Immigration

I agree with you on the immigration point. I just had a conversation with a friend who stated that she was voting for McCain because of his immigration policy. This annoyed me. Not because I dislike that she is voting for McCain but because I think its a ridiculous issue to base your vote on. It just isn't that big of a problem, relatively speaking.

Re: Election Issues

While I believe that we spend more money on defense than is necessary or healthy for our democracy, it is not more than healthcare. 53% of our FY2008 budget was mandatory spending: entitlements like social security, medicare, medicaid etc. Defense is included in discretionary spending, and that took up 22% of the budget, which is about half of what we spend on social welfare. Nevertheless, I still feel this is an absurd amount to spend on defense. For instance, while I'm all about retaining our technological and qualitative edge over any foreseeable conventional opponent, we don't need to be spending billions on deck-mounted rail guns for the Navy (while I think that's awesome, there's other priorities the US government should have).This year the proposed defense budget is about 4% of our GDP, i think it was 700 billion or so, not counting specific costs for waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I definitely feel that there are ways to slim the defense budget without compromising national security in the slightest, but that topic isn't relevant here.

The most import issue domestically for Americans this election is the economy, followed closely by immigration. I think that Lou Dobbs is an idiot, and that Mexicans aren't trying to destroy our way of life, and so immigration is not that big of a deal for me (it's still really important, I actually agreed w/Bush's plan). Civil rights is still a big one for me when it comes to liberties, unfortunately it's not a very big issue this election. When it comes to foreign affairs, nuclear proliferation is definitely a big one for me, as is handling Russia, China, and India. Also, I feel that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still very important, even though most people are numb to the whole process. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is such a symbolic conflict that if it ends peacefully, our relations with much of the world will improve.

Election Issues

Lauren's question regarding the logic of spending so much on security over healthcare is an extremely important and prescient one. The debate between satisfying the needs of both the "welfare" and the "warfare" state has gone back decades and been fundamental to the national security debate since the days of Truman and Eisenhower when it started. The goal was always to find a balance and prevent the national security apparatus from overrunning the welfare state, but over the past 60 years, it seems rather clear to me which way that balance has shifted. That transition has spelled the end of many civilizations past, and there's no reason to believe that ours will be an exception if the trend continues.

That being said, in regards to the important election issues this year, I would say that the three most important issues facing America today, at least for domestic concerns, are education, healthcare, and the environment. I find it hard to rank them, and I could find arguments supporting any over the others. Does anyone find others more important, or have opinions as to which may be the most important? Also, with regard to foreign policy, aside from the obvious importance of the War in Iraq and the War on Terror, what international issues do you find most important?

Healthcare and Other 2008 Election Issues

For the past seven years, politics (and naturally, the federal budget) have revolved around foreign policy and domestic security. But you have to ask yourself -- does it make sense to spend billions to protect a country from nuclear or biological warfare if a considerable percentage of its population will die early from a lack of adequate health care?

I don't think so.

I think that the lack of health care is the largest domestic problem that our country faces today. Sarah and Anoop have already demonstrated the many complications present in our current system and I am personally thankful that so many of the candidates for the 2008 Presidential Election have made changing it an important part of their platform.

That being said, I am curious as to what other people think are the central issues in this election. Any opinions?

Healthcare

Anoop asks if healthcare is a right as a citizen and as a human. It's a tough question, especially because there is a difference between a citizen and a human. If the right of healthcare is only granted to citizens, then we bar an entire population of immigrants and residents from access to healthcare. At the same time, if it's a right as a human, does that mean that those who pay taxes to provide for a national healthcare system must also pay for those who don't, like illegal immigrants? These are just a few starting thoughts on the discussion.

Doctors, who needs them?

Is healthcare a right as a citizen, as a human, and along with that, who is responsible for providing that healthcare?

Need our help? Oh wait... you're different. Sorry we can't get involved.

With the Clinton crisis in Rwanda practically absent in the collective American imagination, it should be no surprise that America has three times taken a "just brush it under the rug" approach to first the events in Darfur and now the events unfolding in Chad. It is a pity and fills me with disgust that we have allowed the situation in Darfur to deteriorate and create a virus of violence that has now spread into surrounding countries. The events unfolding in Chad are difficult to understand as the information about which group is responsible for what seem to change every news cycle. But that's the way our foreign policy works in America- we go after things we see a profit in and if people are different or if we do not think we have anything to gain from our involvement, we choose to simply plug our ears and move on. Massive genocide, government instability, and international ignorance do not exactly work in America's favor at this particular juncture; however, as conflicts grow so does our ignorance and deniability. We refuse to acknowledge the facts of the matter, finding them too upsetting and confusing and in the end say that there was nothing we could do- we didn't even know what was going on.
I'm my opinion, granted I'm no national security expert, shame on us for not getting involved in efforts that actually merit our involvement and resources. There are instances in which we should leave better alone, but the incidents in Darfur and the crumbling government and rebellion happening in Chad now are situations that demand our and the international community's attention and assistance. Granted, there is always a chance when we get involved in countries with unstable governments that we could find our good will taken advantage of, and by no means should we go in brandishing our weapons in every foreign face, but America is full of smart people- people we pay to come up with plans on how to get in and our of situations just like this. And I, for one, think enough is enough; this country needs to re-prioritize and embrace the big picture. We cannot simply ignore situations that we don't see as directly involving us- because as the new Chad situation shows us, one country's issue can easily cross borders and effect others. Ignorance is not bliss- but instead body bags that pile up in foreign lands.