My 2008 Issues Scorecard

I'm going down the list at http://www.issues2008.com/ and keeping an ongoing scorecard for my first round of political ...er, commentating. Bear with me.

Abortion

I agree with Obama. Women should be trusted to make their own decisions and emphasis should be put on education and preventative measures, no matter how young or old a woman is. McCain voted against education and contraception for teens. That's terrible. I do agree with McCain though that partial-birth abortions should be banned. A decision regarding a woman and a family's well-being should be made WAY before a baby is old enough to be born if you're going to go the other way. That is murder, any way you slice it.

Budget and Spending

I agree with Obama. What's this about taking an ax to spending? Take it from a person who's worked under "spending freeze" conditions for more than two years - this is a HORRIBLE idea. It doesn't take into account what might/will happen during the freeze that might require some spending to get better. When you cut EVERYTHING then you're cutting the good with the bad and the situation just gets worse. The scalpel method, rather, should be used to cut in places where we can stand to see programs go - not where they need to remain, like health care and education.

Civil Rights

Both candidates, not surprisingly, support rights for women and minorities. That's not what I'd like to talk about here. I do want to say, who knows more about the need for equality than a person who is both black and white? Plus, I think electing Obama would speak to the progress America has made over the years. Not voting for him simply because he is black even though he is obviously intelligent and capable, which many people will do this election, is everything against what this country has been working for in recent decades. And what's with people using his middle name to refer to him as a terrorist even though he is a Christian and not (check the records) from the Middle East? And what's with people yelling things like "Kill him" at McCain/Palin rallies? Get your people/lynch mob under control for God's sake.