I know I haven’t always been in favor of John McCain. I voted for Governor Mitt Romney in Missouri’s Presidential Primary, and was disappointed to see Senator McCain win the nomination. That being said, I am ready to give my endorsement for President to Senator John McCain. Following are five reasons to not elect Senator Obama and five reasons we should support Senator McCain: 5 Reasons Not To Elect Obama: 1. He’s the wrong person to lead us through the current economic crisis. Anyone who would raise taxes on any segment of society in the midst of economic chaos doesn’t deserve your vote. We’ll get to why I think class warfare and tax relief for middle class workers at the expense of the wealthy is bad in a moment, but this specific point deserves merit of its own. The wealthy are the people who create jobs, fuel the investment community, and in general drive the economy. Taking money out of their hands is a bad idea right from the start. At the end of the day, Senator Obama is a big-spending liberal—not what we need over the next four years of uncertain economic times. 2. We should be above class warfare. My Bible tells me not to covet what my neighbor has. By raising taxes solely on the rich, Democrats feed a feeling that we should stick it to those who have what we don’t. Simply because certain individuals have worked hard and made money for themselves doesn’t mean they should be forced to support the rest of us. When Senator Obama talks about his tax cuts only applying to those who make above $250,000 annually (or $200,000, or $125,000, depending on who is speaking), he is invoking class warfare. Don’t fall for it. 3. Socialism (redistribution of wealth) doesn’t work because there’s no reason to better oneself as a result of it. Conservatives have long been accused of being cold for not allowing government to hand out money to the poor (I actually think this job is best in the hands of churches and charitable organizations and not the government). What, however, is truly cold? Conservatives forgo welfare checks in favor of other measures to stir the economy. We believe in creating opportunities for all to become better off financially. In the long run, this is far better for the individual. Liberals, on the other hand, favor taking from the rich and giving to the poor—spreading the wealth around. That may be fine now, but what exactly does this accomplish? It teaches us that the reward for doing nothing is a government paycheck. As a teacher, I try not to reward bad behavior. I certainly take into account circumstances for the bad behavior, but if I reward it, it doesn’t correct itself. Instead, I try to foster growth by accentuating positives and giving students a chance to succeed. I think the same principles apply to society. Americans are some of the best and brightest in the world, and I trust them with more of their own money. 4. We can’t afford to negate the progress we have made in Iraq by untimely withdrawal. Under General Petraeus, we have made visible progress in Iraq. We could begin to withdraw some of our forces next year, but a full withdrawal could allow the country to devolve into chaos. We need Iraq to be a stable democracy in the region (especially with a possibly nuclear Iran in the near future), and it should be a high priority for the next president. 5. Senator Obama supports abortion rights. I don’t think I could ever support a candidate who favors the killing of babies. It’s wrong, and I hope I don’t need to go any further on this. 5 Reasons to Elect Senator McCain: 1. Despite what Senator Obama thinks, the economic policies of the past eight years have been mostly successful. Shortly after President Bush took office, the county had one of the most horrific events in our nation’s history, which immediately propelled the economy into a recession. Under the guidance of President Bush, however, the recession was short lived, and we have experienced mainly economic growth during the rest of his presidency. I firmly believe that the current economic crisis is not a result of President Bush’s policies (and might have more to do with the Congress, which has been run by Democrats the last two years). It has been repeatedly proven that universal tax cuts grow the economy—and so we must make these tax cuts a continued reality. Senator McCain favors this, Senator Obama doesn’t. 2. Senator McCain has forgotten more about foreign policy than Senator Obama (or Senator Biden) will ever know. McCain was right about the surge in Iraq. He understands what it takes to win, and he won’t quit until we have done so. We need Iraq to be a stable ally in the region, and it will hopefully spark a new democratic domino effect in the region (thereby encouraging other Arab states to become westernized democracies. Freedom is a noble thing to spread, and hopefully we will do so in the future. 3. Senator McCain is right on the social issues. When Senator Obama was asked when life begins, he said it was above his pay grade. We need a man in the Oval Office who doesn’t have such qualms about moral issues—and that man is Senator McCain. 4. Senator McCain will bring needed reform to Washington. I haven’t always agreed with Senator McCain on issues, but he stands his ground when he believes he’s right (whether or not his party agrees with him). That will help him with reform in Washington. One of his top priorities is eliminating exorbitant spending from Washington’s budgets that come in the form of outrageous spending perks for the constituencies of members of Congress. It takes courage to enact such reform, and Senator McCain is the man with said courage. 5. Senator McCain will be ready to lead from his first day in office. We don’t need someone with no experience and a paper thin résume to be Commander in Chief of the greatest country in the history of the world. We can’t afford a learning curve and we certainly don’t need someone who will invite testing by the powers in the world (in the sentiment of Senator Biden). The time is coming. Do we want an inexperienced, wrong leader like Senator Obama, or a proven patriot like Senator John McCain? I hope you’ll join me in voting for John McCain to become the 44th President of the United States. | 
