Opinions - To The Contrary

Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008

Focus on real issues

I am the concerned parent of three beautiful children. I have been following the presidential election very closely since the primaries. After watching the news recently, I was sickened by John McCain's attempt to overshadow the problems in this country by calling Sen. Barack Obama a "high-strung celebrity," comparing him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, saying that he was proud of the ad.

The fact of the matter is that these character attacks are not important in this election, and I pray that the American people can see through the slander to the real truths. Our country is on the decline and is declining more so every day.

The mortgage crisis, the cost of gas, the cost of food, the unemployment crisis and a war that should have been over as soon as it started are the main focus. The citizens of our country are suffering as a result of a foreign policy that threatens war as much as possible and wages war prematurely, looking for weapons that do not exist. Our national debt is growing, the average cost of daily living is skyrocketing, and our wages are lagging and not changing.

The cost of eggs is almost $2.50, and milk is the same amount as a gallon of gas. A gallon of gas is running close to $4 a gallon, and gas stations are charging extra money for using a credit or debit card because of credit card companies are making an extra dollar off of our misery. And the most important thing that the media is concerned about is what Sen. Obama is eating.

The rich are getting richer, while the poor and middle class struggle to feed their children and wonder where the money is going to come from to pay all the bills. Survival has become the talk among many families: Do I pay the electric bill or buy food? The cost of basic needs and services is increasing at alarming rates, and more and more families are struggling harder than ever. If you are one of a few Americans who hasn't felt the crunch yet, the year is not over.

Plants are closing

GMC and Maytag have shut down plants costing thousands of jobs. Wachovia is laying off thousands. The agencies that are there to help are running out of funds and food. State agencies are holding on to funds to cut budgets and turning those away who truly need help, basing their standards on tables from more than 10 years ago when $32,000 was classified as middle class for a family of four. And the current administration is not paying attention to the fact that families are drowning.

This is the most important election year of my adult life. This is the moment that we pick who is the best person to run our country. I am asking everyone in Rock Hill to look at the platforms of the candidates, look past the low blows and vote for the person that we deem best.

We've suffered enough

Our country has suffered enough, and it is truly time to end the years of Bush policy and pray that the person we elect will do the best job to turn our country around, bring our soldiers home, decrease our deficit and begin the road to healing for us all. It is time to get the lobbyists out of Washington, stop letting private interest groups write laws that affect us all, and find a way to get our children appropriate health care, especially our special needs children.

I am just one voice. I am one mom who works hard to provide for my children, including two special needs children. We have to make changes now for our future and the futures of our children. I am not asking for everyone to see things the way that I do, I am not asking anyone to back the candidate that I back, but to look at the issues.

John McCain said at the beginning of the election that he would run a respectable campaign. Recent attacks have not been respectable, funny or politically an issue. If anyone is the celebrity, it is Sen. McCain and his wife. They make millions of dollars each year. All I ask is that we, as intelligent people, look at the issues at hand, not what is in a candidate's diet. When we each go to the polls, realize that the current administration helped make the oil companies richer. If they drill offshore, where will the oil go? How will it be used?

Gas prices have stayed above $3.50. Companies that were strong are now weakened, and people are losing their homes every day due to subprime mortgages and shady lenders. Let us find a way to make the best choice for our children in 2008.

This weekly column features opposing views from readers. These opinions are contrary to those expressed on this page or which otherwise take issue with something that appears in The Herald. All commentaries submitted become the property of The Herald and may be republished in any format.