Monday, January 28, 2008

Barack Obama?

He shocked in Iowa, came second in New Hampshire, and routed in South Carolina. So who is this candidate? I figured since he has momentum and is the media darling it was the right time to post on Barack.

His website is here. The candidate for change: Black, young, and inexperienced. That is a change in itself. So what does he stand for? Let's review the highlights

Foreign Policiy - out of Iraq and invite all to the tables - friends and foes - in hope that by showing America is willing the world and the enemies would sort of gain respect for us again. IMHO, too naive, too inexperienced. Showing the world that we are willing to talk to Iran, North Korea, Cuba etc. will only appease people into thinking ok so far they are not going to war. Will it do anything to advance our purposes with our enemies? No. Will it disarm North Korea? Only when he has no choice left and has realized his tantrums are getting nowhere. Will it halt Iran's nuclear development? Support for Iraq's insurgents? Acceptance of Israel? No, No and No. But then again nadie aprende por cabeza ajena. If he becomes president he will soon realize he will be the only one sitting at that table. The out of Iraq part, at least in definition seems like everyone else.

Immigration - pay a fine, pay taxes, go to the end of the line. Can they become citizens? Apparently so; I'm against any illegal immigrant becoming citizen. They should only be able to get legal residency status. He favors border security, he just doesn't say in which order he would deal with the issues. End of the line? How do you ensure this will happen? They will be in front of new applicants that are sitting in their countries waiting for the process. Anyway you spin this it just does not seem fair. End of the line should mean, go home, fill out paperwork and wait like everyone else. On top of that, pay a fine and pay taxes.

Energy independence - he has the right goal, I just cannot understand what he is proposing

Healthcare - here is a biggie for me. He supports a national health insurance - bad idea. There is no way I can support this. He wants to expand S-Chip - another bad idea. How can you guarantee that only people who truly cannot afford their kids insurance are the ones benefitting? I know families that get their kids in Schip so as not to have to pay the Family insurance and maintain single insurance at their jobs. He does have one thing in his favor here: reduce health care costs....yes! Finally someone realizes the root of the problem. My advice to Obama is to start there first, with the costs. Once healthcare is actually affordable, the insurance problem will be greatly diminished as will the necessity for Medicaid and Schip.

Economy - he brings all his plans in here. I differ with the fund to prevent foreclosures though I agree with making sure lending practices are fair. People should read what they sign; consumers have accountability too. The government is not our parent and we are not helpless children; it is in our best interest and it is our responsibility to know what we are getting into and defend ourselves. I don't get the mortgage tax credit for everyone; everyone has access to it you just have to fill out the correct form. The rest of his ideas we've all heard before, so there is nothing new. It does seem to entail more government involvement, which I oppose. One good thing is the idea of not taxing some senior citizens.

Homeland security - he really doesn't say much other that we are still not safe. Wow, enlightening.

Education - same old same old. Some tax breaks for colleges and those of us with student loans are still getting screwed. How about some relief for those of us whose education turned us into a walking mortgage? Will there be a rescue fund for us as well? Will the government also help us buy a home? Let me tell you it is not easy to secure a mortgage when you have a debt of 50K+ for your education.

Poverty - I don't see anything about migrating people out of welfare, or making welfare a transitional program. That is not good.

Social Security - how he will save this is not known. He addresses other retirement options, but remains silent on how to make sure I will have my check when I reach 65.

Veterans - hey, I'm all for whatever makes veterans taken care of. Healthcare, housing, food, anything. These people risks their lives for us; we should all be second class citizens next to them.

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