College Discussion - View Single Post - A bona fide ISSUE! Gas tax holiday: McCain vs. Clinton vs. Obama

Bullet · 05-03-2008, 07:23 AM

Kluge,

I applaud your attempt to try to focus on the candidates stand on an issue versus the typical "30-second attention span" media's focus on character flaws. And I applaud the way the majority of the other posters have attempted to keep the focus on the issue.

But here is my gut-feeling on THIS particular issue: ALL three of the candidates have focused on the symptoms and not the cure, in ways that show they care more about expediantly pandering to the base desires of the voting public (yippee! I save $30 bucks this summer!) than they do about making hard choices that might be more beneficial in the long run, but might turn off a few voters in November. What I'm REALLY tired of is the way both sides of the aisle focus on the the "low hanging fruit" of an issue versus actually trying to enact policy that would cure the underlying problem.

OK, I'll admit it. I work a long day, I get home tired and not wanting to focus on making my head hurt more. I want spoon-fed entertainment; funny, light, and not too hard on the cranium. I don't have the time to focus for hours on end on each candidates web-site for the nuances of their positions on each issue. The deeepest I'll go on a topic is usually here on CC.

Lazy? Yep (bad habit, but I'm trying!). Deserving of scorn? ("Come on, this is an election year! You SHOULD care!") Fire away with the chastisment. But, I think I stand with the majority of the American voting public in the fact that I'm too tired and too lazy to do the research myself. I, and the rest of America's boob-tube pubic, rely on the media to do that for us and present the facts. Unfortunately, the media has let America down (big-time!), and has decided to focus instead on the "character flaws" mentioned above.

But I'm on CC (a place I feel where intelligent comments and analysis usually rule above all). Let's look at the bigger problem here. Do we focus on THIS Summer, or do we focus on a long-term solution. How about more drilling in Alaska and off the coasts of Florida? How about building more refineries in California? More importantly, how about getting us off our addiction to oil through investments / increases in Nuclear energy fo now, while we increase funding for research into better sources. Solutions not to everyone's taste, but I want to hear others, expecially the candidates'. What I'm ultimately looking for is the candidate who will stand up and say, "OK, America, we need to focus on energy independence for our kids, not on the price of a tank of gas in July. And here's my plan. It may hurt today, but your kids will thank you". I'll admit, Obama sounds like he's coming close, but I haven't seen his details to give him the victory here. IMO, Clinton and McCain went for this July, and the smattering of voters that comes with that focus.

Come on, my friends in CC. Educate me! I promise to spread the word, so keep it accurate, short, and to the point or I'll lose the masses I'm passing this to in translation. And if it degenerates into another round vitriol against one candidates' character flaws, while showering love and praise for another candidates' very existence, I'm gone. Show me their plans to fix the underlying problem here, or I'm switching back to "Two and a Half Men".

05-03-2008, 07:23 AM	#57
Bullet Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: NC Gender: Male Threads: 8 Posts: 102	Kluge, I applaud your attempt to try to focus on the candidates stand on an issue versus the typical "30-second attention span" media's focus on character flaws. And I applaud the way the majority of the other posters have attempted to keep the focus on the issue. But here is my gut-feeling on THIS particular issue: ALL three of the candidates have focused on the symptoms and not the cure, in ways that show they care more about expediantly pandering to the base desires of the voting public (yippee! I save $30 bucks this summer!) than they do about making hard choices that might be more beneficial in the long run, but might turn off a few voters in November. What I'm REALLY tired of is the way both sides of the aisle focus on the the "low hanging fruit" of an issue versus actually trying to enact policy that would cure the underlying problem. OK, I'll admit it. I work a long day, I get home tired and not wanting to focus on making my head hurt more. I want spoon-fed entertainment; funny, light, and not too hard on the cranium. I don't have the time to focus for hours on end on each candidates web-site for the nuances of their positions on each issue. The deeepest I'll go on a topic is usually here on CC. Lazy? Yep (bad habit, but I'm trying!). Deserving of scorn? ("Come on, this is an election year! You SHOULD care!") Fire away with the chastisment. But, I think I stand with the majority of the American voting public in the fact that I'm too tired and too lazy to do the research myself. I, and the rest of America's boob-tube pubic, rely on the media to do that for us and present the facts. Unfortunately, the media has let America down (big-time!), and has decided to focus instead on the "character flaws" mentioned above. But I'm on CC (a place I feel where intelligent comments and analysis usually rule above all). Let's look at the bigger problem here. Do we focus on THIS Summer, or do we focus on a long-term solution. How about more drilling in Alaska and off the coasts of Florida? How about building more refineries in California? More importantly, how about getting us off our addiction to oil through investments / increases in Nuclear energy fo now, while we increase funding for research into better sources. Solutions not to everyone's taste, but I want to hear others, expecially the candidates'. What I'm ultimately looking for is the candidate who will stand up and say, "OK, America, we need to focus on energy independence for our kids, not on the price of a tank of gas in July. And here's my plan. It may hurt today, but your kids will thank you". I'll admit, Obama sounds like he's coming close, but I haven't seen his details to give him the victory here. IMO, Clinton and McCain went for this July, and the smattering of voters that comes with that focus. Come on, my friends in CC. Educate me! I promise to spread the word, so keep it accurate, short, and to the point or I'll lose the masses I'm passing this to in translation. And if it degenerates into another round vitriol against one candidates' character flaws, while showering love and praise for another candidates' very existence, I'm gone. Show me their plans to fix the underlying problem here, or I'm switching back to "Two and a Half Men".