Presidential Election '08

I just got back from voting and luckily it didn't take long at all. There was absolutely no wait. I was amazed to see all of the different presidential candidates running. There aren't just three (democrat, republican, and independent), there were about 6 or 7, although only 2 have a real chance of winning (Obama (d) and McCain (r)).
This election will be determined mostly on the economy, since it is doing so poorly right now. So, whichever candidate the public thinks will do a better job with the economy will most likely get voted for. Hopefully America will look at all of the key issues of each candidate for this election.
I voted for Obama because I think he, overall, has some really great ideas that could really help this country. First of all, he plans to take us out of the war, carefully. The war is a very key isssue in the election as well as the economy. I don't think America should stay in this war, because i think we aren't really helping our fellow countries; we are only causing more problems. Obama wants to begin to pull out our troops carefully, but leave some troops in Iraq to protect the American embassy. I think that this is a great idea because the war is putting the U.S. further and further into debt each day and it's not really doing anything for us, so I agree with Obama's stance on the war in Iraq.
Obama's stance on healthcare is also important. He wants to make sure everyone can get healthcare in America by ensuring guaranteed coverage, without disqualifications because of pre-existing illnesses and conditions. He wants healthcare packages to cover all essential medical services. He also wants to give the public portability and choice; meaning that participants in the new plan can move from job to job without changing their healthcare coverage. All of these are great ideas for the American public. I know my mom changed jobs and she had to change her healthcare provider and it was a hassle. Obama's healthcare plan seems easier to deal with and it will allow more people to have healthcare coverage.
Obama plans to do way more with the environment than McCain plans to. The environment needs attention too and the U.S. needs to come up with alternative fuel sources so we won't depend on foreign oil as much as we currently do. Obama has several intelligent plans for the U.S. to reduce carbon emissions, restore grasslands or start new farming practices that would capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, invest in new technologies that are more gentle to the environment, and begin to build new fuel-efficient cars.
Finally, Obama's plan to tackle America's economic crisis puts him over McCain in my book. Obama wants to eliminate income taxes for lowest-earning Americans. This is a good idea because the poorest class shouldn't have to pay taxes when they can barely afford what they need to survive. Without the worry of taxes, they could pay for things like food a little easier, and might not have to rely on food stamps as much, which in turn, would help the gov't who gives out the food stamps. Obama also wants to fight for a trade policy that opens up foreign markets to support American jobs. America needs jobs right now, since so many Americans are unemployed. The promise of job support will hopefully encourage people to vote for Obama, a president who wants to help the public. He also wants to raise the minimum wage, which should really spike the interest of most teens (college age kids who are of voting age) who have part-time minimum wage jobs. Obama also wants to simplify IRS tax filings for the middle class. That does not have much of an effect on me personally, but in the future when I have to file my taxes, I don't want it to be such a difficult ordeal, so I am in favor of making filing taxes easier.
Because of these things I have mentioned as well as Obama's stance on other smaller, yet still important, key issues, I have decided to vote for Obama. I think he is the voice of change and hope in this country and he could really help the country out in our time of need.