I suspect that anyone who reads my blog regularly will not be surprised that I voted for John McCain for President. This is a decision I came to several weeks ago, but I have been following the campaign to see if something would happen causing me to change my opinion. I have tremendous respect for Barack Obama, but don't agree with him on many issues and didn't think he was the right leader for this country at this time. I have decided to explain the reasons I chose Senator McCain in this important election. I'm sure that there are many people that will disagree with these reasons, and I hope they study out the issues themselves and come to their own determination. I have many friends who look at the same issues I do and make a different determination as to the correct solution. I respect that as diversity is one of the things that makes this country great and nobody or no party has the right solution to every issue. 

Economy

I believe that with the major issues with the economy right now it is important to have a candidate that has more experience and will be more friendly towards small business and the free market. I know that the Republicans are getting hammered on the economy right now and the bailout, but I believe that Orson Scott Card, a Democrat, makes a strong case that the Democrats have a large part of the blame themselves. 

Military

I support the Iraq War in the sense that I believe we need to finish what we started, even though we made a mistake going there in the first place. I also think that I would rather have someone who served in the military leading this country because he truly understands the sacrifices that the members of our armed services make in defending this country.

Experience

With the many issues facing our country I think it is critical to have someone who has significant experience in making tough decisions and crisis management. I also want a president who knows how the Federal Government works and more significantly doesn't work, and will know how to navigate the rough waters of bureaucracy.

Working Across The Aisle

Senator McCain has shown that he isn't afraid to cross up his own party and work with Democrats to solve problems. It is apparent to me that the parties are going to have to work together to solve problems and I believe Senator McCain can do that more effectively.

Taxes

The government needs to try and take as little of my money as possible. The fact is the government is not entitled to my money. I worked for it, they did not. There is a need for government programs, but there is also a responsibility to be accountable for the money these programs need to spend. The government cannot and should not attempt to solve everyone's problems. I understand that the government needs money to operate, I just expect them to take as little as they can. In this I expect that Senator McCain will try and limit the amount of taxes I pay.

Conclusion

I accept the fact that Senator Obama will likely win this election. While I won't vote for him if he does win I will support him and pray for him during his term(s). Personally I think being the President is a thankless job, and I think the president takes a tremendous beating for things that are often out of his/her control. As always I also hope that the winner of this election really needs to work with both parties in order to help this country move forward. We have tremendous opportunities and talents in this country if we can stop fighting long enough to work together.