Obama v. McCain pros and cons

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Based on the summary in this Newsday article*, here are the pros and cons as I see them to Obama and McCain:

McCain
Pros Cons
  1. “Would declare a summer gas tax holiday, suspending the 18.4 cent federal gas tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day.” Sounds useful to me, but it also sounds like a symptom treatment rather than treating the root cause.
  2. “…establish a permanent research and development tax credit equal to 10 percent of wages spent on R&D”, with respect to the economy and I think to vehicle fuel efficiency–the article is a little unclear.
  3. “Would also ban any Internet taxes.”
  4. “Would close the base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.” Obama would do this also.
  5. “Backs more nuclear power and other alternative energy sources, pledging to build 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030 and eventually 100 total.”
  6. “But opposes drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.”
  7. “Would commit $2 billion annually to develop clean coal technology.” I don’t know what’s being contributed to research in this technology currently, but $2 billion sounds like a lot, and I definitely think this is a good area for research. It would especially help Kentucky, considering we have a lot of coal.
  8. “Favors tougher fuel efficiency, and led Senate efforts to cap greenhouse emissions.”
  9. “Wants greenhouse emissions cut by 60 percent by 2050, compared to 1990 levels.” Obama wants this also, but Obama wants to cut it by 80%.
  1. “Would lower corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent, saying the United States currently has second highest corporate tax rate in the world.” And our corporations are doing so poorly? Considering they probably have teams of lawyers and accountants whose goal is to figure out how to save them the most money in taxes, while the average working Joe does not, I don’t think corporations deserve any other breaks.
  2. “Does not believe in setting a withdrawal timetable from Iraq.” I want us out of there, pronto, without any dilly-dallying around.
  3. “Would send three additional combat brigades to Afghanistan.”
  4. “Pledges to revitalize U.S. public diplomacy and create independent agency with purpose of getting America’s message to the world.” Getting our message to the world? That sounds vaguely creepy to me, and like a first step in invading other countries like Iraq to force our governmental style down their throats. I think the article should clarify what is meant by this.
  5. “Voted for the Patriot Act in 2001 and for its reauthorization in 2006.”
Obama
Pros Cons
  1. “Would inject $75 billion into the economy through tax cuts and direct spending.” I prefer tax cuts to refunds, because tax refunds just seem like treating the symptom–why is the government taxing us that money in the first place if they’re just going to give it back in a refund later? Just don’t take it from us to begin with.
  2. “The plan includes an immediate $250 tax cut for workers and their families.” This seems like a good idea to me, rather than cutting taxes on folks that have a lot of money or corporations, which have tons of money.
  3. “Pledges to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months, by the end of next year.” Damnit, I want our people home; let other countries figure themselves out–we shouldn’t be babysitting them.
  4. “Would close controversial prison at U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay.” McCain wants this also.
  5. He would revise the Patriot Act.
  6. “Pledges to secure chemical plants and ensure safe, secure disposal of nuclear waste.”
  7. “Proposes eliminating U.S. need for Middle Eastern and Venezuelan oil within 10 years.”
  8. “Proposes to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.”
  9. “Wants 10 percent of U.S. electricity to come from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.”
  10. “Wants 1 million plug-in hybrid cars on road by 2015, and tougher fuel efficiency standards.”
  11. “Proposes new $7,000 tax credit for purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles.” Thank you! This is a much better idea than a tax credit for buying an SUV.
  1. “Voted to reauthorize Patriot Act in 2006.”

Edit: haha, in response to Amanda’s comment about not knowing who I plan to vote for, I plan to vote for Obama because I feel I agree with him the most out of the two. That’s not just based on the pros and cons listed above, but also on the idea that I dislike the Bush Administration and think the McCain one would be more of the same. Also, I vehemently disagree with Sarah Palin’s stances on a few issues, including abortion and the teaching of creationism in school, whereas I haven’t found anything in Biden’s views that makes me shudder.

* Note: these pros and cons are taken only from what I read in that particular article, and do not take into account McCain’s or Obama’s views on abortion, nationalized healthcare, the teaching of creationism or intelligent design in schools, concealed carry laws, or any other topic not mentioned in the article. I should make a more complete pros/cons list for each candidate based on all the sources I find at some point, as well as such a list for the VP candidates.

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53 thoughts on “Obama v. McCain pros and cons”

  2. Haha, there was some element of sarcasm to my comment above. :P It’s the whole “one con under Obama, a million under McCain” that tipped me off. ;)

  3. note why MaCain only has 9 pros in the list, compared to obama’s 11…why? because all his pros are in pharagraph form – whoever wrote this tried to make McCain 12 pro’s to look like there’s only 9 – they just tried to squish all this pro’s together to make it look small. Obama’s list is all written out in short sentences, but sill trying to make it look like there’s 11 – when in reality there’s less pro’s…you know? think people, that’s all i ask…

  4. I broke down each pro and con to be an atomic statement. McCain’s pros are in paragraph form because I explained why I thought each was a pro. I felt many of Obama’s pros were self-explanatory, so I left them as just the quotes from the article. What 12 pros do you pick out of the 9 I have listed for McCain?

  5. This is absurd. Am I the only one who sees Barack Obama for who he really is? He would screw up this country so much we wouldn’t have any hope of fixing it. What is it about McCain that people see as so ‘unfit’ to run this country? His age? He is doing miraculously considering he was tortured for years in a foreign prison. His running mate? Hello! Sarah Palin would be the best VP to happen to this country in it’s entire history. Oh no, her teenage daughter is pregnant. Look at the amount of girls, children getting pregnant. At least she wants to do the right thing and raise her child.
    I am gettin gsick and tired of all the cheap shots being made at McCain and his running mate. Too bad America’s not smart enough to vote the right candidate into office.

  6. Meredith: you claim my post in support of Obama is absurd, but you give no reasons as to why your support for McCain and Palin is valid.

    - You give no evidence to support your implication that Obama is undesirable as president (“Am I the only one who sees Barack Obama for who he really is?”).

    - You claim Obama would “screw up this country so much we wouldn’t have any hope of fixing it”, but you give no evidence as to which of his policies would do this.

    - You ask what it is about McCain that makes him so unfit to run the country. I list in my blog post what makes him unfit, in my opinion, and I say nothing about his age, which is what you think people have a problem with. I assure you, I don’t care that he’s old.

    - McCain’s running mate is a problem for me because I disagree with her views on abortion and foreign policy. You say “Sarah Palin would be the best VP to happen to this country in it’s entire history”, but give no evidence as to what she would do and how that would benefit the United States.

    - You imply that most people are concerned about Palin’s daughter being pregnant, but provide no statistics to prove that her daughter’s pregnancy is really having an affect on people’s choice of president.

    “Too bad America’s not smart enough to vote the right candidate into office”? Too bad you’re not smart enough to provide evidence for a single whit of your “argument”. You’re like a bull in a china shop, banging around with no wit or reason to your statements.

  7. first off. I’m an Iraq veteran. and if you think that a troop withdraw from iraq is a pro, then you obviously are misinformed. In case you were wondering, the Iraqis want us there, and I’m sorry that i cant provide a statistic for you but i should hope that after spending 14 months there that my opinion should suffice. What would Barak Hussein obama say to my friends and their families that died over there that believe that what we are doing is right and died so that another country can relish the same liberties that we have? would he tell them or me that it was for nothing? well, in a way he already has by calling it a senseless war. well i got news for ya darlin it wasnt senseless. if sadaam didnt keep kicking out our un inspectors, we would have no there was no wmd’s. but no, he kept doing despite our warnings untill we followed up on our word. not to mention that he had hundreds of thousands of his own countryman killed because they shared different religous beliefs. know this also, because talked to the people and saw the gravesights. You dont know about this or any other major progress that iraq is making because you are ignorant and vote for whomever the bandwagon tells you too. and another thing, about the abortion issue, if you think that a womans country given right to choose is more important than an unborn childs god given right to live, then you’re as wrong as two boys fucking on the white house lawn. if you have faith in baraks foreign policy skills, you have been misled. he asked you to trust his judgement on the issue, and shortly after voted against the troop surge in iraq, an action that has proven to have greater success than even the most optomistic voters could have dreamed. so there you go, on his first opportunity to show us how great his foreign policy skills are, he shit the bed! and while you’re talking about corporations hiring professionals to save them tax dollars, let’s talk about all of your beloved celebrity obama supporters. oprah, de niro, pitt, affleck, sarandon, etc. are all incorporated individuals as is every single person of name in hollywood, which means that they get even bigger tax breaks than the corporations do. if you dont think that oprah and every other celeb out there isnt paying someone to save them $ on their taxes you are sorely mistaken. so dont buy into the bullshit you see on tv. and if you were to vote on experience alone, mccain would win hands down. he sacrificed his life for our country as i did, what has barak sacrificed? nothing. ill agree with palin when she said that obama only speaks of victory when he talks about his campaign and not about the hard work me and my brothers are doing in iraq. you’ll notice that the vets supporting mccain are the truly patriotic ones. the ones supporting obama are the ones that wanted college $ and home loans and health care and free housing and are pissed off that they had to work for it. when you hear about soldiers going back for their 3rd and 4th tour, they’re the ones that reenlist to go back because they believe in it. you will not be sent to iraq 3 times in 1 enlistment. if you want to come back at me with any of your pro obama talk, i have much more to say.

  9. barak also wants to tax individuals that make over 250k a year at a much higher bracket. so you tell me if that ethical or constitutional. i’d like to see those “poor” people out there try to pay the same tax percentages that those wealthy individuals are paying. they’d be whining a whole lot more. it seems like the more successful you become under baraks regime, the more he brings you down. crap, i remember when liberals were generous with their own money. i dont want to pay to enable a bunch of lazy, fat, oprah watching welfare recipients to continue their pathetic existence. oh wait obesity is a disease now, give me a break! and they want me to pay for their healthcare when they weigh 450lbs. no thank you. its called eat less, walk more.

  10. but hey, in all fairness, you dont need me to talk shit about obama.. you can just go ask BIDEN!!!!! he’ll tell ya himself!!

  11. To Macnuts thank you for going to Iraq. Most of my family has been in Iraq and Afganstain and it is hard to know your loves ones are in harms way. The problem with Iraq is that we as citizen have been given multiple reason why we went to Iraq and not the real ones. Hussein was not a good man, We gave weapons to Hussein. We needed to control the region,so we can kept the gas using life style we have all became use to. The real problem is that we as citzen of america have a responsible to make sure are brothers and sister in arms do not go to war for the wrong reason we have failed them. The comment on the guys on white house lawn. The world’s best general Alexander the great was bi. The reason to for vote for Obama he vote not to send you to Iraq

  15. Hey Meredith, I bet Sarah up there is either related or knows the real Sarah as well. The fact is that Sarah Palin is a bubble mouth. She dances around just about every question asked and when she does answer no one knows what the hell she’s talking about. She’s a beautiful woman but certainly does seem fit to run a Country. She appears to be brilliant at going around the answers to questions so maybe she should turn her Jouralism Degree into a Law Degree or even an Executve PTA member designation.

    SARAH – Meredith is right about you, you give no reasons as to why McCain is a better pick yet you steadily try to insult those who favor Obama. Personally I think your oblivious to whats really on going and your not following the facts. Next time you respond please don’t disservice yourself and sound so much like Ms. Palin – your giving me dance fever :)

    Dear Mr. Macnuts…. I respect your fighting the war and being so proud of our Country. My father too fought in the war and I feel sorry for you as I have many times for him. On the other hand I feel more sorry for me and my brothers and sisters who had to endure a lifetime of Cobra Commanding from a veteran like yourself. It is only my opinion but your kind of veterans do nothing more than pose their self righteous opinions on others to try and sway them to your train of thought. Believe me, I too do not want to take my hard earned money and pay for welfare receipients to sit on their ass watching Oprah but some of those welfare recipients are your own veteran brothers and sisters my friend. Think about that.

    As much life that has been lost I would only think you would want your people out of the war. It’s been one one of the biggest deficits in the economy. Furthermore just as you don’t want to pay your tax $’s to welfare recipients I don’t want to pay my tax $’s for this war. I respect your opinion but cannot accept your beliefs.
    Why don’t don’t you try and run for President in four years maybe your Veteran status will get you on the board. Hopefully not the PTA Executive Board. Happy Voting!!!!

  16. Ha, in Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations”, he said that the burden of taxes should lie on those who are most capable of paying them.

    Meaning, those who actually HAVE money (aka the 1% of America) should be responsible for paying the most taxes.

    Let me put it into perspective for you. This infamous 1% of America holds more money than the combined efforts of the entire lower 90% that all of us fall under. Wrap your head around that, and try to understand why it’s necessary for us to tax this income bracket more.

    Your $50,000 a year is chump change compared to what these guys make. They would spend that on a whim.

  17. I am for McCain and Palin all the way…yes! I DO see how bad Obama will mess this country up! In order to run this country, you need to understand and follow what this country was based on : GOD. you can remove the Ten Commandments from the Justice Court Room, you can remove “In God We Trust” from all the currency you want, but our country was still founded and based on GOD and the HOLY BIBLE. If you cannot accept this, then maybe you need to move to an athiest country because I am going to live by what the Good Lord gave us and if you don’t, then this Land of the Free and the Brave will go down in flames. It should’ve tipped you off immediately when Obama wanted to make abortion legal-you can deny it all you want but abortion is killing a real human being (Another one of those Ten Commandments that the country wants to break and NOT live by-Thou Shall Not Murder) I mean, are you all so blind that you cannot see that if you just trust in the Lord and live by what he says in the Bible, things always go well. We need to pick the religious path, the way our forefathers did, or else our country would not be as far as it is today. Look at the Middle East-we are there trying to help them and believe in the Lord so that “they might be saved” I want everyone to go pick up the Holy Bible and read a FULL chapter and see for yourself every word is true.
    For all you Bush haters out there, don’t forget that the Democrats are in the House and that they can overrule the President with a 2/3 vote so all of the problems that you see wrong with this great country of ours, you can just take it up with the House. Remember this on Election Day and let’s hope you all make the right decision-not only what you think is right, but what do you think our country needs-the Righteous Choice.
    Thank you. I’m sorry to have written so much but I finally get to voice my opinion. I have read many different articles, sites and read the Bible to see which candidate would be the correct choice, and I think that you all can see my choice. THank you again and don’t forget to vote November 2nd. We have the right to vote, now please use that privilege that most countries don’t have.

  18. Thank you Mr MacNuts. I appreciate your support of the real America.
    Also, if we take the troops out of Iraq, etc., then what are we going to do when they invade our country? Tell me. What will happen then. I want to truly thank each and every person that has served in the military, navy etc. to help keep our country free and safe.

  19. One more thing : I don’t think that you are doing these people justice who come on your site to read the Pros and Cons of both candidates. YOur basically pushing your opinion that Obama is the best because all YOU could come up with is ONE Con for Obama and we all know how false of an accusation that is! You need to tell the truth to insure a more secure future for this country but not for your own selfish welfare.

  20. WOW! The only people who want to vote for McCain are rich people,a majority of vets, and the 18-24 year old Caucasian red necks who have been spoon fed everything by the rich mommy and daddy. personally i think is more race than anything. As comedian Chris Rock said ” If barack does win they will change the system on his ass so quick. Ask the indians about whiteman and the rules”. For the past 8 years our country has become one of the worst countries to live in for a middle to lower class american. and do you ever think maybe people would not be on welfare if gas wasnt 4 fuckin dollars a gallon. we invade the richest oil country in the world and we dont even take any. at least make your presence in iraq usefull shit. dont let me forget about how expensive grocerys are. bills. homes. buying a feul efficient car. just like you dont want to pay for my girlfriend to recieve medicaid i dont want to pay for a majority of us soldiers to sit on there ass and die for what! some stupid fuckin country that we should have nothing to do with.my father also served in iraq and he is not all about renlisting. here is the problem. noone wants to go to iraq the first time. noone who is excited about that. but if i did and i seen my bunk buddy get his leg blew off or an arm or both i would also want to reenlist. not because i care about the real reason were in iraq but to avenge the death of my fallen brethen. which is what i think the main reason for reenlisting is. but i geuss as long as the defense contracting companies and the military itself ARE MAKING A HUGE PROFIT!!! Paid for by the citezens of this country we will always be at some time or another with are head up another countrys ass. by the way there are lotsof people in jail who got captured! never heard of a hero getting cought but whatever you say. Also did not think that being caught or a pow made you a better president than someone who was smart enough not to go. but enough of this dumb stupid shit. barack for president if not i geuss i can endure 4 more years of a failing economy. rising taxes for the poor and higher gas prices.

  23. I’m voting for John Mcain and Sarah Palin ! There is just something fishy about Obama . I support McCain’s views on abortion, taxes, and his plan for making more jobs available for americans. Obama is a good speaker and has some good points , but I think McCain will take everyones opinions into consideration ,and make the best decisions for our country . As for the war I hope our soldiers can come home as safely and as quickly as possible but I know there is still work to be done ! I really like Sarah she’s down to earth and really relates to the american people,because a lot of our issues in our family she goes through with her own . You have to be a strong woman to have a teen daughter with child , a child with special needs , 3 other children to tend for , the govenor of Alaske ,and still strive to be VP! Thats AWESOME , AND I thin she will do a great job helping lead our country :)

  24. FYI- I’m definately NOT rich BTW STUART! You’re just describing a stereotype—and how do you think some of thses rich people got their wealth? By hard work-that’s all we know around here: HARD WORK. Wake up at 4:30- feed animals, go to work/school & WORK, and then come home feed animals again, and then cook supper and go to bed.

  26. TO BAILEY
    Right now i’m still debating on who to vote so that’s why i decided to read this blog. And you know what this church crap you’re talking about is really pissing me off. First of all who the hell are you to tell people who dont believe in “god ” to move out the country? huh? I’m certainly not an athiest but i do respect people’s opinions. Just because you are christian or whatever the fuck you are doesn’t mean everyone has to have the same believes! This is supposed to be a free country! do you know what FREE means? Does FREEDOM ring a bell in tiny little head? or big head? everyone is free to choose whatever the fuck they like. I know this constitution was founded based on GOD but this God for everyone can represent a different type of God, every religion out there believes in someone, they usually call the different names and all but you know what they still believe! and those people who dont even if they dont doesnt mean they’re sinners but just they dont think of a supernatural being but they do ,and im sure, believe in people. And isn’t that enough? To accept people isn’t that part of your religion? I guess someone is not paying attention. Are you the one passes judgement on people? please GIVE ME A BREAK!
    Instead of pushing your ideas of christianity or whatever worry about yourself first because sweety the way you keep judging everyone might lead you to your so call “hell”
    Oh an another thing Abortion should be people’s own choice.
    I know that that’s killing an innocent life but think about it this way what if that child was the result of a rape? would you want to keep it? and if you do wouldnt that remind you of the rape? There are kids getting abandon every year or less because their parents cant take care of them or personal reason like rape so instead of letting those kids suffer not knowing why GOD gave them such a shitty life, think about abortion being a personal choice. Now dont get me wrong. Once the baby is born, that’s when it should be illegal if the mom or whoever were to kill him/her.
    ok, that’s all.

  27. Hi everyone – I wanted to add my two cents to this debate. I first want to say that, yes, I realize both presidential candidates have their cons, and we should not overlook them. It is best that the American people learn as much as possible about both candidates before we make decisions. What I cannot stand, however, is when people make decisions based on things like religional biases. I am atheist, but I don’t judge a person’s character based on religion. Many of the above persons have said McCain is a downright Christian so that’s a reason to vote for him. This is not fair and should not be considered to be a valid point in the presidential race. I’m not saying that Obama is the better choice here, I’m just saying that religion should not have sway over people’s decisions.

  28. I’m an Obama supporter because I think he has a better plan for America. McCain’s plans (when he finally does say them) have flaws in them. His $5,000 tax credit for health care is essentially robbing peter to pay paul. As far as abortion goes, I think it is up to the individual. If Sarah Palin doesn’t believe in abortion then she doesn’t have to get one. But the moment she imposes her beliefs onto me she crosses the line. Eliminating abortion is irresponsible. If you take away the opportunity to have a safe abortion you force women to do it themselves (with clothes hangers). I think Obama is sticking to the issues rather than attacking his opponents personality (like McCain is doing). Although sometimes I get sick of Obama’s “mudslinging”, McCain is doing far more of it. Recently, McCain has been allowing his supporters to prech hate. When people in his crowds are yelling “off with his (obama’s) head.” and he doesn’t stop it, it rubs me the wrong way.
    Obama/Biden ’08

  29. In response to Bailey:
    Although america was built around the belief in God, times have changed since the 1700′s. Today I believe in the seperation of Church and State. How would you like to watch you mother die of cancer while our brightest scientist cannot practice stem-cell research because the President’s religion will not allow it? If the president, or anyone, wants to go to church,mosque or synogogue, that is there desicion to make, but they should not impose their religious beliefs on othere. Futhermore, over the course of the two canidate’s campaign’s I have noticed a pattern of John McCain using “PR stunts” for a boost in the polls, most recently the suspension of his campaign to go to Washington. Barack Obama has avoided the stunts and focused on the issues. Going as far back as the proposed “gas tax holiday” Obama has stated he would not support it. Sen. Clinton and McCain supported it even though every reputable expert said it wouldn’t work. I saw that as a ploy to get votes by Clinton and McCain.
    On the topic of the war in Iraq, I respect and admire those who serve in the military. However, I think we lost sight of the original goal of eliminating Al-Queda. The War in Iraq was started under false pretexts. Now we are spending $10 billion a month on a project without a clear goal. I have confidence that Obama’s 16 month troop withdrawl plan will minimize the damage and safely hand over the reigns to the Iraqi government. $10 billion a month is too much to spend when our country is so deep in the whole. On a less factual basis, keeping our troops aver there isn’t working, so maybe it’s time to try something new and pull out.
    I tend to think Obama is more intouch with the people and McCain/Palin are more for the “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” attitude. Whoever you vote for on election day, make sure you vote for him for the right reasons. Obama’ color should have no bearing on your desicion. Vote for who you believe will be the best president, whoever that may be.

  30. I have read every post above, all supporting from different angles. I have never followed politics and have just recently decided that its something i should probably know. I agree with many points from the military side, STRONGLY disagree with the religious views, and appreciate those who do give pros and cons for each. Yes, i agree military may be a little bias, but i feel in good reason. Experience would be nice. I leave for basic training mid December. So dont pin me as they military personal who has been there but as someone who is going to be lead by either Mccain or Obama. to all military, COME NOVEMBER 4TH NO MATTER WHO IS IN OFFICE, YOU SUPPORT YOUR COMMANDER IN CHIEF!! it is our job. Although i DO NOT believe that a quick pull of troops is a good idea. do i want my fellow soldiers home safely, yes. but it is something we can not put a timetable on. yes we probably should not be there, but we are. a good plan could get people out slowly and still have a strong presence there. we just need to change our goals in the war. i have always believed that giving my money to welfare is wrong. I can sit here and tell those who apply to get a fucking job. Granted it may not be that easy but i have worked two jobs since i was 17 years old (22 now). It comes down to motivation and that is something this country lacks. The 10% corporate tax cut is bullshit yes, but that is something that will never change. Politics is a business. Big business bring those D.C. mother fuckers money we dont know about. The war on iraq? First of all were in the wrong fucking counrty. Were there for money. Oil and the hope of rebuilding a country,. and for what? to sell it to a rival country? I did love that point about obama and all the celebs. lil bit of a hypocrite if you ask me. I also agree that abortion should be a individuals decision. Rape is a good point. Maybe that person having a child will just create another person on welfare. think about it? and religion? I do not believe in religion. i cant believe in something that started the first wars of civilization. if every country had one religioin, maybe id believe. but all you religious people do is try to convert people like myself to believe in what you believe in. I DO BELIEVE IN GOD. if you really beileve in god, you should be secure enough in your beliefs to know he will back you no matter what you do in your life. Like i said im not an expert on this stuff. i didnt try to make points i couldnt back, just give my opinion on the ones you guys made. If you do look at the pros and cons for both canidates the are relatively the same. the to major differences are taxes and the war. which are obviously HUGE. its a toss up to me. the only thing that has me maybe leaning towards Mccain (by the skin of my teeth), is that i feel Obama has offered way to many fixes for this country. way to may promises. smart to entice voters, but for someone like me i feel as though he may be setting up to dissappoint. you guys understand what you understand, but i hope that hearing from a neutral party opens up some questions about Mccain and Obama. Be easy on me haha, im new. and i apologize for the seperation of points. they came to me when the came to me.

  31. Everyone has there own opinion if we did’nt then we wouldnt have 2 presidents to choose from so why is everyone getting aggrivated because of someone elses opinion ? being rude and calling people names is’nt going to make them change there minds on who they are voting for so just relax ……..

  32. I’m sorry if i have upset anyone…but like everyone else in this blog I was simply stating my opinions and my reason of thought…

  33. ALEXANDRA
    WTG Couldn’t of said it better my self

    Bailey

    Bailey you are mistaken and need to go hit the history books, this country was found on freedom of religion and with an undertone of christianity of course but it was more important to have Freedom of Religion

    “Religion
    Lambert (2003) has examined the religious affiliations and beliefs of the Founders. Some of the 1787 delegates had no affiliation. The others were Protestants except for three Roman Catholics: C. Carroll, D. Carroll, and Fitzsimons. Among the Protestant delegates to the Constitutional Convention, 28 were Episcopalian, eight were Presbyterians, seven were Congregationalists, two were Lutherans, two were Dutch Reformed, and two were Methodists, the total number being 49. Some of the more prominent Founding Fathers were anti-clerical or vocal about their opposition to organized religion, such as Jefferson. Some of them often related their anti-organized church leanings in their speeches and correspondence, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson (who created the “Jefferson Bible”), and Benjamin Franklin. However, notable founders, such as Patrick Henry, were strong proponents of traditional religion. Several of the Founding Fathers considered themselves to be deists or held beliefs very similar to that of deists, including Franklin, Jefferson, and Ethan Allen.[11]
    Although not a religion, Freemasonry was represented in Samuel Adams, John Blair, Benjamin Franklin, James Mchenry, George Washington, Abraham Baldwin, Gunning Bedford, William Blount, David Brearly, Daniel Carroll, Jonathan Dayton, Rufus King, John Langdon, George Read, Roger Sherman, James Madison, Robert Morris, William Paterson, and Charles Pinckney.
    Notwithstanding the spectrum of beliefs held by the Founding Fathers, their speeches indeed contain statements in which they describe religion’s role in molding “national morality” and securing the rule of law (George Washington),[citation needed] its check on human “wickedness” (Benjamin Franklin),[citation needed] and its preservation of a free government such as America (John Adams).[citation needed]
    Jefferson in particular was hostile toward many aspects of contemporary Christianity, writing in a March 13, 1789 letter to Francis Hopkinson “I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent.”
    In correspondence with John Adams, Jefferson wrote that “The whole history of these books [the Gospels] is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills.”[citation needed] In yet another letter, to José Correia da Serra, dated April 11, 1820, Jefferson wrote that: “Priests…dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live.”[12]”

    Basically a lot of them were atheist or didn’t belive in the ways of the Church of England and wished to worship freely so came to the New Land.

    Now the In God We trust crap?

    The motto first appeared on a United States coin in 1864(Nation was independant from 1776), but In God We Trust did not become the official U.S. national motto until after the passage of an Act of Congress in 1956

    ON NATION UNDER GOD:1892
    “I pledge allegiance
    to my flag and the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all.”
    1892 to 1923
    “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation, indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all.”
    1923 to 1924
    “I pledge allegiance
    To the flag of the United States and to the Republic for which it stands: One Nation indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all.”
    1924 to 1954
    “I pledge allegiance
    To the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: One nation, indivisible, With liberty and justice for all.”
    1954 to Present
    “I pledge allegiance
    To the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands: One nation, under God, indivisible, With liberty and justice for all.”

    ANYWAYS End of that jibber jabber

    I Miss the vote by five days sadly i won’t be 18 till Nov 9th but even then I’m on the fence with a lean towards Obama I agree with both canidates on a lot of issues but Obama has some of my bigger issues mentioned. McCain also has some favorable qualities and I definatley agree with him on the fact of troops I believe we still need to be there and finnish up and as soon as Iraq can show they’re mature enough to take off on their own we leave but till hen we have to teach them to crawl before they can walk but thats just my two cents worth Thanks for reading Micah

  35. Oh and one more thing Bailey How about you study the ten commandments and then the 7 Deadly sins and see how much of america is going to hell by your beliefs Here wait I’ll even let you read the seven deadlies here

    Lust (Latin, luxuria)
    Main article: Lust
    Lust (or lechery) is usually thought of as involving obsessive or excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature. Giving in to lusts can lead to sexual or sociological compulsions and/or transgressions including (but obviously not limited to) sexual addiction, adultery, bestiality, rape, and incest.[citations needed] Dante’s criterion was “excessive love of others,” which therefore rendered love and devotion to God as secondary. In “Purgatorio”, the penitent walks within flames to purge himself of lustful/sexual thoughts and feelings.
    [edit]Gluttony (Latin, gula)
    Main article: Gluttony

    “Excess”
    (Albert Anker, 1896)
    Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. In the Christian religions, it is considered a sin because of the excessive desire for food, or its withholding from the needy.[3]
    Depending on the culture, it can be seen as either a vice or a sign of status. Where food is relatively scarce, being able to eat well might be something to take pride in (although this can also result in a moral backlash when confronted with the reality of those less fortunate). Where food is routinely plentiful, it may be considered a sign of self control to resist the temptation to over-indulge.
    Medieval church leaders (e.g., Thomas Aquinas) took a more expansive view of gluttony,[3] arguing that it could also include an obsessive anticipation of meals, and the constant eating of delicacies and excessively costly foods.[4] He went so far as to prepare a list of six ways to commit gluttony, including:
    Praepropere – eating too soon.
    Laute – eating too expensively (washedly).
    Nimis – eating too much.
    Ardenter – eating too eagerly (burningly).
    Studiose – eating too daintily (keenly).
    Forente – eating wildly (boringly).
    [edit]Greed (Latin, avaritia)
    Main article: Greed
    Greed (or avarice, covetousness) is, like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. However, greed (as seen by the church) is applied to the acquisition of wealth in particular. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that greed was “a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things.” In Dante’s Purgatory, the penitents were bound and laid face down on the ground for having concentrated too much on earthly thoughts. “Avarice” is more of a blanket term that can describe many other examples of greedy behavior. These include disloyalty, deliberate betrayal, or treason,[citations needed] especially for personal gain, for example through bribery. Scavenging and hoarding of materials or objects, theft and robbery, especially by means of violence, trickery, or manipulation of authority are all actions that may be inspired by greed. Such misdeeds can include simony, where one profits from soliciting goods within the actual confines of a church.
    [edit]Sloth (Latin, acedia)
    Main article: Sloth (deadly sin)
    More than other sins, the definition of sloth has changed considerably since its original inclusion among the seven deadly sins. In fact it was first called the sin of sadness or despair. It had been in the early years of Christianity characterized by what modern writers would now describe as melancholy: apathy, depression, and joylessness — the last being viewed as being a refusal to enjoy the goodness of God and the world he created. Originally, its place was fulfilled by two other aspects, acedia and sadness. The former described a spiritual apathy that affected the faithful by discouraging them from their religious work. Sadness (tristitia in Latin) described a feeling of dissatisfaction or discontent, which caused unhappiness with one’s current situation. When Thomas Aquinas selected acedia for his list, he described it as an “uneasiness of the mind”, being a progenitor for lesser sins such as restlessness and instability. Dante refined this definition further, describing sloth as being the “failure to love God with all one’s heart, all one’s mind and all one’s soul.” He also described it as the middle sin, and as such was the only sin characterised by an absence or insufficiency of love. In his “Purgatorio”, the slothful penitents were made to run continuously at top speed.
    The modern view of the vice, as highlighted by its contrary virtue of zeal or diligence, is that it represents the failure to utilize one’s talents and gifts. For example, a student who does not work beyond what is required (and thus fails to achieve his or her full potential) could be labeled slothful.
    Current interpretations are therefore much less stringent and comprehensive than they were in medieval times, and portray sloth as being more simply a sin of laziness or indifference, of an unwillingness to act, an unwillingness to care (rather than a failure to love God and his works). For this reason sloth is now often seen as being considerably less serious than the other sins, more a sin of omission than of commission.
    The sloth, a South American mammal, was named after this sin by Roman Catholic explorers.
    [edit]Wrath (Latin, ira)
    Main article: Wrath
    Wrath (or anger) may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. These feelings can manifest as vehement denial of the truth, both to others and in the form of self-denial, impatience with the procedure of law, and the desire to seek revenge outside of the workings of the justice system (such as engaging in vigilantism)[citations needed] and generally wishing to do evil or harm to others. The transgressions borne of vengeance are among the most serious, including murder, assault, and in extreme cases, genocide. Wrath is the only sin not necessarily associated with selfishness or self-interest (although one can of course be wrathful for selfish reasons, such as jealousy, closely related to the sin of envy). Dante described vengeance as “love of justice perverted to revenge and spite”. In its original form, the sin of wrath also encompassed anger pointed internally rather than externally. Thus suicide was deemed as the ultimate, albeit tragic, expression of wrath directed inwardly, a final rejection of God’s gifts.
    [edit]Envy (Latin, invidia)
    Main article: Envy
    Like greed, envy may be characterized by an insatiable desire; they differ, however, for two main reasons. First, greed is largely associated with material goods, whereas envy may apply more generally. Second, those who commit the sin of envy resent that another person has something they perceive themselves as lacking, and wish the other person to be deprived of it. Dante defined this as “love of one’s own good perverted to a desire to deprive other men of theirs.” In Dante’s Purgatory, the punishment for the envious is to have their eyes sewn shut with wire, because they have gained sinful pleasure from seeing others brought low. Aquinas described envy as “sorrow for another’s good”. [1]
    [edit]Pride (Latin, superbia)

    Vanitas with her mirror. Painting by Titian, c. 1515
    Main article: Pride
    In almost every list pride (or hubris or vanity) is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and indeed the ultimate source from which the others arise. It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to give compliments to others though they may be deserving of them,[citation needed] and excessive love of self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God). Dante’s definition was “love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one’s neighbor.” In Jacob Bidermann’s medieval miracle play, Cenodoxus, pride is the deadliest of all the sins and leads directly to the damnation of the titulary famed Parisian doctor. In perhaps the best-known example, the story of Lucifer, pride (his desire to compete with God) was what caused his fall from Heaven, and his resultant transformation into Satan. Vanity and narcissism are prime examples of this sin. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, the penitent were forced to walk with stone slabs bearing down on their backs in order to induce feelings of humility.

  36. after reading baileys “argument” I couldn’t disagree more with her, and her view on why everyone should vote for MacCain. Did she not have history class in high school?? This country was built by immigrants from all over the world (different religions). These immigrants came to this country because of the religious freedom America offered. Even though the American constitution mentioned “God”, it was created to evolve in time. The Constitution was not ment to be a set of rules we all have to live by (permenant), but rather a guidence for us. (Thats why over the years we have added ammendments to the constituion). Because times did change!! The troops are not in Iraq/ afghanistan to change the countries believe, they are there to fight for our freedom! The freedom you took to write a blog! I am also a christian and believe in God. But i also believe that a woman/girl should have the chance of abortion. What would you do if you were raped, and kept the baby?? Could you love the baby, it may look like the rapist! I could not. That is the reason why religion should not interfer with politics.
    In the upcoming election every body has the chance to vote (over 18) and I think that its alright you voiced your opinion, but please stay with the facts!!!! Alex you rock!!!

  40. Amanda: you ain’t kidding! I get more comments to be approved daily for this article. All I did was sum up my opinions about one article, too. O_o

  41. I think that if people have a hard time deciding on who to vote for (demicratic vs. republican), just vote for the GREEN PARTY.

    Also, peopl should not be so narrow minded. My mom says that she’s voting for McCain just because he is a REPUBLICAN, WRONG! We should serioully consider what BOTH sides have to offer, and make our choice as a group of people that want to HELP out country!

  42. Thank you Charlotte, I have been arguing with my class over that EXACT subject. Relign is a CHOICE, then again so is sex (or how ever a woman came to getting that baby (ies). We have a CHOICE of abortion. I thought that was what freedom stood for, CHOICES. Abortion is a CHOICE and Palin will taking that freedom away from us.

    I say this because of McCain’s age. If he were to die, Palin would be in charge. My sister and I talked and talked about this, even if abortion does became illegal woman will still do it. Just like drugs. Drugs are illegal, but people do it anyway. I think by the time our new president comes, our country will have built even MORE jails.

  43. Abortion is a choice and it’s the wrong one. I can’t judge anyone for thinking about having an abortion because there are many mixed up thoughts that go along with that possible decision. But people who say I deserve the right to make that decision um ok fine, doesn’t that baby have a right too! What makes the adult about to have the abortion have more rights than the baby. They both should have the same rights! Right? They’re both human right? So they both have so called HUMAN RIGHTS! Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. YEAH? To the people who think abortion should be legal I ask why? Just because someone has intercourse doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get pregnant. So what happens that you do become pregnant. One tiny sperm fertilizes the egg, ONE! AMAZING, only ONE! out of millions. It seems like that would be a pretty good chance you’d get pregnant everytime you had sex but that’s not the case. ONE and only ONE can do it out of MILLIONS. So when it does happen no matter what the circumstances it’s a miracle. The life created is the miracle part. If you don’t feel like you could LOVE that child because it was from a rape or incest or other HORRIBLE situation then that is your FEELING, that doesn’t make the child any less than a HUMAN LIFE! If a child is born as a result of rape or incest does that make the child less deserving of LOVE. The parent may not be able to give it LOVE but someone can and should. What if you were that child would you want to be LOVED, umm YES! What if you were the one raped and had to face the decision of aborting the pregancy that resulted. You’re probably asking why me? You want to be LOVED too! Well that’s why we have laws to tell us what we can and can not do. Laws that can prevent you from making a mistake. People who don’t necessarily see the miracle of LIFE might be caught up in the EMOTION of the situation that caused this unwanted pregnancy and if there wasn’t a law prohibiting it make a decision that later down the road they look back and regret. Because I think that’s what happens with so many abortions they are so caught up in the BAGGAGE of this horrible experience that they don’t see the MIRACLE that has resulted. Is it there fault that this experience hangs over them and the pregnancy is a constant reminder? No of course not. WE SHOULD HAVE FECILITIES READY AND AVAILABLE TO HELP THESE PEOPLE, NO MATTER THE COST! SHAME ON US IF WE DON’T HELP OUR NEIGHBORS WHO ARE HURTING! What we need is more TRUTH not BELIEFS in this country. There are a lot of beliefs but only one TRUTH.

  44. I wanted to read pros and cons on Obama and Mccain that was not bias. I dislike Bush, but I just wanted a website that really showed me what these two candidates stood for. Not someone trying to persuade me.

  45. Wow…this has been a test for me that I am doing for school- and I have proved one thing right. I am not going to say what it is or anything but I just cannot believe the “blind” people out there in the world.

    PS You people make me sick. You should be ashamed of yourselves! I know history but more importantly I know GOD. YES GOD!!! I know that in my heart the GOD will make everything right if we just ask and believe. If you do wrong then you can just live with it now until Judgement Day, which will come whether you want it to or not. Start praying now or be forever condemned. This is my last post which will relieve 99% of you, but instead of reading and attacking. think about what each person has written and think “Is this morally right or wrong?” “Will this blow up in your face in the end?”

    I want to thank each and every person that has posted their beliefs and opinions for my article. This will truly be an article that everyone will read.

  46. wow, you haven’t done your research on the candidate you support. If you can only find one con with Obama, it is obvious that you don’t know what you are writing about. Regardless of who you support, there are more cons than just one single con. I would have to consider you an “uneducated voter”. I have read about both candidates’ plans and I can find a lot of problems with the both of them. nobody is perfect. When I see that kind of bias I just loose all respect and any chance you might of had for me to consider you a rational thinking person.

  47. I understand people are touchy on religion, but give Bailey a break. She is merely showing her views, just like all of you are. It’s fine if you disagree, but name calling is unacceptable and you should know that. Let’s go back to high school and relearn all of that. Give your opinion in a nice, learned, RESPECTABLE, manner, and maybe people will listen to you more and read what you have to say.

  48. Bailey if in reference to me I’m not morally wrong nor right technically I stated facts of history and YOUR bible which by the way Contridicts itself multiple times I believe that religions limit people and are used to control the masses I was raised christian and choose not to worship anything but I didn’t slander you I was just agitated that you tried to bring that into the debate with false information as well as condeming obama supporters

  49. wow, you haven’t done your research on the candidate you support.

    Obviously, John, you didn’t actually read my article, because I clearly state in it:

    these pros and cons are taken only from what I read in that particular article, and do not take into account McCain’s or Obama’s views on abortion, nationalized healthcare, the teaching of creationism or intelligent design in schools, concealed carry laws, or any other topic not mentioned in the article

    This article was not intended to be a full summary of all possible pros and cons for either candidate, but only a summary of the pros and cons as listed in the Newsday article.

  50. Its going to come down to speaking ability. Mccains boring. People (not everyone, but more then there should be) care about the media part of the election, not the facts. its a shame.