This afternoon I decided to look into the 2008 Presidential front runners and what they have to say about health care in the United States. By doing this I assumed I would discover what their respective plans for changing the system are.

To do this I brought up Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani’s web sites to see what qualified as issues for them and what they plan to do about it. I was most surprised to find that both of the republican candidates didn’t have health care in American as an issue. Hillary and Barack both did, but Hillary's plan on the matter was a joke. Barack really is the only one with a clear cut plan, but even his bullet point plan for reform and improvement is lacking in one huge area which I think needs to be addressed for the system we now use today to be improved at all.

Before I get into what I think the major problem is Id like to point out the hilarious web sites the American people turn to to learn about the candidates and what qualifies to them as issues.

Rudy Giuliani’s issue page is a joke. The page “covers” ten issues and none of them have quotes from him nor outlines or detailed plans. Because of Giuliani’s lack of experience most of his issues touch on his eight years of mayorship in New York. Don’t get me wrong, New York is a big place and living here I understand many of the obstacles one faces to accomplish anything, but running on his experience as a mayor alone isn’t enough. Giuliani’s web page, and this goes for the other candidates as well, is grossly impersonal. I don’t want a volunteer typing in paragraphs about what Giuliani’s stances on issues are. I want Giuliani to sit down, type that shit up, make a plan and post it on his own web site. Between the debates, any on air live interviews and the candidates web sites, Americans must make a choice about the leader of the country. Its not guess and check, the people need to know the candidates and what they stand for so that an educated and informed decision can be made about who to vote for. With the Republicans and Democrats having such varying issues how can you even compare them to each other?

Next up is Hillary Clinton. As much as I like her, again her issues page is almost as bad as Giuliani’s. No plans, and a bunch of what Hillary has done in the Senate bullet points to make us feel like we can count on her to continue to do so. I want to feel like the issues are personal to Hillary. If they aren’t as personal to her as they are to me, what is point in putting her in an office where dealing with Americas issues are the top job?

John McCain scores slightly higher on the issues page. If you were comparing Giuliani’s page to McCain’s, McCain would be the clear winner. But to be fair, they all need to be looked at together. McCain’s issue page doesn’t read any more personally than the others but I get the clear sense that McCain says what he has to say and sticks to it. Hes a hard ass when it comes to major republican issues, and even though I disagree with him on almost everything, his stances on the page, and his partial plans do tell me something about him and how he might go about dealing with the said issues. But, these issues are not as important to me as the issues that can be found on the democratic hopefuls pages. Im so used to hearing the same bullshit coming out of Bush’s mouth Im looking for someone with a fresh perspective to show me issues I think are important and what can and will be done about them if elected.

Last but not least, winning the issues page examination hands down is Barack Obama. Obama has a variety of issues, some that don’t show up on Clinton's page, but do on the republican hopefuls. On top of that I feel like Obama has really thought about the issues and he has a plan for them. He doesn’t just say he has a plan, on his issues page he goes over, and in detail, what he thinks should be done about the problem and why. This, after looking at the other dismal pages, is refreshing to see. I don’t agree with him on everything but knowing he has a plan and what he thinks the consequences of the plans actions are, makes me feel hopeful. It’s sad that Barack is the only person that has come to accomplish this. Are the other candidates taking the nation and its problems as seriously as he is? He shouldn’t be the only one with plans when there are so many problems with America that need to be rectified.

Right now I’m disappointed. You would think the people running for office would be taking it seriously. I, for one, feel like they aren’t.

And what do I think the major problem is with the many “plans” put forth by the candidates? None of them even touch on the topic of a nation health care system run by the government paid for by U.S. tax dollars. Insurance is expensive. Too expensive. And when you pay that kind of money you should be taken care of. You’re not.

America has spread itself thin. We have our hands in a war fought under false pretenses and this forces us to look outwards rather than in. America needs to become strong from within. A country that’s health and united is one that has taken care of the problems plaguing itself. Education, Health Care, Poverty, American Politics and the Judicial System, and our blind eye to Americas Environment Issues need to be address before America can be a successful super power that is able to aid other countries and be seen as the type of country it once was.

Do we have any candidates in the running that can accomplish this?

Rudy Giuliani

Hillary Clinton

John McCain

Barack Obama 0 comments