Barack Obama

Barack Obama may seem like a good candidate to some, but I see some fairly serious problems with his announcement today of a $200 billion job-creating bill. First, he said that the money would come from ending the Iraq war, but didn't really give a timetable that I'm aware of. In other words, when he gets into office and realizes what everyone else in government knows - that immediate withdrawal from Iraq could easily end up killing thousands of Iraqis who had help the US - he won't withdraw for a long time, possibly not until the end of his Presidency. I wholeheartedly believe that even the Congressmen who are most hotly opposed to the war in Iraq wouldn't withdraw troops if the sole responsibility for the consequences rested upon them. If we withdrew and Iraqis died as a result and Al Qaeda sets up a new home there, it will be the end of the political career of the responsible parties. In other words, there is no and will not be any freed-up $200 billion with which to do do this.

Second, I doubt anyone feels that Washington isn't spending enough money. Even if the war ended, it would be best if the money could be taken from another source. Think about it, where did Bush get the money for the war. It either came from deficit spending or balancing the budget. I would assume that it was a combination of the two. While a war always causes a boost in deficit spending, which seems to always stimulate an economy, I'd bet that most economists feel that it would be unwise to continue that kind of spending indefinitely. So, instead of moving money from the war over to this project, find somewhere else to get it.

Finally, at least part of this idea, maybe all of it, was meant to make jobs that research and manufacture "green" products. Personally, I'm all for saving the environment, but when it becomes cheaper to use solar power and the technology is reliable enough that it doesn't take hours of time or hundreds of dollars to maintain, everyone will jump on that wagon anyways. In a way, the intense rise of gas prices over the past few years has done more to further research into energy efficiency than any other single event. Why? Because suddenly alternate fuels and more efficient usage became profitable. I bet that hundreds of hybrids have been sold because of the price at the pump, not because "I'm saving the world." Why not let the current trends continue? There is progress being made now.

To end this entry, this idea isn't my only problem with Barack Obama and there are a few things I love about him. He does seem a little naive when it comes to foreign policy, but I feel that could be easily managed with a good Cabinet and advisers. I don't think his level of experience should be an issue, because he has a vision for the country, and I feel that is what counts. Also, his views on public education are spectacular. In one of his ads, he said that we need to realize that the home shares the blame with public schools for the poor education in the US. Working with school-age children, I wholeheartedly agree. In short, if Gladys and McCain aren't on the final ballot, or if Mike Huckabee is McCain's VP, I'll vote for Barack. Vote for Gladys.