Healthcare Issue: What's Your Take?

Today everyone seems to have a take on health care. Hillary Clinton was universal health care but seems to want to make it mandatory that every US citizen has some sort of health insurance. Barack Obama is also for universal health care but is against making such insurance mandatory. Senator John McCain has today said that he does not want "big government" health care and that he wants families to make health care related decisions not our lovely government. The bottom line is that Americans need health care right now. With gas prices soaring, uninsured Americans will find it even more difficult to pay hospital bills in the future. However, universal health care will not come cheap. Taxes will of course raise to offset the money the government will be pouring into this system. After all, take a look at Canada and expect slightly similar results here in America. The bottom line is that we are in debt right now and universal health care is not going to do very much to reduce our deficits to say the very least. We need to balance the pros and cons and determine whether or not universal health care is worth implementing. May I also mention, universal health care equals higher gas prices, which in turn means higher everything else. With this in mind, what's your take?

The Clinton Ploy

Hillary Clinton is making it known that she will not be giving up her bid to become the next President of the US. She will ultimately be relying on the decision to go to the Democratic convention, something many Democrats are against. However, Clinton makes a compelling argument that Barack Obama has failed thus far to win the big states and that Obama has garnered support in states that will receive Republican support come election time. Clinton argues that Obama has won many red states, which is responsible for his lead in the delegate count. Many Democratic strategists make the case that Clinton stands the better chance at beating McCain in the general election, given these facts. Don't get me wrong, I am an Obama supporter myself, but I cannot 100% disagree with what she is saying. Obama has weak support among the elderly and with the majority of the white middle class also supporting Clinton, Obama cannot survive on the college and minority votes alone. Whether or not Clinton's
"ploy" will prove effective or not, will be determined in August when the Democrats decide their nominee.

Pennsylvania Here We Come

With the Pennsylvania primary less than 24 hours away, it is do or die for the Clinton campaign. Clinton is going to win the state, that much has already been determined. What is in doubt, however, is by how wide a margin she will win by. While the polls on CNN and MSNBC show the margin rather close, those polls only reflect a small portion of voters and never turn out to be accurate. I would expect the primary to go in favor of Clinton by a margin of 55% to Obama's 45%, with a small margin of error. Clinton needs to show that Obama wins mainly Republican states and that it is indeed her that the Democrats need to stand behind to win the White House in '08. With Howard Dean calling for an "immediate decision" from super delegates as to the candidate they will be backing, we should begin to see how the delegate count draws closer or widens. From all indications, Hillary Clinton has every reason to smile in Pennsylvania. However, Obama's grin has not dissipated.

What's Wrong With Our World Today?

I pose this question to you all out there. What is wrong with todays world? For one I think it is imperative that if we as human beings can not coexist, our very ability to exist could be threatened in the long haul. We need to put our personal feelings aside and learn that we are all human beings, no better than one another. We share equal skills and abilities and have the opportunity to achieve so much if we work together. Like Jimi Hendrix once said "In order to change the world, you have to get your head together first ". Secondly, let me make it relatively clear that I am a huge sports fan but something is wrong in our world when sports athletes make more in one year than hardworking individuals make in their lifetime. With the poverty rate so high all over the world and these individuals holding out for more money, there is something that needs to be done to correct this imbalance. Lastly, our governments must learn that politics as usual, just doesn't cut it. Instead of focusing on issues like global warming, they argue over who has the power to create nuclear weapons. We need leaders that lead with their hearts and heads not the fists and egos.

*Content taken from my original blog thetimetocare.blogspot.com.

Global Warming Crisis

I figured a little education on how global warming is caused and the effects it could have on us would be beneficial to help you begin helping others. Remember, the world is not perfect but doing your part will keep it at its peak. Another interesting note, most new cars today that run on diesel fuel also run on a new fuel called biodiesel which is a byproduct of vegetable oil. Within the next few years, biodiesel should be making its way into gas stations across the country. It reduces environmentally hazardous emissions by up to 80%. This question oftens come up when government leaders and political activists get together. What can be done to decrease the famine going on in some countries? Put an end to terrorism? Find an answer for global warming? The answer is simple to all of those questions. We are taught at a young age in school that there is no I in team and that teamwork is often times the best answer to any problem. The nations of our world need to realize in between fighting one another, that we face an even greater struggle. We create more problems for ourselves by waging war against other countries as we neglect the needs of our own people and the much greater burdens that lay over our heads. If in some way we learn to respect one another, we may be able to see humanity at its greatest form, the human species at its peak. If we continue to fight one another, we are in a greater sense contributing to our own demise. We neglect issues like global warming and world hunger that will ultimately defeat us all if we continue to act stupid and take no action. We take expensive vacations, buy expensive cars and luxuries to make our already high standards of society and living even higher while people from all over the world in third world countries are lucky if they have a home to call their own. We continue to drain our natural resources and pollute the ozone layer in the process. What the world needs more than anything else is people who understand and appreciate it.

*This post was taken from my first blog (thetimetocare.blogspot.com) and republished here.

Vice President Candidates: Barack Obama

Barack Obama may very well earn the Democratic Nomination, seeing that he has a solid lead over Clinton in the delegate lead. However, their is always the threat that Clinton could take the nomination if it goes to the convention. Regardless, it is now time for us to start considering who Barack Obama could choose as his running mate should he earn the nomination. The list includes:

John Edwards: A lot of people feel Edwards would be a good candidate for this position and fare much better than he did in 2004 as John Kerry's running mate. However, Edwards is often seen as too inconsistent and really fails to identify strongly with one social class. I personally feel that this is not Edwards' time and that he should wait at least another 4 years before making a run at the Nations highest office. Obama needs a candidate who he balances with and its really unclear whether or not Edwards would provide the much needed stability.

Hillary Clinton: Of course, this is assuming Clinton does not get the nomination, but its clear that Clinton is a very popular political figure. It has also been said that should Obama earn the nomination, 28% of Clinton supporters will vote for McCain. That alone could be very costly for Obama in his quest for the White House. Clinton also has White House experience as the First Lady for 8 years and always has Bill to confide in. While this particular ticket may be a long shot, it has often been deemed a "dream ticket" by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Wesley Clark: A good way for Obama to balance the military presence that his opposition, John McCain possesses, would be to select General Wesley Clark. Clark was a former valedictorian at West Point and is a decorated military figure. Clark would bring military expertise and experience to an Obama ticket. The only draw back to Clark is that he has endorsed Hillary Clinton.

Joe Biden: I personally really liked Biden during the debates and felt that he would make a very good President. He is an excellent public speaker and is known to tell it how it is. I am more than confident that Biden could over match almost any Republican VP candidate in the debates as well as prove he is more than competent for the position. He is an expert in foreign policy and is well respected. However, Biden does not have the military experience and really won't help Obama win any Republican states.

Bill Richardson: The Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson figures to definitely earn some consideration for the role. Richardson, who is of latino decent, will further re-enforce the ethnic message an Obama ticket would present. He is well liked amongst Democrats and has endorsed Barack Obama, despite his strong ties to the Clintons. Although Richardson would bring a large majority of the hispanic vote with him, he has a history of being rather eccentric and even defended Alberto Gonzalez, many believe because of his spanish decent.

Other candidates of note:

Janet Napolitano

Jim Webb

Ron Bloomberg

McCain and Rice GOP ticket?

For several months now many analysts and folks interested in politics have said that the Democrats could potentially put together a dream ticket with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. News flash, the Republicans appear to also possess the potential to put together a similar ticket. The only negative of Condoleezza Rice appearing on the ticket is that she has never held a political office and her ties to President Bush. With Rice as the GOP Vice-Presidential candidate, the Republicans will be unable to use the experience issue against Barack Obama, seeing that Rice has no experience outside her Secretary of State post. However, Rice is a highly educated conservative who can help McCain steal independent votes away from the Democrats. She can only help John McCain appeal to conservative voters and has been a pretty efficient Secretary of State. Besides Rice, Mitt Romney has also been mentioned as a leading candidate to earn the nomination. Romney is clearly being considered due to his appeal to conservative voters. McCain has a tough decision ahead of him, but if Rice is chosen, the 2008 election will surely be even more interesting.

Is Pulling Out of Iraq Realistic?

I am all for pulling out of Iraq and bring the troops home. I feel like we are fighting in a war and risking the lives of thousands of Americans for the wrong reasons. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have both said that if they should be elected to the presidency, a large majority of the troops will be coming home. While I am completely for this withdrawal, I realize the problems that could arise from such an action. A withdrawal seems to signify an admission of defeat and leaving the unstable Iraqi government to fend of Al-Qaeda by itself. Many people tend to feel that should that be the case, it's Iraq's problem. Many also believe that a withdrawal would do a disjustice to the thousands of service men and women who lost their lives fighting for our country. To make a withdrawal possible, we need to be training the Iraqi army and police force to deal with the Al-Qaeda threat. It is their country and it will ultimately turn out to be their fight. To how far an extent can American blood be spilled to further a war that never should have taken place in the beginning? I just hope that whoever the next President is, that he or she makes the right decisions on Iraq and closes the political divide present in the United States today.