"I am voting for McCain. I am pretty sure at this point that Obama is going to win. My vote doesnt really matter as I live in Texas and McCain wins here regardless of my vote. I have serious concerns about Obama"

Pretty much ditto for me except swap the names in the first and last sentences.

"1. Rasing taxes in a bad economy is not a sound policy - on anybody for any reason. Obama is playing a class warfare game that will cause the country to lose."

Incomplete, thus incorrect. Raising taxes ON THE NOT-RICH is a bad idea. Class warfare has existed for a long time in this country, and the rich started it.

"2. Obama keeps claiming that he is going to cut taxes on 95% of the population - I fall into that 95% so good for me. BUT, will that tax break be significant - ie how much does he plan to cut individuals taxes. Personally I think we need to get rid of the current system and go to a consumption tax ie VAT with refunds for those that make $24K or less per year."

At what rate we are taxed is often less important than how much we make, except at the highest levels of income. The more regressive the tax, the more hurtful it is to the economy. Consumption taxes are the most regressive, therefore the most sensitive with regard to income. In other words, consuption taxes are favored by the rich because it costs them less.

"3, How is Obama going to pay for everything he is proposing. There is no way he can cut taxes and pay for healthcare etc."

Hmmm, that actually is a good question, considering the drunken spending binge BushCo and the Republicans have been on the last 8 years. I'm dubious that tax cuts for the bottom 95% would be the best choice, maybe bottom 75%, combined with a wealth tax for the top 5% and a hefty marginal rate increase. That's a guess and maybe a Keynesian economist with a better calculator could come up with better numbers.

"4. Healthcare - Medicare is already a mess. One of the main reasons our health care costs are as high as they are is that the govt keeps reducing payment to providers, they in turn shift those unfunded costs to private payers. what happnes when every private employer drops their plans and all those employees flood the govt plans.

5. Health care related - Obama wants to drop the pre-existing conditions clause in insurance policies - let me get this straight. I dont have insurance, I get cancer so I can have someone else pay for the treatment si I get "insurance" with no pre ex clause. As soon as the treatment is over I drop the insurance again because I dont need it anymore. this does not work

6. We end up with a canadian style plan - if you like waiting in line (for years in some instances) you will love the canadian plans. by the way - canada is moving to more of a private payer plan."

First I want to point out a lot of what you say is true and it is true because of the Republican dogma of "reducing government" and passing the "savings" onto the states, which is really a trojan horse for eliminating government all-togther.

There are ways to save money with healthcare and there are ways to make our healthcare system better provide for us. My guess is "real" healthcare "reform" (in the non-bastardized version Bush promulgates) will include greater efficiencies that will create cost saving. At the same time, the reforms will also incorporate changes that make our system more helpful to more people which will often (but not always) offset the savings realized from the greater efficiencies.

Healthcare is a big issue in this country and won't be solved easily, but honesty is the first step in getting things done. I have seen very very little from either side on this and very little in the media beyond useless and misleading soundbytes. And to be crystal clear, I thing the GOP are bunch of pernicious lying douchebags, which distinguishes them from the Dem leadership, who are pernicous GOP-wannabes and battered-wife-syndrom enablers.

Everybody on the "Right" likes to bash the Canadian system. It might not be perfect and they have challenges BUT they are more of a representative democracy than we have been in the last 8 years, so maybe, just maybe, the Canadian system doesn't completely suck? Furthermore, there are other civilized countries with healthcare systems that are much better than ours. They get no mention by the "Right". Why is that?

"So Obama supporters - these are my issues with Obama- what say you??

-- ehoudiniman"

Now I have *attempted* to answer your points honestly and without (excessive) namecalling or demagogery.

Can you make the case for McCain?

sittin' in a tree

d-r-i-l .. l-i-n-g

Bin Laden successfully reached his goals only because Bush cooperated. If OBL has a surprise waiting for us, it will be intended to help McCain win. OBL wants another right-wing reactionary in office so he can continue doing what he does best.

Heard that Friday on the radio. The media dutifully laid covering fire for the GOP talking points. How can someone violate an "act" and not break the law? The talking head presented the talking point as if a law and a legal "act" were different things.

Hmmm, what would the GOP do if the tables were turned? I'm sure they'd happily release something that might evoke sympathy for the opposition. They might even wear bandaids with purple-colored hearts to show their support.

Not sure what Warner Brothers has to do with Stone's movie. They aren't listed anywhere in the company credits..

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1175491/companycredits