Listen up people, the real solution is to be informed, no matter how you cast your vote. Politics is a personal and passionate subject for all of us, so don't let ignorance get in the way of the facts we need to be informed. Public record searches are a great way to find information that may enlighten you, don't be afraid to site your sources. Know the facts! Don't rely on the media to tell you the unbiased truth without their personal views getting in the way. The truth is, our Government does not represent us equally. If you want to know the facts, check out the U.S. Government website from the Census Bureau on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage. Do you think our politicians are living on $50,000.00 a year? Do you think they really care about you and your family? Do you think that you have an equal chance to become the President without millions of dollars for ad campaigns? Can you afford to purchase a ticket for a fancy sit down dinner with your candidate of choice? Do you know who your State Representative is; do you contact them with your views and opinions on the decisions they are making on your behalf? GET INVOLVED!! Don't let the Government push you around. It is our country, we need to be responsible and take action based on facts. To correct usaret, the Election is on November 4th, don't forget to vote, and check out vote-smart.org for some good information.

All the legislation that I keep hearing sited (the community reinvestment act, the deregulation bill from Leech/Grahm) fail to get to the REAL root of the problem, and that was the huge BUBBLE that was created in housing/real estate compliments of Alan Greenspan's insane fiscal policy of the 90's and early 00's. It was the reckless FOMC policy of constantly raising and lowering interest rates (cutting them all the way down to 0.75% in Nov of 02 ) under Greenspan that lead to this artificially inflated market in real estate. Many warned of the coming consequences and possible collapse, and most all laughed at us because the economy was so good, and you main asset (your house) kept going up in value. It is because of the collapse of the real estate/housing bubble which was artificially made by all the liquidity that the Feds created, that has led to this entire mess we are in. Now many homeowners no longer have any equity in their home now that the value has dropped 10-60% (yes some places have seen home values drop over 60%). Once these loans default the banks take a huge paper loss as the property has DECLINED in value from what it was when the loan was made.

pheasanthunter:
The points that you list in you last comment have the same credibility that a random chain email has. Being able to cite credible sources would go a long way to prove your points, allow me to do that for you. Obama = Higher Taxes Urban Institute-Brookings Tax Policy Center found that 95.5 percent of households with children would get a tax cut under Obama’s plan and overall, 81.3 percent of all households would see a tax cut.

Obama Supports the Fairness Doctrine: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article... An email sent to the campaign by this website received a response that he does not support the Fairness Doctrine.

Obama "supports" infanticide: I wrote quite a bit about this in my blog: http://thejasondoctrine.blogspot.com/ Obama does not support infanticide. Sources are cited in my blog. Under Illinois state law, physicians are required to provide medical treatment your statement is false.

Obama is trying to take your guns away: No, he is not, once again I refer you to my blog: http://thejasondoctrine.blogspot.com/ I take it you got the NRA brochure in the mail which has been proven by many credible sources to be full of completely fabricated information and half truths.

Auto Industry: Obama has been a supporter of the UAW for years. I'm curious as to where you got that information from.

Nationalized Healthcare: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_h... Many European countries have a Universal Health Care system and spend less than what our government currently does on health care.

Banking/Finance: People often cite the Community Reinvestment Act of 1995 signed by Bill Clinton, at a time when Republicans were the majority in Congress if you remember. Nowhere in this bill do I recall reading that lenders had to put people who made $30,000 a year in $300,000 houses, which is what was happening. There is more to this financial meltdown than just something that Obama did or didn't do. More about that in my blog as well. (continued to Part 2)

(part 2)
Ethics: Tony Reszko - if I remember correctly, he gave the $10,000 he donated to his campaign back. Sex-Education for 5 year olds - that McCain ad has been determined to be one of the sleaziest ads of the campaign. The actual bill made it very clear that the material was to be "age appropriate" for example, younger children would be taught about sexual predators and other age appropriate information. More on that in my blog as well. I have come to learn that through the course of this campaign, people are reading too much information from one side and not bothering to find out the facts. In my blog I have written quite a bit about our candidates and may continue to write more. Chain emails that are full of lies and ads from the campaigns are really hurting the candidates due to the fact that most people do not have the mental capacity to check facts for themselves and take things at face value. Most statements like the ones in your post are issued by either the campaigns themselves or groups that support the campaign. I also do not understand what Pat said that was sexist? I did not detect a sexist remark at all in his post. His/her statement "not have to be babysat during interviews" could have been referring to how McCain sat in on one segment of the interview with Katie Couric. I call that babysitting. I do not see anything sexist about it. People knock Obama for supposedly being inexperienced and say that Palin is more qualified to be President than he is, lets compare: Obama: Columbia University Harvard University President of Harvard Law Review Professor of Constitutional Law Illinois State Senator United States Senator while a US Senator, sat on 13 different committees and sub-committees. Palin: University of Idaho - Journalism City Council Member Mayor of Wasila Governor of Alaska Member of 16 different associations and committees. In my opinion, the kicker is the fact that Obama having been a lawyer and a professor of Constitutional Law trumps any other qualification that Palin could possible bring to the table. See as the oath of office states: "....and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." McCain thinks that were punishing countries that may have a different view than our by not talking to them. He will still adhere to the Bush Doctrine which is what got us into this mess in Iraq. I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket will only give us more of the same instead of the "change" that McCain is promising. I am still looking for a credible answer as to a specific instance as to what, when, where and how, he as gone up against his party.

Where is the tough choice here?

Economy is sluggish: Obama=Higher Taxes

Free Speech: Obama supports "Fairness Doctrine"

Abortion: Full supporter of murder of innocent children. Obama is indifferent to infanticide. Will not support medical care for botched abortions when children are born alive after failed procedure.

Gun Rights: Supports handgun bans and registration.

Health Care: National Socialized Plan, we pay for abortions with taxes. Rationing and beancounters making medical choices.

Energy: Nationalized ala Hugo Chavez

Education: Nationalized ala Fidel Castro. Remember Elian Gonzalez and the "re-education camp"?

Auto Industry: Obama is happy GM is closing plants. Wants to Nationalize industry into government run "green machines"

Banking/Finance: Took over 100K from Fannie/Freddie Mac Execs and supported legislation for them to irresponsibly lend.

Ethics: Tony Reszko, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan. Comprehensive sex education for 5 year olds.
Easy Choice: McCain is THE ONLY CHOICE. God Help us and save us!!

Pat you are a sexist! Since when are men or liberal women knocked down for having children and being in politics? If a conservative were to say the same thing about a liberal woman, the conservative would be demonized by our social-commie media. MSNBC should use you as a contributor.

TOUGH choice between the two candidates. I still have yet to decide...McCain or Barr, which way to go?...I'm leaning Barr after McCain's recent debacle with the bail out legislation.

seems to me that the Republicans run up the National Debt & then the Democrats get in & start paying it down & the Republicans start their "negative campaigns" & get back in again- to run up the NationalDebt, and then have the GALL to hollar about the "tax & spend" Democrats. Well, my question is : Isnt 8 years of "spend & spend" for the rich people enough ???????

I like Obama's presence, but I don't think he's the right man at the right time. His record in Chicago is heavy on spending. As a result, he'll only push our deficit even higher. We need a fiscal conservative like Bill Clinton, which is why I voted for Hillary in the primaries. She was pandering to the left during the primaries, but I think she would have been more fiscally responsible than either of our two current choices. It will probably be 2012 before we start to see an end to this mess we are in anyway, so we might as well start talking about that election now. Who ever gets elected this round has their hands full.

Bob Barr isn't the best Libertarian choice, but better than the other two. We are in for a bad four years no matter who gets in.

thank you bella

Think outside the box. Vote Bob Barr for president.

Pat - go to Madison for the farmer's market on a Saturday morning; lots of Obama/Biden yard signs for sale. Good luck!

Just think, on Nov 5th we get to start all over again as the media begins asking, who will run in 2012? Golly, can't wait.
I guess a Vice President that says FDR went on TV in 1929 is a sign of intelligence.
Obama will give you the change but he'll keep your dollars because he knows how to spend your money better then you do.
Bigger government, Bigger Taxes, Go Obama/Biden. The days of Jimmy Carter are just around the corner.

Well pretty simple. Like the last 8 years and the mess on wall street. Vote for McCain. Want change and reform the answer is Obama. Also want a vice president that can answer with some intelligence, and not have to be babysat during interviews, Obama/Biden is the way to go... Can't seem to get there yard signs to save my life though. Hard to get.