>If that's what it takes, I'll take it even though I don't like the reasoning behind it.
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>I agree with you wholeheartedly! A person should be judged on his or her merits only.
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>However, there is something that I find very worrying about the Obama / Biden ticket. Obama started out by saying that he would reduce taxes for any family making less than $250,000 a year. Now he is saying that he will reduce taxes for any family making less than $200,000 a year. And in a recent speach, Biden said that Obama would reduce taxes for any family making less than $150,000 a year. And this is while he is still on the campaigne trail!
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>Why should I bother working hard if I am not permitted to enjoy the fruits of my labor?

Your post is very interesting. I like the idea of an excited and enthusiastic country and better international relations. However, I am not willing to give up our national interests in the process. It is a tough conundrum. I like 50% of each candidate, but neither completely. Mike B and I had a few messages going back and forth over the changes in Obama's policies since the campaign began. This was some time back when Obama changed his position on Iraq and announced it here in Fayetteville. He couldn't possibly keep his original position on Iraq and expect to win North Carolina with so many military bases here. As it was, he was booed during his 1st speech but that never made the airwaves. I've seen him speak twice in person and I watch his speeches regularly online or on the news instead of just catching the tidbits the news like to broadcast. Those are just the soundbites the media thinks are ratings leaders. Mike didn't like the changes back then while I saw the changes as more hopeful - well not as worrisome as his original positions on the issues anyway. His tax plans were the most worrying to me (by the way, in the beginning taxes were going to be raised for anyone making over 40,000/yr and that was really scary but it didn't last long and you can't find it online anymore. I posted a link here but it's changed dramatically on the same link since then) and they still worry me. I have no idea what they really are (they've changed so much and you can no longer even find his original positions online which is kind of sneaky) and if small businesses and corporations have their taxes raised more than they are now, who will be left to hire anyone? Where will the jobs come from? The government? Will everyone turn into a government worker? Who will be left to pay taxes to support everyone else who is not working, not disabled, but will get a check?

I know, I started rambling...

One more ramble. No one has recently mentioned Obama's stand on the Global Poverty Act he signed on to. Where is that money going to come from? That would increase U.S. foreign aid spending from 23 to 98 billion a year.

He stopped speaking about it after his speech in Wisconsin in January or February 08 when stated:

In the end, this economic agenda won't just require new money. It will require a new spirit of cooperation and innovation on behalf of the American people. We will have to learn more, and study more, and work harder. We'll be called upon to take part in shared sacrifice and shared prosperity