I am going to vote tomorrow

I am not, and don't pretend to be a die-hard political follower. I have watched all of the debates and done some reading trying to best educate myself on this important election. I am scared for our country because it feels as though we are reaching rock-bottom. No one can predict what is going to happen in the next 4 or 8 years. All that we can do is inform ourselves in the best way that we can and make the best decision that we can. Everyone keeps saying that there is no good candidate and that neither one of them is a good choice, but the reality is that one of them is going to be our next president so we might as well give our input into who it will be.

It scares the heck out of me that John McCain could be elected, mostly because of his age and the fact that he has Sarah Palin as his running mate. That decision is one that I will never understand. I don't like the guy, but that I could put aside. I am not sure if Obama's plans for the economy will work, but I don't feel that McCain's will either. The republican ideal of creating breaks at the top and hoping it will trickle down has not worked for 8 years and I don't think it will work now. People complain about money being taken away from those that have. Is that fair-no probably not, but is it also fair to help the poor become poorer? That helps no one. If someone is profiting $250,000 a year either in their personal income or in their business, it is not going to hurt them to pay a little more in taxes. Is it fair that someone who makes $250,000 a year is taxed at a higher percentage? No, of course not. But it is worse to be squeezing taxes out of someone who makes $40,000 who has to make decisions about whether to buy food or medicine for their family.

I absolutely agree that people should not be allowed to sit around and do nothing and still draw a government assistance check. I absolutely believe that there need to be stipulations put on that government assistance. I believe that people need to help themselves. But, the tragedy of poverty is that it is like a big, heavy, wet blanket that continually weighs you down. I have worked with many families over the years that I have seen under this blanket. It is a sad situation, and many of them were families who would do anything to be given a break along the way. The middle class is slowly inching their way further and further down toward poverty. My husband and I make a decent income together, but it is sad to me that it is almost impossible even with our income for us to afford for me to stay home with our yet-to-be-born child. I would give anything for that privilege. We don't live beyond our means, but the cost-of-living is such that it requires both of us to work to support ourselves. I know many familes just like us that are in the same situation.

I think carefully each day about my car routes so that I can monitor my gas consumption. I sometimes don't make trips because it is not worth what it would cost me in gas. What is an inconvenience for me, becomes a rock-and-a-hard-place decision for those less fortunate. It seems to me that off-shore drilling is a temporary solution to a long-term problem. What happens when those run out? We need to invest our time and money into alternative fuels that will be more cost-effective for our country, reduce our independence on foreign oil, and help our environment. I want this world to still be a beautiful place when my babies grow up.

I like that Obama says he will look at the national budget line-by-line. I KNOW that there are things out there that we are spending money on that are wasteful. Going through that with a fine-toothed comb or a "scalpel" to use his word is something that neeeds to be done.

As I have said, I don't pretend to know it all, but I have tried to make the best decision with what I have been given. That is all that you can ask of anyone. I have made my decision, and I hope and pray that it is the right one. I realize that I have likely opened a can of worms with my post, but I respect your opinion, please respect mine.