While listening to excerpts from John McCain's speech during his rally yesterday in Fayetteville I began to wonder just how relevant his military experience is. It certainly says something about his character but does his time as a fighter-bomber pilot and squadron commander during Viet Nam and the cold war make him that much more qualified for being President? I was on active duty for seven years and spent time in Germany, Panama and the Sinai Peninsula; I was the fire support officer for 1-508th Parachute Infantry and commanded an artillery battery in the 1-319th Airborne Field Artillery, both of the 82d Airborne Division. Would this qualify me for public office? I'm not sure. McCain's military experience certainly gives him some insight into that world but the military is a very different organization today. Even I, who left active duty in 1987, would be like a fish out of water were I to put on my uniform again (by the way, even the uniforms are completely different). McCain's time indicates that he can persevere. But how about Ed Viesturs? Ed is one of the few people in this world who has climbed all 8,000 metre peaks (this list includes Everest and K2) without supplemental oxygen. This guy can persevere; but is he a good candidate for president? Probably not. When we are asked to consider McCain's military experience should we also consider the recklessness he demonstrated (drinking binges, wrecked aircraft)? Who knows.
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Why is it such a bad thing to advocate for the poor and less fortunate? Barack Obama mentioned "spreading the wealth" while speaking with "Joe the Plumber" (who, in case you didn't know, is neither a Joe nor a plumber) and the McCain campaign has latched onto this statement like a pit bull and this seems to be all you hear from them. Even Sarah Palin has intimated that an Obama presidency would veer toward communism. All because Obama advocates using tax dollars to help the less fortunate. Do I care if the government uses my tax dollars to help the working poor? No, I don't. However, what I don't want to see are my taxes providing handouts to those who refuse to work. If a refundable tax credit helps a poor single mother both work and attend a college or technical school what exactly is wrong with that? The McCain campaign has been advocating buying the mortgages of those homeowners who are in danger of foreclosure and then restructuring those mortages to make them affordable. How is this different from providing refundable tax credits? The government is still using tax dollars and is still helping out those in trouble but I guess there's a big difference in buying a bad mortgage and giving someone a tax credit.
The morning read for Friday, May 3
11 hours ago
3 comments:
Bluedog - I don't think his military experience qualifies him, but it does show that he wil sacrifice his life for this country. Talk about a steel spine. I don't see Obama doing that, I can't even imagine him as a POW. He would leave and promise to send help, but help likely would never arrive. I think most troops (not all) do not support him.
On Joe the plumber, his own credentials are irrelevant - the point was that Obama wants to take his money and spread it around to whoever the GOVERNMENT chooses. I don't care if Joe is a plumber or a lawyer, his question remains the same, as does Obama's answer. Don't hide Obama's answer behind Joe's license status - that is political games.
On the poor single mother - I did not have unprotected sex until I got married - I made that choice. She obviously made a different choice. But she gets a free education while I had to get a student loan. She made her bed, she should sleep in it. Why shouldn't I get a free ride? I made better choices. That may ber an extreme view, but it is also extreme to give anybody in a predicament that they could haved avoided a check and a free ride courtesy of those who made better choices. That is backwards. That is Obama.
Poor and less fortunate is usually (but not always) a result of poor choices. We are all in control of our own destinies. Many people have overcome insurmountable odds ON THEIR OWN WITH NO HELP FROM ANYONE. I would be willing to bet that even fewer have succeeded because of thet government or its welfare programs.
McCain should be awarded for his patriotism. Let's not "shame" McCain by commenting about "wrecked aircraft" and "drinking binges". McCain did honorably serve our nation and help preserve our freedom. He endured 5 1/2 years of pure hell in a Vietnamese Prison.
Did you intend to raise doubts about McCain's patriotism? I have no problems raising doubts about his leadership abilities, and if that is what you were intending, then I fully understand.
I would NEVER question John McCain's patriotism or toughness. What I do question is the use of old, outdated military service to sell executive experience while bashing Obama's executive experience (or lack thereof - keeping in mind, however, that Obama has run outstanding campaigns in the primaries and recently).
While McCain's military service is admirable and his toughness unquestionable I'm not sure why his life and professional experiences trump Obama's.
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