Change We Can Believe In

Everyone knows and, most of everyone, is out there voting for either Clinton or Obama. But who should really get the Democratic spot? My personal opinion says Obama. When I watch his speeches or debates, I feel like he is truthful and real. Maybe Hillary is truthful and real, too, but I just don’t believe it.


One thing that catches my eye, and we have had a discussion board on this, is voter fraud. He wants to sign into law his legislation that has “harsh” penalties for people involved in voter fraud. I think that this is a huge issue, especially with it coming time to vote for the next, new president of our country. It is not fair to anyone to have someone jack their identity and vote for them.


Another HUGE issue is our economy. Prices are going up and wages are staying the same. Obama plans to have a tax cut for the working class and also provide a more simple way to do taxes to save money and time. I think that a tax break for the working class is exactly what this country needs. So many families are working really hard to make ends meet and they still aren’t connecting.


Obama also wants to keep jobs here in our country instead of sending them off somewhere else. Our country needs jobs here for everyone to make their money and make ends meet. He also wants to raise the minimum wage. I think that raising the minimum wage is something that ALWAYS needs to be done. Inflation is extreme and our wages don’t cover a lot of expenses anymore.


Obama wants to change the fact that we spend $1.4 billion on foreign oil everyday. We need to start using less oil in our cars and machines and reduce carbon emissions, which is what he plans to do. He also wants to invest $150 billion over the next 10 years in clean energy. Our world is literally melting away and he wants to help do what he can by requiring renewable energy and promoting hybrids.


I could go on for days about why we should vote Obama into office. Clinton may have some of the same ideas as Obama, but I can’t seem to believe her, for some reason, that she’ll actually follow through with what she says. I do believe that Barack Obama is a change we can believe in.

Legalizing Marijuana

In an article recently written by one of my classmates, labeled As the Machine Turns (http://americanperceptions.blogspot.com/), she addresses the issue of legalizing marijuana. This has been an issue for as long as I can remember, being debated in high school classrooms, and now in college as well. I also am not a pot smoker, but I do agree with many of the points that she brings up. First of all, a lot of people smoke marijuana anyway, and I know that’s not a good reason to legalize it (we can make killing people legal right just because a lot of people do it), but it definitely would open a door. That could be good or bad; bad in the sense that if we are legalizing marijuana, why can’t we legalize other drugs? It could be good because it is already used for some medical purposes


My mother always used to say that if you get into marijuana, it is a gateway to all the other drugs that are worse. My peer also addresses this issue and I agree; marijuana itself is not the gateway, it’s the market where it is sold. Some of the drugs in the medical market that are already legal seem like maybe they should be the ones illegal! There are a lot more addictions to prescribed drugs than I think a lot of people realize.


Like she said, “Hundreds of thousands of Americans die every year from tobacco, prescription drugs, and alcohol, yet there has never been 1 single death EVER from consuming marijuana.” I also agree that, when I grow up and have kids, if they’re going to be out doing whatever they want, I would rather have them smoke a joint and chill on a couch all night long instead of getting completely drunk and trying to drive, or drive with someone drunk and end up killing themselves or someone else. Times are changing and I think it’s time for a change on legalizing marijuana.