Stormy World Approaching

Life seems so tumultuous these days. With the depressing state of the United States' political structure and the ever crumbling foundation of the economy, no one knows for sure where we will be in the next few years. Will we continue on our downward spiral fall into the abyss? Or shall we rise above our struggles and remain one of the greatest countries in the world?

I almost regret to say that I have no hopes for a better future. I wish that there was a softer way to say this but I am going to have to spit it out any way I can. I believe that no matter the man or woman that is elected, the changes that we are promised will not come. Senator McCain is basically an older version of our current President and I expect no changes coming from him. Senator Clinton and Senator Obama cannot give the people of the United States concise ways on how they plan to change the things that are failing.

Bring Our Troops Home

As stated on http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/ , Senator Barack Obama's plan for withdrawing the troops from Iraq.

Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.

On Senator Clinton's website http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/iraq/ , her plan for troop withdraw from Iraq is such:

The most important part of Hillary's plan is the first: to end our military engagement in Iraq's civil war and immediately start bringing our troops home. As president, one of Hillary's first official actions would be to convene the Joint Chiefs of Staff, her Secretary of Defense, and her National Security Council. She would direct them to draw up a clear, viable plan to bring our troops home starting with the first 60 days of her Administration. She would also direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to prepare a comprehensive plan to provide the highest quality health care and benefits to every service member -- including every member of the National Guard and Reserves -- and their families.

Personally, I think that Senator Clinton has no real plan. In fact, her plan is to make a plan.

Taken from John McCain's website: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/fdeb03a7-30b0-4ece-8e34-4c7ea...
He has no plans on removing our troops. In fact, he will be continuing what President Bush leaves of when he is out of office. He plans to continue searching for members of the elusive al Qaeda.

A direct quote from Senator McCain on his website:

"In Iraq our national security interests and our national values converge. Iraq is truly the test of a generation, for America and for our role in the world. Faced with similar challenges, previous generations of Americans have passed such tests with honor. It is now our turn to demonstrate that our power, ennobled by our principles, is the greatest force for good on earth today. Iraq's transformation into a secure democracy and a force for freedom in the greater Middle East is the calling of our age. We can succeed."

A few questions I wish I could ask Senator McCain personally is: Why does our generation need a test that maims, breaks, destroys, and kills so many? Why does our generation need a war to prove ourselves? Are we not honorable without killing others? Is it truly necessary to flex our muscles and force our power on other like cultural rape?

Internal Struggles

What do the candidates plan to do for the issues that affect on a smaller level - National? what do they plan to do about women being beaten by their boyfriends and husbands on a daily basis? What are their plans on education?

What do our candidates plan to do to fix the crumbling bridges that are scattered across the nation, ready to fall out from underneath unsuspecting motorists?

On the issue of education, Senator John McCain plans to "pursue reforms that address the underlying cultural problems in our education system - a system that still seeks to avoid genuine accountability and responsibility for producing well-educated children.

John McCain will place parents and children at the center of the education process, empowering parents by greatly expanding the ability of parents to choose among schools for their children. He believes all federal financial support must be predicated on providing parents the ability to move their children, and the dollars associated with them, from failing schools."

It seems like a good plan but I have my doubts. I believe that things will not change with Senator McCain despite what he claims.

As for Senator Obama, his stance on education agrees that the No Child Left Behind Law was a good law and it was based on a good ideal. But the law had no adequate funding behind it. And though the law was established, about 6 million middle- and high school students read below their grade level and mathematic and science grades were drastically lower than they were expected to be. Obama plans to redirect funds towards the education system and he plans to Recruit, Prepare, Retain, and Reward accredited, capable teachers.

Senator Clinton's plans for the education system are to first end No Child Left Behind. She also plans to redirect funds as well as cut down on energy costs by going "Green." She wants to hire more counselors to mentor at-risk children. She wants to invest $100 million in a new public/private summer internship program.

Now this sounds all good and well but Senator Clinton has nothing to replace the No Child Left Behind Law. No Child Left Behind is a good idea it just doesn't have the funds.

Civil Rights - Remember the Past

Barack Obama said in his speech at Howard University on September 28, 2007,

“The teenagers and college students who left their homes to march in the streets of Birmingham and Montgomery; the mothers who walked instead of taking the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry and cleaning somebody else's kitchen — they didn't brave fire hoses and Billy clubs so that their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren would still wonder at the beginning of the 21st century whether their vote would be counted; whether their civil rights would be protected by their government; whether justice would be equal and opportunity would be theirs. . . . We have more work to do.”

As stated on Senator Hillary Clinton's official website,

"When it comes to each woman's ability to make the most personal of life decisions, Hillary has stood firm as an advocate for a woman's right to choose. She has expanded access to family planning services, including for low-income women. She spoke out forcefully against the Supreme Court's April 2007 decision that -- for the first time in decades -- failed to recognize the importance of women's health.

Hillary has worked to empower women throughout the world, especially low-income women. She has advocated for access to microfinance programs that enable women to start their own businesses and spoken out strongly against the tragic practice of sex trafficking.

As president, Hillary will continue her lifelong fight to ensure that all Americans are treated with respect and dignity."

Senator McCain failed to address Civil Rights at all on his official website.

Economic Stature

All candidates spoke of cutting taxes and helping the middle class but I just want to ask the question: what about the low class citizens?

In The End...

I guess that I am pessimistic about the future of our government. I believe that all things must come to an end, and like the great civilizations before us, Rome, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece, if we too do not change then we will perish.

I don't want to yell "Repent! Repent!" But I do want to say: something needs to change. Be it political, economical, or human. Something needs to affect us, the people of the United States of America and the people of the World, so that we will stand up, vote, and say, "We want freedom and we want it now!"

Stop the storm.