Column: El Vaquero Endorses The Real Maverick
This story was written by , El Vaquero
Dear Readers,In six days, our country will elect a newcommander in chief - a man who will represent the American people andwhat this nation stands for: liberty, justice, and the American way. Overthe past eight years, the American way of life became harder to live.More and more families find themselves at the kitchen table, a tableadorned not with food, but with piles of bills that need to be paid. Hundredsof thousands of jobs have been lost, more and more homes have beenforeclosed, and college tuition is the highest it has ever been -Americans, especially the youth, can't keep up. This dismal economy,the worst since the Great Depression, has plunged the middle class intopoverty.The American dream is eroding away before our eyes -but it is our duty to ensure that the dream stays alive. Whichevercandidate takes office on Jan. 20 must be aware of this hardship andhave a solid plan in place to alleviate it.The U.S. needs apresident who will bring back American ingenuity - an idea that hasbeen long-forgotten - and place America back in a position ofworld-wide admiration.Studentswill benefit from Obama's stance on education - he is determined tomake college affordable by increasing Pell Grants, which will keep upwith inflation. Obama will also ensure that those who servetheir community or country will be able to afford a college educationby creating the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which is universal andfully refundable, and is worth up to $4,000 per student. According tothis plan, two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public collegeor university will be covered and community college tuition will becompletely free for most students - good news for everyone here at GCC.In addition, financial aid will be much easier to apply for -families need only check a box on their tax returns to automate theprocess - a big improvement over the lines, confusing applications andmultiple documents that make applying for public monies such aquagmire.Obama is opposed to the Iraq War and will bring our troops home withhonor, and resolving the humanitarian crisis that has erupted in theMiddle East. McCain has voted with George W. Bush on all mattersrelated to this futile and expensive war. As Americans we donot need to spend another hundred years in Iraq, as was once proposedby Mc Cain or "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" as he also suggested. Warspending has exceeded $1 trillion dollars. Imagine the state America'seconomy would be in now if those dollars had been spent domesticallyinstead of in Iraq.Is it "unfair" to require Americans who makemore than $250,000 a year to go back to the tax rate they were payingin the 1990's? We don't think so. In fact, at El Vaquero, all staffmembers make less than - $250,000 per year and we oppose raising taxesfor middle class and lower income people, who are struggling to makeends meet as it is.According to Congressional Quarterly'sVoting Studies, in 2007 McCain voted in line with the president'sposition 95 percent of the time. Obama voted with the president only 40percent of the time and, it should be noted, the Senate's Democraticleader, Harry Reid of Nevada, voted with Bush a mere 39 percent of thetime on last year's issues. McCain is just more of the same.His plan is to stay the course. If you are happy with the developmentsof the last eight years - the economy, the war, health care, thehousing market, the job crisis, the skyrocketing price of gasoline, thelack of public services and the loss of jobs, then by all means votefor McCain. If you want real meaningful change, vote for Obama - he'sthe real maverick.