, shouldn't that be the real benchmark to measure Obama for everybody's sake? Talk about change without a way to pay for it is what makes me resist him. I'm still empty handed with that question. His website didn't specify. Neither will any other candidate.
x1x did point out that he appears to be behind the topics, not above them with clearer vision, and so far that does appear to be the case. IMO Obama supporters are his worst enemy in more than one thread because they have a misguided notion that this country works with one muscle. The campaign could stand to show its maturity.
answer to your PS- Obama non existant, you and I would have bones just the same. These off topic debates have more to do with 'other brand' of repub party, IMO they aren't the sensible folks who kept us balanced and grounded anymore. This new breed has steadily been running amok with credit cards and cashing in family jewels. When forced to see it, people will see. No political party is innocent. Accepting the inherent nature of manuer for a harvest yield means working with what you've got, and knowing you will not emerge pristine.
Great joke...Electile Disorder...The candidates are giving us a dose of Liagra and nothing is happening...fustrating...
In November it will all be a memory and we can enjoy a cigarette....oops!
Smoking is being banned in WV...everywhere...
Will the cigarette police have cameras in our bedroooms? (BTW I quit several years ago.)
Good for you IBB! Although we don't see eye-to-eye on the local drug issue, we know there IS an alternative to the Clinton/Obama/Mccain status-quo.
We're in a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't this cycle. If you DON'T vote in "protest", it's easier for the powers that be (lobbyists) to get their candidate in office. If you DO vote for the "choices" offered, you feel slighted and unrepresented. I just plain-ol stinks. I think Obama is more personable than Clinton, but that's a lot of spit-and-polish by his handlers. It's like buying a used car sight unseen- just going off what the salesman (MSM) are telling us.
Im with you HL, electronic voting machines are suspect at best. Good Mr. Stalin knew the score when he (allegedly) said "It's not the people who vote that count, it's the people who count the votes". My other favorite is "If voting could make a difference, they'd outlaw it"
I think we're beyond saving the Nation from the Military-Industrial complex and it's presidential figure heads. Our only hope is a leader we can all get behind, a person not financed by big business or tied to corrupt legislation. A leader for the American people; a leader for the Constitution.
Oh wait, Ron Paul is still running- there IS hope...
I keep seeing people saying they can't figure out Obama's plans and how nothing is really drawn out specifically and how they can't see how things are to be paid for, which is confusing to me as all that info is on his website, all over the place. So as to be helpful, I've cut and pasted just a couple little clips here that I thought pertain to the previous posts, some on oil dependence and energy plans and then a tad bit on fiscal responsibility. My own mind is made up so I won't belabor the point. I'm enjoying the debate, frankly. So, my own two cents (as lifted from the Obama website, underlining is my own): Reduce Carbon Emissions 80 Percent by 2050
Cap and Trade: Obama supports implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary: 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Obama's cap-and-trade system will require all pollution credits to be auctioned. A 100 percent auction ensures that all polluters pay for every ton of emissions they release, rather than giving these emission rights away to coal and oil companies. Some of the revenue generated by auctioning allowances will be used to support the development of clean energy, to invest in energy efficiency improvements, and to address transition costs, including helping American workers affected by this economic transition.
Confront Deforestation and Promote Carbon Sequestration: Obama will develop domestic incentives that reward forest owners, farmers, and ranchers when they plant trees, restore grasslands, or undertake farming practices that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Invest in a Clean Energy Future
Invest $150 Billion over 10 Years in Clean Energy: Obama will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy, invest in low-emissions coal plants, and begin the transition to a new digital electricity grid. A principal focus of this fund will be devoted to ensuring that technologies that are developed in the U.S. are rapidly commercialized in the U.S. and deployed around the globe.
And this section on Fiscal Responsibility:
Restore Fiscal Discipline to Washington
Reinstate PAYGO Rules: Obama believes that a critical step in restoring fiscal discipline is enforcing pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budgeting rules which require new spending commitments or tax changes to be paid for by cuts to other programs or new revenue.
Reverse Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy: Obama will protect tax cuts for poor and middle class families, but he will reverse most of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers.
Cut Pork Barrel Spending: Obama introduced and passed bipartisan legislation that would require more disclosure and transparency for special-interest earmarks. Obama believes that spending that cannot withstand public scrutiny cannot be justified. Obama will slash earmarks to no greater than year 2001 levels and ensure all spending decisions are open to the public.
Make Government Spending More Accountable and Efficient: Obama will ensure that federal contracts over $25,000 are competitively bid. Obama will also increase the efficiency of government programs through better use of technology, stronger management that demands accountability and by leveraging the government's high-volume purchasing power to get lower prices.
End Wasteful Government Spending: Obama will stop funding wasteful, obsolete federal government programs that make no financial sense. Obama has called for an end to subsidies for oil and gas companies that are enjoying record profits, as well as the elimination of subsidies to the private student loan industry which has repeatedly used unethical business practices. Obama will also tackle wasteful spending in the Medicare program.
I would like to give an opinion on the proposed energy policies for the next generation.
West Virginia was able to bring itself out of the Depression of 1984 with the Republican energy policies of 2000. We were dying until then. The combination of tax revenue from coal and gambling have placed us on a solid financial footing.
I'm all for biofuels. Household garbage (as done in Japan) clearing wooded areas of treetop debris (as is done in Europe) and the clearing of hundreds of thousands of acres of West Virginia waste land (old farms left to grow up with vegetation because of tax policies and value) of grasses and debris...a restoration of these lands to a new productivity.
The very last thing used for bio-fuels should be food stock products!!!!
We are beginning to starve the world because of this brainless action.
Coal can be converted to gasoline and diesel fuel...it is a simple process that can be done very efficiently at todays costs.
The real energy source for automobiles is ...ready for this...natural gas...just the same old gas on the kitchen stove...cheap to fit the vehicles...has been used experimentally for years and can be even set up to refill the car at ones home garage...right off the gas meter...cost for pressure pump...$2000...cost to refit auto...about the same.
None of this is getting much talk...the money is in the commodities markets and the story will be told in the future how they manipulated the oil prices until everyone got rich...the same thing is being done now for corn and wheat...anything that can be burned for fuel is getting a great horray from the environmental wacho's...
Well I'm one too...but I would like to see some common sense and improvement...not a quick buck in the pocket of speculators...
If everyone didn't have a portfolio with money coming in so fast and regular, someone would cry Enron!!! and put them in jail...
remember this one fact, Enron didn't have ANY trouble until the bubble burst...that's my steam release for today...
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