I just had an epiphany. I don't know why it just came to me because it has been in our face for months. "Change" is merely a code word for the next President's skin color. Black Americans who have unknowingly been repressed by liberal policies and black activists, and white Americans who have an over-whelming sense of "white-guilt" will not rest until we have a black man in the White House.

I know it is not politically correct, but anyone who is honest with themselves will agree. If you call Obama a socialist; if you point out his association with radicals; if you criticize his role as a "community organizer"; if you disagree with national health care, welfare, abortion or anything that differs with his views; you are classified as a racist by his supporters. Let's be honest with ourselves. If you are voting for Barak Obama because he is black, who is the racist?

Believe me when I say that it would be refreshing to have a black man in the White House, but not at the expense of our freedom, national security and overall well being. Obama is a great communicator and if not for his radical views and apparent lack of character would make a great President some day. If he were a Conservative and believed in small government, a strong military and the sanctity of life, I would be waving his flag. But the fact remains that he is the opposite of this. That is why I am so opposed to him becoming President.

So, go ahead and call me a racist if you must. My concern is for the well-being of our country, not by how I am perceived by small-minded people.

In case we didn't have enough reasons to vote against Obama, here are a few more.

It turns out that the Obama campaign is now admitting that they did hire a subsidiary of ACORN to do some campaign work for them. Obama has lied about his association with ACORN over the past several months, but the overwhelming evidence to the contrary has forced him to admit the truth. Of course, there won't be much play in the main stream media about this.

Another lie that Obama has been caught in is his association with William Ayers. Obama now says that he did know about Ayers' terrorist acts, but assumed he had been rehabilitated. This is an astonishing acknowledgement because he has claimed for months that he had no knowledge of Ayers' past. It amazes me that this association does not seem to matter to so many. Here is the thought for the day. What if John McCain would have launched his campaign from the home of Timothy McVeigh? What if he had served on the board or made speeches with a known abortion clinic bomber? I think we all know the answer. Amazingly, the press is more concerned with Sarah Palin using her power as governor to fire a violent State Trooper than they are with Obama's association with William Ayers.

Finally(until some other outrageous fact comes out), the Washington Times reported on Friday that when Obama was in Iraq, he tried to undermine the United States' relationship with that country and it's leaders. In my opinion, this is a treasonous act. We have a United States Senator trying to undermine our countries strategy with another country in order to influence a war that our fellow Americans (a volunteer army) are fighting. I don't care what your stance on the war is, this is a despicable act.

Let me take this opportunity to remind everyone that this is not Bush's war. This is a war that the United States Congress voted to enter in to after our nation was attacked. The overwhelming majority of Americans were in favor of this action, therefor our mission should be victory. Victory over terrorism in the global war on terrorism.

As I am watching the debate between John McCain and Barak Obama, the thing that troubles me the most is that Barak Obama admits that he thinks healthcare is a right. Now at the risk of sounding like a "cold-hearted conservative", I must point out that there are very few rights in this country. As a matter of fact, that term gets tossed around far too often.

The Constitution of the United States grants each American the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In other words, every American has the right to seek healthcare for themselves and their families, but there is no such guarantee. Liberals seem to stop short on what the Constitution grants it's citizens. The missing ingredient that most Liberals leave out is personal responsibility.

It is my hope that every American have a healthcare plan, but at the same time I realize that each American should be responsible for aquiring it themselves.

It is extremely troubling to think that America, the home of the free, has come to the point where we have a man this close to the White House who thinks that Americans can not provide for themselves. We have a man running for President who thinks it is the government's job to take care of the people.

There is no doubt that Barak Obama himself troubles me to no end. However, what troubles me more are the millions of Americans who will vote for him because they are unsatisfied with their own lives and what they have acheived.

As a matter of fact, I have criticed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for their role in the economic crisis and there is no doubt that corporate greed has played a part, but let's talk about the root of the problem for a change. No, it is not politically correct to say this, but what about the American consumer who has lived on credit for the last 10-20 years? What about the consumer who purchased homes that they knew they could not afford and are now (much like Wall Street)wanting to be bailed out of their mistakes? These people are blaming the "predatory lenders". Here is a novel idea. Make a budget and stick to it. If someone comes along and tells me I can afford to make a $5,000 mortgage payment, I am going to tell them that my budget disagrees.

When does personal reponsibility come in to play?

I guess the reason why so many people are voting for Obama is that they don't want to have to worry about being held accountable.

I am afraid that we are witnessing the transformation of our country from a free market society to a big brother-socialist society

There are two statements that Obama keeps repeating that really irritate me (well actually many more than two). First, he says that McCain wants to give tax cuts to the oil companies. Next, he says McCain wants to give tax cuts to companies that do business overseas.

Here is the truth. McCain wants to give tax cuts to ALL businesses. The reason is that we currently have the second highest corporate tax rate in the world. McCain's corporate tax cuts will give companies an incentive to do business here at home.

Obama is clearly playing wealth-envy/ class-envy politics. Sadly, too many Americans will vote for Obama because they believe it is important to punish the rich, to punish the businesses that make our economy thrive.

Think about. Really think about it! That philosophy is contrary to what America stands for. Punish the achievers and reward the non-achievers.

Our country has transformed from 13 colonies to the sole Super-Power in the world in less than 300 years because we have given every citizen the opportunity to acheive their goals and dreams. Now, we have a man who has actually convinced many Americans that the very people who have worked hard and made the most of their freedoms are the problem. Unbelievable.

"I believe that most Americans would agree on the problems that this country faces .... They include the need once again for an economy that works. The economy today is in very, very bad shape ..... It is not getting better. It is getting worse. All the leading indicators now point downward, and stock investors are now losing confidence.... We need a government that works, and we need a government that cares, and once again we have to get back to work on education, on health, on housing, on the environment, on energy; and we need a foreign policy that once again reflects the values and the beliefs of the American people. This will take leadership, and we need leadership, too. The Republican administration, the Republican party has had eight years to solve these problems. All of them have gotten worse. The Republican ticket does not offer new plans for their solution but is engaged in a frantic effort to defend the past. This nation desperately needs new leadership."

Was it Barak Obama? Joe Biden? How about Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reed?

No. It was Walter Mondale in the 1976 Vice-Presidential Debate.

So much for Obama and the Democrats being an agent of change. "The Chosen One" has been repeating the very same Democratic mantra that we have been hearing since the Great Depression.

Need I remind anyone what happened after the 1976 debate? We elected Jimmy Carter. Do we really want to swallow that pill again? Let's learn from the mistakes of the past.

We do need change in Washington. We need reform that only John McCain and Sarah Palin can deliver. After all, they are the only ones who actually have a record of standing up to the status quo.

Don't be fooled by the media. The financial problems we are facing are a result of government intrusion. We can not afford the policies of Barak Obama because he only wants to increase the burden that government places on the tax payers. Free market solutions are the answer.

There are many reasons why one should cast their vote for John McCain this fall and not Barak Obama. But there is one reason, based on recent economic developments, that perhaps stands out more than any other. Forget the fact that McCain understands the threat of terrorism and will continue to build our national security, unlike Obama, who wants to dismantle our military by getting rid of our nuclear arsenal. Does he really trust the Russians, North Koreans and Iranians to do the same? THIS INDICATES VERY BAD JUDGMENT.

Forget the fact that the only accomplishment Obama can claim as an elected official is his FOUR votes against a bill that would protect infants that were born alive as a result of a botched abortion. THIS INDICATES A TOTAL LACK OF MORALES.

Forget about Obama's associations with: Jeremiah Wright, a hate spewing, anti-American pastor who has completely distorted the Word of God and the life of Jesus; Tony Resco, a convicted felon; ACORN, a corrupt political organization known for illegally registering people to vote (community organizers); and most troubling, William Ayers, a confessed terrorist whose group bombed the Pentagon and Capitol. Obama claims that he is merely a victim of guilt by association. Well, associations with one or two of these MIGHT be considered a coincidence, but the numbers seem (at least to any reasonable person) to indicate a pattern of an extremist world view. THIS INDICATES BAD CHARACTER.

The issue that is probably on most Americans minds today is the economy. The Democrats are trying to blame Republicans for the recent troubles in the financial markets. The truth is that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were quasi-governmental entities (run by Democrats) and were not held to the same standards as private owned companies. Fannie May and Freddie Mac, with the urging of the President and the Congress, gave more and more mortgages to poorer and poorer people, who essentially could not pay the bill. As a result, home prices were driven beyond what is realistic. What we are now having is a correction in the market because the free market has been tampered with. Capitalism is not the cause of our current economic trouble, but rather the interference of government.

Now I am not advocating complete deregulation. There should be basic regulations in all industries to make sure people are not being taken advantage of. My issue is the fact that government has reached the point were it gets in the way of the free market in order to maintain it's power over the American people.

When it comes to the two candidates, it is obvious that McCain's proposals are much better for our economy based on three factors. First of all, McCain wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, which will continue to encourage people to achieve rather than blame the "mean rich guy" (who in most cases they owe their job and their livelihood to). Obama says he will cut the taxes of 90% of Americans. This is obviously a distortion if not a complete lie. Obama is playing on the ignorance of the American people who, for the most part, do not realize that the bottom 40% of income earners do not pay ANY income tax. Obama's plan will basically PAY people who do not make a certain amount of money by taking it away from the rich. This is income redistribution and it takes away the incentive of the American Dream. Trust me, if you are middle class, your tax dollars will increase under Obama and, most importantly, your income will decline.

Next, McCain will lower the corporate tax rate, which will encourage businesses to operate here in the US rather than abroad. We currently have the second largest corporate tax rate in the world, and as a result, we are losing more and more businesses and jobs overseas. Obama's plan is to punish businesses who make a profit by adopting a "windfall profit" tax. With this plan, we will be lucky to have any businesses operate within our borders.

Finally, McCain will allow expending for our small businesses. Currently, small businesses are only allowed to deduct the depreciation costs of the equipment they use for their business. McCain's plan will allow business owners to deduct 100% of any equipment they purchase for their business the year they buy it. This will allow small business to have more cash flow to run and grow their businesses. It will also make it easier for people to start a business and turn a profit in their first couple of years in business. This is very important because small businesses employ about 2/3 of all Americans and is the backbone of our economy.

I have basically outlined a host of reason to NOT vote for Barak Obama. To date, I have not heard one reason to vote for him except he is not George Bush and if I don't vote for him I must be a racist. Oh, and of course, he is oing to take care of me and my family. Well, my message to Mr. Obama is that I have more faith in my abilities, judgement, character and morales than I do in his.