Obama: Genuine Change American Needs

While many students cannot vote yet, the future of their lives will be deeply affected no matter who the president is. The United States cannot afford to suffer any more at the hands of poor leadership, especially during the current economic crisis. We need a president who truly represents the country’s needs and interests and can readily address its challenges. The candidate who can best do this is Senator Barack Obama.

From his views on the economic crisis to his stance on the environment, it is obvious that Obama, not Senator John McCain, is what this country needs.

Judgement
Unlike his opponent, Barack Obama has proven time and again that he possesses the good judgement that the president needs. Obama has remained firm in his stance against the war in Iraq, shown by his voting against the invasion during his time in the Senate. His foresight is also evident in his warnings two years ago about the subprime mortgage crisis.

McCain’s claim of being the original “maverick” cannot be backed up by the history of McCain’s service in the government. By voting with President Bush over 90 percent of the time, McCain has proven himself to be the exact opposite of a “maverick.”

Economy
With the nation’s stock market experiencing the largest point drop in the history of the United States, Obama is focused on making changes that the United States desperately needs.

Unlike McCain’s plan, Obama’s does not give tax cuts to the wealthy and instead cuts taxes for 95 percent of Americans. These tax cuts will give welcome relief to people who need it most. By allowing the middle class to save money on taxes, the “fundamentals of our economy” that McCain recently called “strong” will be able to recover. McCain’s plan will give tax cuts to the wealthiest five percent. The rich will get richer, while the middle and lower classes suffer through a full-blown depression.

Environment/Energy
Barack Obama has stated that his is committed to investing $150 billion over the next 10 years to help create a cleaner future for the United States. According to Obama’s official website, greenhouse emissions will be cut down 80 percent by the year 2050 and 1 million houses will be powered by wind power. Over five million “green collar jobs” will be available for Americans.

McCain’s campaign and energy plan has mostly focused on offshore drilling and nuclear power. He voted against an attempt last year to extend investment tax credit around solar and wind energy projects, and also wants to build 45 nuclear power plants; although it does not emit any greenhouse gases, he has no plan for long-term waste storage. Obama’s plan however, emphasizes the importance of developing new technology for storage of nuclear wastes before expanding nuclear power.

In the vice presidential debate, Governor Sarah Palin told the world that she does not believe that global warming is caused by human beings. However, she thinks that the campaign can still help the problem.  If the problem is not manmade, the question must be asked: “How can we fix something that we have no part in or understand?”

Conclusion
Overall, Barack Obama and Joe Biden are without a doubt the people who will bring the reforms to Washington that we need so desparately. The country simply cannot afford to suffer another four years of the Bush administration, and McCain’s long record has shown he is essentially no different from the current administration. McCain and Palin claim to want change and reform in Washington, but with the same polices and the same staff Bush used, change is nowhere to be seen on the Republican ticket.