Election Day

In less than 24 hours, polls across America will be open and we will be deciding who will become the next president of our country, among many other races and proposals. I intend to vote tomorrow and I know millions of other people will, too. It's our right as Americans to vote - there's no reason for us not to. Electing our president is such a huge issue for not just everyone here in the United States, but for the world, too. We're the most powerful and one of the most richest nations and much of the world follows the news, especially politics, that goes on here. Many in the world want to know who our next president is going to be because their respective country and their leaders are going to have to deal with our president and government in one way or another. A lot of time our president helps shape what goes on in the world. So it's easy to understand why the world watches when it's our time to vote. And America is going to be doing a lot of voting in the next 36 hours.

The candidates to become president are Republican U.S. Senator from Arizona John McCain and Democratic U.S. Senator from Illinois Barack Obama. There are other minor party candidates vying for the presidency but I haven't heard a thing about them. I believe Ralph Nader is running again but I know he's not going to have much of an effect on this election this time around. Barack Obama is all about change. He's looking to move the country in another direction after eight years of Bush's presidency. He wants an end to the Iraq war sooner rather than later. He's looking to raise taxes on individuals/families that earn more than $250,000 a year. Meanwhile, John McCain is looking to separate himself from George W. Bush and make a few changes to the direction of our country. He's looking to stay the course in Iraq and finish the job without pulling our troops out too soon. He promises not raising taxes while accusing Obama that he will. In my opinion, where John McCain has gone wrong in his candidacy for president was picking Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate. All she has done is embarass the McCain camp more than anything with her demeanor and comments. I think her lack of experience in U.S. politics is her downfall - she wasn't used to dealing with the major networks like CBS and NBC up until becoming the pick for Vice President. Meanwhile, Obama made a wise decision picking U.S. Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate. He is currently of the longest serving senators and has a respected reputation among his collaegues and constituents. Have you heard as much press about Biden like you have with Palin? Not in the least. Maybe that was exactly McCain's plan when picking Palin to be his Vice President - someone who would create a lot of buzz and get the people in this country talking. Unfortunately, I don't believe it has worked out as well as he hoped.

Here in Michigan, there are two very important ballot proposals that will be voted on tomorrow. Proposal one would allow the use of medical marijuana to the most suffering patients. There are as many as a dozen other states who already allow the practice. I am kind of on the fence about this one. I'd like to believe that those who are suffering from grave medical conditions would get to have marijuana to relieve the pain. But I feel it would end up falling into the wrong hands more than anything and this privilege would quickly become abused. I do understand the need for patients suffering the most, but I just don't think that's enough to get me to vote yes on this one. Proposal two would create an amendment to the state constitution to permit stem cell research with certain limitations. The basic jist of this proposal would allow human embryos to be donated by choice for those needing fertility treatment to be used for research purposes in finding cures for a variety of diseases that plague our nation. These are embryos that would otherwise be discarded as human waste if not used for research. There are a lot of uncertainties about this proposal - whether or not the embryos could wind up in the wrong hands and clones being developed, etc. Needless to say, there would be a lot of scrutiny and procedures that would need to be implemented in order for this process to work as it could. I haven't heard that guarentee and that makes me skeptical about this proposal. I am all about finding cures for diabetes, cancer, and other potentially fatal diseases that hurt millions of people on our country. But I am confident we can find other means of finding cures than with the use of human embryos.

In other political races affecting Michigan, I see Democratic U.S. Senator Carl Levin winning easily over Republican candidate Jack Hoogendyk. Levin will likely be elected to his 6th term to the U.S. Senate. In the race for the U.S. House of Representatives 1st Congressional District in Michigan, I predict another win for Democratic incumbent Bart Stupak over Republican challenger Tom Casperson. I think this race will be a lot closer for Stupak than it has been in recent years against other candidates because Casperson is well-respected here in the U.P. and did a good job as a representative for Michigan's Congressional House. However, Stupak has a solid reputation with his constituents and I don't see him losing this battle. In the race for Michigan House of Representative 109th District, Democratic incumbent Steve Lindberg should win easily over Republic challenger Doreen Takalo. I don't think Takalo has done enough to get her name out in public and that will cost her this race.

There are a ton of other local, state, and national races and ballot proposals affecting our nation. If you're unsure what is going on in your area, get educated quickly. Search on-line for races and proposals affecting your local area or check your local newspaper, either in print or on-line. Try finding information on your state government website. I know the state of Michigan has a lot of helpful information on polling guides and whatnot. If you're still unsure about what is going on, be sure to watch your local TV station's news. I am sure they will be covering many local issues involving the elections of '08. And of course, be sure to get out and vote! No matter what you've heard before, your vote really does count.