Forget Obama & McCain - J. Clayton, Your Write-In Candidate for the 2008 Presidential Race

As your write-in candidate and, yes, wasted vote, one thing gives me a clear distinction above the other two legitimate contenders: nobody pays me to think and act differently than my own morals dictate. Instead of listing all my qualifications, I prefer to sully the names of my opponents and offer solutions to key issues that face our country: global warming, environmental protection, drilling for oil, regulating privatized insurance, the Mexican border/illegal immigrants/foreign aid, the economy, government waste and the war in Iraq/terrorist issues.

John McCain - A true war hero and greatly admired for his service to these United States. However, his bipartisanship efforts and philosophies prove he is not a conservative. Many of the bumbling comments he made about not knowing that much about the economy and would have someone else work on it, along with his ignorance on names of the groups our perceived enemies have in the Middle East, scare me to death. Now, he is not as slow as what we have now, but he is trying his best to reach lower from all I have witnessed.

Barack Obama - The man is a born orator the likes of which we have not seen since, perhaps, John F. Kennedy, sans the northern accent. Reagan was effective as well and saved our rears from a "newcler" war, as "W" pronounces the word. Barack plays the race card as much as the Reverend Rent-a-Riot Jesse Jackson and more than Phil Ivey plays cards at all. When it all began and Obama did not bring it up first, I was proud of him. Hindsight tells me he was just biding his time.

We do not need a President that feels he is a victim; we need one that helps victims. Change is the key word and his entire platform is based upon that one repeated utterance. Good luck hearing him go more than a minute without saying it and if you know what he means, you must be a mind-reader. Do share! To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen's comment to J. Danforth Quayle, "Senator [Obama], you are no Jack Kennedy." His name is also too close to Osama for my tastes and that middle name. Do we really know him at all?

About both - They seem to constantly lie and/or not know the truth. The latter would not be so bad, ignorance that is, but neither seems to have a desire for the truth to be known. Why is that? Well, each has been paid handsomely by the powerful lobbyists.

The truth plays a secondary role to the ultimate goal of election. The rest of the vague promises are mostly things that will be written off as the fault of congress that legislation could not be passed. Either way, neither poses a threat as much as their soon-to-be predecessor. Neither would I, though. Read on as to my campaign promises:

Global Warming
To the point: it is, at best, a theory. There is no substantial data mankind is a significant contributor even if it was a factual discovery. Truth be known, there is more a chance for another ice age than for us to burn up or be flooded: tectonic plates move dramatically, tons of debris enters the atmosphere from the rise of volcanic activity produced and this blocks the suns warming effects. This is a much more likely scenario to spell our ruination. Rumor has it that over the past few years, the earth has cooled since Al Gore's invention of Global Warming and the Internet, or so I have heard. (Substantiating links on the final page)

Environmental Protection
I am an avid fisherman, love the outdoors and seeing relatively undisturbed nature. Dang it! Now I am exposed by allowing my angling passion be entered as evidence since the old saying is true, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will drink beer and lie for the rest of his life."

We will pressure automobile manufacturers by offering serious cash incentives to provide energy alternative sources of go-go juice for vehicles, but this must include sufficient power to pull a boat, push a motor home and run an eighteen wheeler - ALL SAFELY. I do mean safety comes first because we will not expose youngsters to unsafe road conditions to reduce the use of fossil fuels. "I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way." also, "Crack is whack." -W. Houston.

Drilling for Oil on our Soil and/or in our Oceans
As much as I hate it, and this has been the toughest decision to make in my campaign, we must drill here, all the while encouraging efforts to relieve our dependence upon this resource so that it is not a long-term effect on ecosystems we choose to taint with ugly footprints. Dramatic change of allowing reduced supplies or using our caches are not things that will have any positive influence on lower to middle class citizens.

Drilling will be done responsibly and with the greatest of care. Further, record profits of oil companies will not coincide with exorbitant fuel prices. Do not feel singled out Bush and cronies, I am going to regulate insurance companies, as well, just to make them angry if nothing else.

Insurance Reform
Insurance companies will be forced to underwrite a percentage of high-risk individuals, with a cap to the amount a person can be charged. The bigger the company, the larger the percentage it will bear and the lower the cap. These policies will be identical to those offered lower risk citizens. The term "pre-existing condition" is removed from insurance terminology. It will, however, be replaced with "no previous insurance" to prevent someone from only purchasing when diagnosed with a serious illness.

The Mexican Border/Illegal Immigrants/Foreign Policy
We will round up those here illegally more vigilantly, but will not devote many more resources to the effort. It is what it is and preventing future infiltration will help the most.

We are not building a fence on the border, as any partition long enough and impenetrable is too expensive to build and maintain. Mexico and America will have stronger relations. Well-trained guards will be placed all along the border via a federally funded program.

Cuba is immediately re-opened for trade. We have US Companies, like GE, involved with commerce in Iran. Cuba has paid enough for its sins of the past and frankly, they are no threat. The largest reason for this change is that I personally like Cuban Cigars and would love to fish near their coast. Hey, at least I am honest and not starting a war because a man threatened to kill my daddy.

All foreign aid stops for any country whose officials denounce the US for any reason. We reduce all foreign aid immediately by 80% until our people have shelter, enough to eat and the deficit is a number we could all count up to with our shoes on our feet.

The Economy
Instead of a McCain-esque wavering on this, I do not know how to fix it on my own and never will - too many variables/butterfly effects. My opinion will not change as the GOP's latest and greatest nominee's did. I do know how to hire smart people. We will have the best of the best and the person that is second best watching him. I make a strong recommendation we return to the Gold Standard, but will listen intently if this is not a good idea. Since gold fluctuates, especially in down times it rapidly depreciates, perhaps storage of a more stable asset would make more sense. Regardless, we will not just print more money so that its worth diminishes further.

Government Waste
Segments of government that make the least bit of sense to do so, we vend out to 100% American based companies with all US employees, going with the lowest bid and considering the most qualified entity, both factors equally valued. The accounting department of the chosen company's competition is responsible for auditing and an independent one will be named to check them to avoid deliberate misrepresentation.

Departments unable to be vended will have outside supervision from highly profitable, successful, employee-friendly businesses known for being lean and mean. I would get Don Trump involved, but I could not pay attention to a word he said; I would just stare at that "do" he sports. Perhaps it is a "don't'" as far as hairstyles.

The War in Iraq/Middle East Issues
I am not so arrogant to think I can resolve the problems in the Middle East since they have existed in various forms for the last three thousand years or thereabouts. They hate us, even the ones that do not outwardly state it, but we will stop hating them since it is a wasted emotion and causes foolish decisions to be made. I will not allow their feelings affect us and will remove ground troops in a slow enough fashion to ensure safety at our Generals' recommendations.

On the way out, we grab enough oil to cover at least 75% of the costs incurred by the war effort and maybe up to 125% of the cost. That extra 25% would be disbursed to families of those that paid the ultimate price - those lives were every bit as valuable as the ones tragically lost in the Twin Towers - the wounded and the members of our military that participated.

Instead of future military ground troop invasions, the CIA and FBI will be the ones to gather information on Jihadists, Americans that promise harm (Tim McVeigh types) and just plain nut jobs around the globe. We will take them out with small tactical weapons teams or capture them if it is relatively safe to do so. We disavow knowledge of what happened to the poor souls.

Aerial assaults will be used for more widespread anti-American plots and terroristic, militia training grounds, especially if it is the usual suspects threatening to take innocent lives here or those of our allies. We provide warning of when we will strike to allow innocent civilians to depart, then we carry it out, possibly with unmanned aircraft. If those that claim us as enemies want to make it a "we kill US citizens and/or allied forces or you kill us" proposition, I accept that offer and choose the latter. Thus, they spend their money rebuilding cities, not on weapons from minds that hate. All I can tell them is "brother you will have to wait and you know it's gonna be, alright..." - J. Lennon (he certainly would not have approve of this message)

This will be in concert with a league of countries that are tired of the ridiculous victimization as well. It will not be, "You are either with us or against us," as one very foolish, egotistical leader of the free world used to threaten other nations that caused mass alientation on already tenuous relationships abroad. The new message will be, "Please join us if you agree with us, but we must protect our own either way. We hope you understand and would take action if it was your countrymen threatened."

My Fellow Americans
I am sick of this campaign, ergo my rant. It started FAR too early, has been just an utter train wreck with votes from entire states not counting in the primaries and silly blunders by each candidate, not to exclude the ones that were voted off the island. Neither of the 2008 candidates seems to have any clue what they really plan to accomplish or they sure are especially secretive of this information out of fear we are too stupid to understand it may take personal sacrifice on everyone's behalf to get us out of the state we are now in.

Deny recession until the cows come home, but once the depression hits if we do not act now, the experts will "have some 'splaining to do, Lucy." The two politicians do share one goal on their checklists: in 2009, move into a sixteen bedroom, White House in the greater District of Columbia area, with incredible amenities, including staff for the totality of one's needs and significant historical value Oh, and each demands free rent.

In all seriousness, I want to be completely proud of this country, again. I want to be compelled to brag on her actions every chance I get. The people here are the greatest, especially those in our military and other occupations that risk life and limb for the land and citizens in this good ol' U.S. of A. It is time the government, at all levels, follows suit. I am a proud American looking at its history and much of its present, but I want integrity back in the Whitehouse so I know it is jealousy that evokes bashing of theUSA. God bless America, and do not let the door hit ya', Dubya.