Is Obama the Better Man - Essay Example

The Better Man Choosing objectively between McCain and Obama is clearly a difficult task for the of this paper. It would be quite easy if a partisan view was required. Unfortunately that is not what is required of this paper. Therefore, what this paper will attempt is to show that the American elections are not about the better man. They are about better policies. Assuming a self-centered view of every individual, it is safe to say that the better policy will be the one which supports specific interest groups or classes. In other words, American votes should determine whether McCain or Obama realistically propose policies that will help the majority of this country’s population. By examining the single most important feature of both candidates’ policy i.e. economic policy, the author argues that Obama is the better man because he has a comprehensive approach to solving the most pressing issue today: the American economy. As shown by a Times-Rockefeller Foundation poll, the biggest problem that 85% Americans want to see resolved is related to the economy in some way (Saporito, 2008). The current economic situation and its impact on middle class, working Americans is a sharp shift away from the expectations brought by living the American dream. A further classification of the TIME poll found that 96% black Americans and 88% latin Americans were unhappy with the economy. It does make sense that most Americans are extremely unhappy dealing with falling income, real-estate bubble burst, a shaky stock market and rising poverty (Saporito, 2008; FOX Business, 2008; Epstein & Gorzelany, 2008; Villaraigosa, 2007). In Michigan alone, unemployment has risen by 76% from 2001, Income has fallen 11.5% and poverty has increased by 30% from 2000 to 2006 (FOX Business, 2008). It is clear that the most pressing issue for Americans is in fact their own economy. As the author of this paper will continue to show, the American people, and more specifically the working class Americans deserve an economic policy that reflects their hard work and strength to survive the impending doom in their lives. According to Epstein and Gorzelany (2008), more than 5 million people will fall under the already large poverty line by 2010. The poverty rate would increase an average of 2 points to about 16%. More importantly, “the US stands second only to Mexico as having the worst rate of relative poverty among the world’s developed nations. Let us examine what this means for a lower-middle or lower income American: They are part of the 36.5 million Americans living in the US They are likely to send their child to foster care because they can not afford medical care They are part of six million low-income households that spend half or more than half their income to pay rent for substandard housing These figures are not being quoted to increase the length of this paper; they are facts that show that most Americans need a policy that addresses poverty, unemployment, and the current recession. America needs a policy that addresses the needs of the 95% of the population that has incomes lower than $250,000 (Pallasch, 2008). The question that needs to be answered is: Which of the two candidates has the better economic policy? Is it McCain? Compared to what Obama has to offer the lower-middle class and senior citizens i.e. the majority of the population, McCain is far behind in his attempt to align policies that are similar Bush’s policies. McCain’s plan to continue sending forces and investing in the Iraq War requires a staggering $6.3 trillion for the next four years (Pallasch, 2008). In various speeches and press conferences, McCain has shown signs of a very stable and clear foreign policy. However, he fails to address the biggest problem: How will he continue to fund this war and? More importantly, has he considered the implications on the current fiscal deficit? His foreign policy may be a viable course of action only if America’s economic issues are completely ignored. McCain has failed to tackle middle-class tax cuts proficiently. His tax cut proposal ignores 101 million households that also include those that are just above the poverty line (FOX Business, 2008). While Obama has constructed a clear policy to provide ($500-$1000) tax cuts to the middle class and senior citizens (Obama, 2008), McCain has promised to provide tax cuts that completely ignore 64 million households who pay tax and do not have dependants as well as another 37 million households (senior citizens). It would be an understatement to say that Obama has a much more comprehensive plan for middle class and poor Americans. In fact, Obama’s entire life has shown his focus towards removing poverty in America (Obama, 2008). He has continuously proposed increasing tax credit and minimum wage for lower-middle class citizens while also ensuring that low-income students have access to college education. Also, his views on revising the current mortgage housing system also reflect his continued dedication to better serve the people that can not afford to survive under the loopholes created by tricky mortgage lenders. Although Obama has been attacked on his views of raising capital gains tax in any event (James, 2008), he is still addressing an important issue: the loopholes in tax system that prevent equitable tax payments by every segment of society. According to Obama’s website, corporate tax payers take advantage of loop holes in the tax system and enjoy tax cuts worth 160 times that paid out to middle class Americans. Furthermore, if both candidates’ tax cuts are continued in the future, “Obama’s tax cuts will bring in a further $600 million whereas McCain’s tax cuts will cost $700 billion more to the US Treasury (Pallasch, 2008). These figures are supported by the fact that McCain will be providing the richest Americans (income greater than $250,000) tax cuts whereas Obama’s plan is to create a more progressive and comprehensive tax system that will heavily tax the richest Americans. So far, McCain seems to be lacking a clear and appropriate economic policy that can clearly stand against Obama’s comprehensive policy. However, economic policy is just one of the many areas that must be considered before choosing between the two candidates. In some areas, especially healthcare, McCain has proposed an excellent policy. Although both candidates are trying to solve the root of the problem i.e. expanding provision base to more people (by lowering cost), McCain has suggested a shift from employment based medical provision to freely purchased and subsidized medical plan that not only will provide coverage to more people but also create a more stable and self-regulating free market system (Tanner, 2008); a system that will slowly rid itself of the current issues of the already expensive healthcare system. McCain expects greater competition between health care institutions as people are given the freedom to purchase refundable tax credit medical plans across states. While this paper argues that the better man will in fact be the one who can handle the biggest problem best, it does not imply in any way that the American economic policy is the only cause for concern. The 85% unhappy Americans are not just unhappy about the economy, they are unhappy about other social and foreign issues such as health care and the war in Iraq. Although discussion of all possible policies will go beyond the scope of this paper, they still are and will remain an important voting issue for Americans. However, the biggest issue still remains: The American Economy; and based on this paper, Obama is clearly the better man because he promises the strike at the heart of this grave situation. Works Cited 1. Saporito, B. (2008). 85% of America Unhappy with Economy, retrieved from TIME MAGAZINE’s website. Online version: http://www.time.com/time/sbusiness/article/0,8599,1823668,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-biztech 2. FOX Business. DNC: McCain Watch: The Economy, retrieved July 18, 2008 from the FOX Business Website. http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/dnc-mccain-watch-economy/ 3. Villaraigosa, A. (2007). Repairing the Economic Ladder. Findings and recommendations of Mayor Villaraigosa, Chair of the United States Conference of Mayors Taskforce on Poverty, Work and Oppurtunity. 4. Epstein, J. & Gorzelany, M. (2008) State Governments and The New Commitment to Reduce Poverty in America. Center for Law and Social Policy. 5. Pallasch A. (2008). Tax plan face off: Obama vs. McCain. Retrieved from Chicago Sun-Times. July 18,2008. http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1031268,CST-NWS-tax30.article 6. Obama, B.(2008). Barack Obama: Fighting Poverty and Creating a Bridge to the Middle Class. Retrieved from Barack Obama website July 18,2008 http://www.barackobama.com/issues/pdf/PovertyFactSheet.pdf 7. James, S. (2008). Hurting the Rich Important to Obama. Retrived from CATO Institute http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9350 8. Tanner, M. The Cost’s The Thing. CATO Institute. Retrieved on July 18,2008. http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9266 9. US Census Bureau. Retrieved from the US Census Bureau website, July 17,2008. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=PEP_2007_EST&-mt_name=PEP_2007_EST_G2007_T001 Read More