I just a dumb Canuck looking at this thread and got quite a few snickers. As an outsider watching the election fun from a distance (notwithstanding the fact that my wife is an American and has a big interest in this stuff), I love the lies, slander, mudslinging, slime, etc. that is going on, esp. in the media (the New York Times is so unbiased that it makes Pravda read like a Dr. Seuss book and the LA Times is Democrat-leaning but bashes Nancy Pelosi over the head occasionally). I would love to see Keith Olbermann and Sean Hannity in a steel cage match, but I digress.
You get what you wish for, my feeling is that Pelosi and Congress are the real problem, not Obama or McCain. Bush's economic policies did not cause meltdowns, Congress with their inaction and lack of oversight did.
My feeling is that with Obama, you'd better hang on to your wallets. Any sort of "redistribution" or "reallocation" of wealth spells socialist in my book and will take away incentive. That's eventually why the Soviet Union collapsed. I don't believe that McCain will follow Bush's economic policies, if he's elected, Pelosi and Congress will block him on everything anyway. If Obama is elected, look out.
As a Canadian, yes, I have access to "free, universal health care". Sounds sexy, until you get sick or need to have something done. Health care spending is out of control up here and consumes at least 45% of our budgets. That's why Canadian taxes are so high. And that's why we pay approximately 20% more for gasoline vs. the US. If you are complaining about your taxes now and if you vote in Obama, you ain't seen nothing yet. If you think that Obama will cut your taxes, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale. The repeated mantra of "change, change, change" has a brainwashing effect.
I generally feel that the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. Something tells me that I would rather take the chance on a retired Vietman vet fighter pilot who gave his soul for his country as opposed to a rookie senator whose sole experience is as a social worker, it doesn't matter that his background is unquantifiable.
Go ahead and flame me if you want, I could have a lot of fun with this!