WHY TAKE THE CHANCE?

Do people really stop to think? Are they ready to turn the Presidency of the United States, perhaps the most important leadership position in the world, over to a man who carries a suspicious amount of negative baggage? Consider the following: His father was a Muslim and Barrack spent a part of his youth in Muslim surroundings and was evidently a Muslim until converting to Christianity under the auspices of the nation hating Jeremiah Wright. His close association with 1960's unrepentant members of the militant weathermen. His friendship with some of the corrupt Chicago wheeler and dealers. It's possible that none of this has affected Obama, but are we really ready to take the chance? Once he occupies the Oval Office, it will be difficult to correct the mistake, so why take the chance?

HEALTH INSURANCE

Over and over I hear various talking heads state that there are 46 milliuon Americans without
health insurance. Where did this figure come from? Is it an actual figure, or is it a figure dreamed up by someone in the past, and constant repetition has given it credibility? If it is an actual, legitimate figure, how was it arrived at? How does one go about determining how many
people are without health insurance? I suppose one way would be to add up all the people with such insurance and subtract them from the total population. Anyway, the 46 million figure has been kicking around long enough that the figure is suspect. How does it manage to remain constant, when everything else changes for one reason or another?

PROPER BUSINESS OF A UNIVERSITY

The philosopher, John Stuart Mill, writing in the 19th Century, provided a statement on university education, that should be required reading, and absorption by all of today's college
professors. It is as follows:
"The proper business of a university," Mill wrote, "is to give us information and training, and help us to form our own belief in a manner worthy of intelligent beings, who seek for truth at all hazards, and demand to know all the difficulties, in order that they may be better qualified to find, or recognize the most satisfactory mode of resolving them."

THE NON BELIEVERS

As I recall it has been said that we could not operate under a parliamentary system because our political parties are not strong enough. The recent problems with the Democratic Party belie
this as people who should know better throw their support to Barack Obama even when it is
obvious that they don't really believe in him. The most glaring example of this are the Clintons,
husband and wife, who when push comes to shove, put their recent glaring criticisms of Obama
aside in the interest of the party, even though I'm sure they do not believe it's in the national
interest.

WHOSE IN WHOSE POCKET?

The Obama camp has accused McCain of being in the pocket of Big Oil, but when it comes to campaign contributions the employees of Exxon have contributed $42, 100 to Obama and to
McCain $35, 166. In addition the 2005 Energy act which among other things, gave Big Oil
large tax breaks, was supported by Senator Barack Obama, while Senator John McCain voted
against it.

ARE WE READY?

I don't think the country is ready for a black president. Until we are able to put racial separation behind us a black president will be the problem rather than a possible solution to what are perceived as the nations ills. White people will believe he is doing too much for those of his own race, and black people will believe he is not doing enough. This introduces a new factor into presidential politics. I watch blacks and whites state, rather despairingly, on talk shows that there must be an honest and open dialogue between blacks and whites, before we can settle down into a color blind nation. Unfortunately, the great bulk of the black population, and the white population, carry racial baggage that will be difficult, if not impossible to set aside.

VOTING

I know a person, a registered Democrat, who has said that he prefers a Democrat, but votes for the best person for the job, regardless of party. This presidential election he has the opportunity to put that statement into play. He has indicated that he will not vote for Obama, and thus will not vote at all. This is wrong. If he does not in fact, want Obama to be President of the United States, he should vote for McCain, otherwise, by not voting at all, he is casting a vote for Obama, because he has denied McCain a vote, which indirectly favors Obama. If a person refrains from voting because he cannot stomach the candidate of his party, he should cross party lines and vote for an alternate, rather than not vote at all. The national good transcends the political parties, and the party affiliation should be set aside in the interests of the nation.