For me, I am aspiring to be a doctor. I come from a solidly middle class family, who helped with my bachelor’s degree, and that’s about it. I will be taking on about $200k in debt to achieve my career goals. And I plan to be the one to pay that back. Will it be hard, working as a primary care doc with an average salary of $100,000 a year? Yes. Do I think that means that I am owed something? No. It’s my choice to be a doctor, and my choice to take on that debt. This is how I view those with advanced degrees.

Any time people begin to complain about taxes under Obama vs. McCain I like to point out – analysis has shown that Obama’s plan cuts taxes MORE for 95% of the population. McCain’s tax cuts are for the riches folks out there, and wealthy businesses. That’s called a regressive tax system – and I think it’s shameful. The privileged have a moral duty to shoulder their own weight.

ADDITIONALLY, history has proven that EVERYONE earns more under when the Dems are in power. This includes those top earners. The economy performs better, overall, and that means good times EVEN IF the wealthy pay a bit more in taxes. See this article in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/business/31view.html?em

These are all reasons I’m voting for Obama. And they don’t even TOUCH the women’s right to choose issue.

If you want policy info on Obama, it’s as simple as clicking on over to his website, and streaming the video from his many town hall speeches. Or reviewing the policy pieces he’s posted. 10 second sound bites don’t give ANYONE (not even McCain) enough time to get into specifics about policies. McCain hasn’t done any better job in ads or quick sound bites of describing his policies. It takes time to go out and see the candidates speak, or debate, or time to read through interviews and news stories. McCain and Obama have both outlined their policies, and to say that Obama has only talked about change – that’s just not true. Yes, it’s a slogan of his. Is it the entire summary of his policies? No. It’s one word.

For the record, I’m a registered dem. And I wasn’t even sure I would vote for Obama in the primaries…

I look at Obama’s college $ comments differently after a conversation with my friend Vincent, who comes from a very similar background as Obama. He says that for him, ANY form of college education for a member of his family–and most of the people he knows–would be an outright miracle. His perspective is that making education attainable isn’t about you and me, who have a pretty wide variety of options open to us. In a way, I can see his point.

That said, I too have huge school loans and would love to see the overall system change. But I don’t think that’s what Obama’s plan is aiming at; it’s apples & oranges.

John McCain’s “maverick” behavior frightens me. I don’t want our country run by slap-dash decisions; the stakes are just too high.

like others are saying, i totally respect your bravery for “going against the tide” and your thinking about these issues.but… yes, I disagree. oh, how I disagree.

I’m not an obamamaniac. I was torn between him and hillary, but yes, i’m disturbed and ANGERED by palin. and I am afraid for what happens if she gets into power.

The reasons are many (roe v. wade is only one) – the hypocrisy is a biggie, the calling me anti-feminist if I dare not to be awed by her is another and frankly the jews-for-jesus evangelical creationism-in-schools is the deal breaker (not a feminist issue per se, but as a woman and member of minority religion, one that’s critical to my having a voice).

I resent that she thrust her moral majority “I’m running for being a good mommy and a girl leader! gasp!” in our face and then got mad when people dared to ask questions about what else she’d done or how her statement that she supported her daughter’s CHOICE jived with her viewpoint that women (even married women, even rape victims) shouldn’t have that choice. I feel angry that when she wants her children to be in the spotlight, in they go (Track, Trig) but when she doesn’t (Bristol), that’s a-ok and how dare we put them there? I feel she abused her child’s disability by citing her own heroics for “not killing him” while meanwhile slashing funding for special needs programs and oh by the way, it’s a wee bit easier to care for a baby (of any kind) when you have your teenage children to do it for you (and the taxpayer money of alaska).

As for the college plan and other things you point out about Obama, hey I don’t disagree that they could be better but like the other poster… what’s Mccain’s better plan?

What I resent and think others resent about Palin is not that she’s a woman and it isn’t that we think Roe v. Wade support is the only way to be a feminist, it’s the attitude of mean-spiritedness giggleyness (see “palin mocks opponent with cancer”) and the presumption that “the liberal elite” (which is pretty hard not to read as “not evangelical christian”) is anti-feminist if they’re anti THiS woman.

I’m the white female demographic that’s supposed to be making the difference for the mccain ticket and she does NOT support a single thing I do. I do not think it’s amazing or ground-breaking that she’s running and I don’t see how she’s a feminist. But mostly I resent the attitude that anyone not wowed by her is anti-woman. I have to agree with Biden here. In my mind, she would set the woman’s movement back. Decades.

And as a Jewish female American and someone who worked with the developmentally disabled, I FEAR what happens if she gets into power in a way I have never been angry or fearful before. Please keep reading / thinking/ CONSIDERING before making this choice. If you do, I promise I will do the same. Someday soon I hope to be able to read something about her without gritting my teeth so much it hurts. Sorry for the rant, thanks for letting me get it out. sighgggh.

But I’m definitely not making any decisions until we see some debates.

For instance, the comment about Palin being criticized for having a Downs baby–I haven’t seen/read anyone saying it makes her a bad person or that she shouldn’t have had the kid. On the contrary, i have read very admirable comments about that. By writing that people are saying that you are attributing ugly arguments to her critics that have not been made and that draw attention away from the reasonable objections people do have about her.

Also. I don’t understand how you can say Palin is a Feminist. It doesn’t matter what her personal choices are. The fact is, she would if she could withhold — even in the case of rape and incest — the right of any woman to have an abortion. If feminism is about choices, how can you possibly say she is a feminist?

The main — and justified — criticism I have seen is that she is unprepared to be president and that her claims to the reform mantle are not all that they appear to be.

No, that statement means nothing. I don’t cheer candidates for winning elections, I cheer for candidates if they implement new strategies or actually improve the life of constituents. If Palin ran things horribly and the state is in worse shape than before, then no, being the first woman in the state office of Alaska does not mean anything positive.

#2

Don’t be insulted by Obama’s $4,000 tuition credit. It’s not meant for you. It’s meant for truly poor students who have never had anyone in their family earn a degree, or can’t even afford community college.

I agree with this statement: “you don’t really need a higher degree but if you can afford it go ahead!”

When did this becoming insulting or patronizing? Having a sense of entitlement that includes the government paying for or subsidizing YOUR 17th-19th years of specialized schooling seems patronizing. Thinking the government (aka taxpayers, aka fellow citizens) should help you financially so you can become a lawyer and make $$$ is insulting. You can pay back your student loans with your higher future salary.

(I understand not all law school grads go to high power law firms, but on a whole someone with a JD is going to make more money than someone with an Associate degree.)

My view of the government’s role in US society does not include paying for students to become lawyers. I pay for K-12 because I believe the government and society benefits from literate people with basic math skills to balance their own checkbook. I subsidize higher education through gov. education grants and reduced interest rate loans to empower people to make a decent living and to avoid expensive social problems (drug addiction, jail, crime, etc.).

It’s not harming the American way of life by not giving future lawyers breaks. But America does stand for things like giving immigrants opportunities to become successful, like going to community college. The American way does stand for programs where we leverage our diversity to share our wealth of knowledge, such as volunteering/community service, not feeling entitled to hand outs and be unwilling to pay taxes.

Let’s not characterize your interests as so “broad” and “diverse” that you can’t choose a candidate – you want to have your cake and eat it too. You want the government to help you (and only you), but you don’t want to fund it.

Maybe we all need a refresher in finances & debt 101:

1. If you are a college grad that cannot afford law school, work first and save up some money, or do the calculations and find out if your career interests can pay back your $100K in student loans.

2. If you are a country that is in record debt and the Chinese own your ass, re-think some of your priorities (War on terror, War on drugs, War on everything). Maybe instead of paying for wars you’d have money for higher education.

Maybe more attention needs to be given to this statement: “you don’t really need a higher degree but if you can afford it go ahead!”

Well, Ms. Pretty in Pink lawyer – you couldn’t afford it. I’m not here to pay for your mistakes. I’ll gladly pay taxes to help people struggling to get out of minimum wage jobs by getting a community college degree or people willing to EARN their $4,000 by providing community service.