Deciding who will best take the reins as President of the United States is not easy. In 2004, I had no problem deciding who to vote for. Though I do consider myself more of a Republican than a Democrat, I can't stand George Bush. I think he is bad for peace, bad for prosperity, and bad in upholding the "American dream." He embarrasses me.So voting for Kerry was a no-brainer. Want to know the others I've voted for? I'll tell you. I'm OK with the grief you might give me.... In order: Bush (88), Perot (92), Clinton (96), Gore (00), Kerry (04). Don't look like a Republican, do I? Maybe I'm not. But I do lean toward a laissez-faire economic stance.
Now, in 2008, I find myself in a different situation. I need help. I don't know who to vote for. I'd like your feedback. Really. And you don't have to make it public. You can write to me wendy @ wlcenterprises . com. Or you can call me. I sincerely want feedback and input to help me make up my mind.
I have decided that I'll put my cards on the table in this blog. Most certainly I'll say too much. Without doubt I'll be uninformed (about lots of issues). I'm sure I'll be too brief on points that really should be more robustly presented, but this post will likely be too long anyway. There's time to flesh it out....
Here are my cards:
Energy - I want solar energy to be an ambitious national priority (with no borders on where the technologies are sourced). I want whoever wins to raise the bar and commit to a 100% solar power grid in the US before the end of 2019. A proclamation like this, with investment and focus, will do for solar energy what JFK's commitment to go to the moon did for the space race. Achievement in this will facilitate every other category below. We can lead the world in this. We must lead the world in this.
Human Rights - Food, clothes, shelter, education and health care in a non-violent environment; these are what I consider to be basic human rights. Why? Well, those are the things I "expected" to get when I was born. My parents were able to give them to me. In the US and across the globe, these basic needs are not being met. I want a President to put them on a high priority and get them right.
Peace - I have a theory that happy humans are generally peaceful humans. I also believe that if human rights are being met that people will generally be happy. So I want the US to affect human rights (domestic and international) on an equal footing to the things we affect that impact our "national interest." Defending our national interest seems to get us into "justifiable" wars whereas defending human rights abuse seems to not be worth our effort. This is wrong. I want a President who involves us in both. (Note: "National interest" mostly equals oil/energy today. Make the switch to solar and that will change.)
Health - I want everyone to be able to see a doctor and to get the medicine, treatment, or surgery that they need, but (and this is important) I want a competitive supplier environment. I do not want a centralised, government run provider.
Religion - I want religion out of politics. It has no place there. Every person should live according to the principles and morals they hold dear, but principles and morals are (should be) mutually exclusive from religion. There is no reason to justify a principle or moral stance with a religious viewpoint. I want a President who will just be true to themselves and leave religion out of it.
Economy - Greed and growth have a lot to account for the current economic situation. We Americans (generally) live beyond our means. We (individuals and companies) borrow more than we can pay back. We buy more than we can afford. We need to stop. That said, I don't want a President to intervene, I want the market to discourage it naturally (this is that laissez-faire part coming out). I do want Congress to pass laws that protect people from cheats. I do want regulations that make wrongdoing wrong. But I don't want the government to enable greedy, growth-at-all-cost companies and greedy, debt-ridden individuals to be able to mitigate their risk by counting on government subsidies and government protection and government bail-outs (bankruptcy et al). Make them accountable. Make us all accountable.
Taxes - Presidents ask Congress to spend, so really it is Congress who I need to address here. However, I want a President who will propose that we spend money wisely. Who will advocate and champion zero-based budgeting in Congress. Who will approach Congress for money with thought and careful consideration. Who will outsource activities that should be outsourced (spurring the economy) and who will resource the internal affairs efficiently and responsibly. We (the tax payers) are "shareholders" in this "company." We will happily invest capital and operating costs to support our needs. We will even be charitable to those that need it (social programs and international investments). We just want efficiency. All that said, and I still bet we can simplify the tax and spend system and be more efficient (i.e. cut taxes).
OK - that's all. I want responses. I want your opinions. I want you to tell me about the topics that I haven't brought up. I want to know who you think I should vote for. Now you know what's important to me, maybe you have a recommendation?
