Notes From the Road

Sat Nam everyone!

Since my last post on the election I received a comment that I wanted to respond to, posted by a good friend who stated that there is not much difference between McCain and Obama and therefore he is planning to vote for Nader. I strongly disagree, and urge this friend to vote for Obama. I believe that in this election every single vote counts and is crucial to changing very basic policies of our current administration which have been very damaging to our country. Especially in my state of New Mexico, where Bush won by only 5,000 votes in 2004, this conversation couldn't be more crucial.

McCain's position on the economay is to essentially continue the policies of the Bush administration. As we have seen recently with major financial institutions collapsing these policies have reeked havoc on our country. In addition the basic Republican trickle down affect just isn't working, where taxes for the wealthy are cut, and everyone else pays more. Obama is talking about raising taxes for the wealthy, which includes 5% of the population. This is a huge difference in policy. Obama sees that by empowring the middle class and supporting them, that our economy will get better. I agree with him. This is what Clinton did, and we had a balanced budget during his administration.

For health insurance, Obama plans to implement universal health care. I have travelled to other countries that have this system in place, and it is vastly more humane then our current health insurance programs. McCain has no plan to improve the health care system, and there are many people who are not covered either because they have gotten sick and no insurance company will cover them, or they simply can't afford it. In our day and age, this is unacceptable to me.

On the environment, McCain talks about off shore oil drilling, and drilling in the wilderness of Alaska as solutions. With increased hurricanes due to global warming, offshore oil drilling is a terrible idea. We have already caused enough damage to our oceans, and to set up offshore oil rigs in areas where hurricanes are known to come is unthinkable to me. Obama is instead talking about creating industry around solar and wind that will create more jobs for Americans, and create energy independence. Certainly with a growing industry, we will also experience more awareness about our energy use habits, which will change how people think and act. With the continuation of the Bush policies, we will be much more challenged to change the public thinking, as there is little or no openess to support education, or insentivise change. For example, there is a Federal program to give people who set up solar systems $2,000 back in their taxes that is expiring this year due to the Bush adminstration policies, which McCain fully supports.

In terms of our international relations and war, McCain supports the Bush doctrine, justifying pre-emptive strikes. We have damaged our relations with countries all over the world with this. Obama on the other hand is much more aggressive in holding diplomatic talks before we strike a particular country. He also sees the value of peace and will work to bring stabilization to our world.

In addition, I have personally seen over the past eight years, huge cuts in education. The first things to go are always the arts and music programs in schools. This is happening all over the country. Arts and music are essential for child development, and in my opinion for creating an open heart and connection to Spirit. I'd like to see not only these crucial music and arts programs re-instated, but also education in schools about how we as humans can become stewards of the planet. I see this possible with Obama, with McCain it will be much more challenging with little or no federal support.

Back in 2000 when Gore ran for president, I believe that Ralph Nader took away crucial votes from Gore. I believe that if Gore had been elected president, our financial system would be much stronger then it is today, our health care system would be much better, and the policies in regards to our environment would be much more progressive. In this election we face the same challenge. By voting for Ralph Nader, you are essentially voting for McCain. And although I support the formation of other parties, too much is at stake here to not vote for Obama if you wish to live in a country that looks to the future rather then the past.