A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Blubber by Judy Blume
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Carrie by Stephen King
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Christine by Stephen King
Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Cujo by Stephen King
Curses, Hexes, and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Decameron by Boccaccio
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Fallen Angels by Walter Myers
Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure) by John Cleland
Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Forever by Judy Blume
Grendel by John Champlin Gardner
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Have to Go by Robert Munsch
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Impressions edited by Jack Booth
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
It’s Okay if You Don’t Love Me by Norma Klein
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Little Red Riding Hood by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Love is One of the Choices by Norma Klein
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
More Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
My House by Nikki Giovanni
My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara
Night Chills by Dean Koontz
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
Our Bodies, Ourselves by Boston Women’s Health Collective
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl
Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz
Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Separate Peace by John Knowles
Silas Marner by George Eliot
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Bastard by John Jakes
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Devil’s Alternative by Frederick Forsyth
The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Snyder
The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks
The Living Bible by William C. Bower
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
The New Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy and Charles Wibbelsman
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
The Seduction of Peter S. by Lawrence Sanders
The Shining by Stephen King
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Snyder
Then Again, Maybe I Won’t by Judy Blume
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff
Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth

On top of this accusation, rumor has it that she tried to fire the head of the Wasilla Library Board for not doing what she asked. This article was written in the Anchorage Daily News:

[In December 1996, [city librarian Mary Ellen] Emmons told her hometown newspaper, the Frontiersman, that Palin three times asked her — starting before she was sworn in about possibly removing objectionable books from the library if the need arose. When the matter came up for the second time in October 1996, during a City Council meeting, Anne Kilkenny, a Wasilla housewife who often attends council meetings, was there. Like many Alaskans, Kilkenny calls the governor by her first name. "Sarah said to Mary Ellen, 'What would your response be if I asked you to remove some books from the collection?" Kilkenny said. "I was shocked. Mary Ellen sat up straight and said something along the line of, 'The books in the Wasilla Library collection were selected on the basis of national selection criteria for libraries of this size, and I would absolutely resist all efforts to ban books.'" Palin didn't mention specific books at that meeting, Kilkenny said. Palin herself, questioned at the time, called her inquiries rhetorical and simply part of a policy discussion with a department head "about understanding and following administration agendas," according to the Frontiersman article.]- Anchorage Daily News

This same article also started that there was no evidence of these conversations and that there were no records of any books being censored or banned from the Wasilla Library System. Another fact that disproves the legitimacy of this list and possibly the fact that the conversations ever happened was that The Harry Potter Collection was listed. The conversation supposedly happened in 1996, but the series didn’t start being circulated till 1997. Also this list is almost exactly the same list that was created by Alder & Robin Books which listed all the books that had been banned in the United States at some point in time.

There was also an official press release done by Taylor Griffin, a Spokesman for the McCain campaign, which said that Palin had asked Mary Ellen Emmons three separate times about banning books, but that these conversations were hypothetical. These conversations were a result of a patron of the library asking the library to remove a book from the library in the past, and Sarah Palin just wanted to know how a situation like this would be handled.

But if you check Wasilla’s website you will find that there had been no books challenged within 10 years before Palin became Mayor.

Though there is one clue that may lead many to believe that this story is accurate. In fact, Sarah Palin had fired Emmons in January 1997 because Palin didn’t feel she had the “Full Support” of Emmons, but the next day Emmons was hired back due to outrage in the town.  

I wonder what their purpose was in the first place. Is it still an assumption that naive voters will suddenly remember the name they saw on the most signs while they are filling out their ballot? I don't think so. Although many voters are undoubtedly uninformed, I'd like to think that a majority of voters in this election were informed. With so many issues at hand, it is hard to believe that this trick of campaign signs would really sway voters.

Even if campaign signs are a successful tool, there is no longer any need for them. The position has been filled, there is no need to keep applying. There is an intersection down the street from my house, a corner, where I kid you not there are 3 dozen or more campaign signs crammed together like dandelions poking out of the ground. They are such an eyesore, and they look so unnatural sticking out of the ground where a plant would be more likely.

Not only are they eyesores, they are also wasteful. These signs should be removed, and if possible, recycled. The people whose names are on the campaign signs should be the ones making sure that they are removed so that grassy corners can be restored to the former naturality.

Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States and unlike me; he seems to have a fondness for the word change. His campaign speeches always contained some form of a promise of change. The question is, are the people ready for change? Will the hourglass be turned over as soon as Obama takes office?

Change is rarely easy, or quick. This country finds itself in a critical state and this didn't happen overnight, nor will the solutions to fix it. Come February will people already be looking for signs of change? Change will not occur overnight, in a month, or even in a year. Will patience be shown, while the new president elect tries to right this ship?

The end of the Iraq war, stabilizing the economy, fixing the housing market, alternatives to aid the energy crisis, these are but some of the issues facing the new administration. Barack Obama has made elegant speeches, motivated people, and created excitement and hope. He is on top of the world right now, a scary place to be. It's lonely at the top and there are always those waiting and eager for you to fall.

The American people are ready for change. Will we be patient enough to wait for it?

Another video was released which critics say is intended to help John McCain to win the 44th presidential election against his opponent, Barack Obama. This video has deserved many controversial comments.

Obama is claimed to attend a radical Muslim school and he was taught Wahhabism (a fundamentalist form of Islam). In reality, Obama attended a Muslim elementary school, as according to him, he was unable to bear the expensive cost in an American school. This statement was clearly written in his second book entitled “The Audacity of Hope”. On page 274, he wrote that:

Without the money to go to the international school that most expatriate children attended, I went to local Indonesian schools and ran the streets with the children of farmers, servants, tailors, and clerks.

Some unknown e-mails claimed that Barack Obama attended a Muslim school for as long as 4 years. How true is this statement? In fact, Barack Obama only attended a Muslim school for 2 years, and later he attended a Roman Catholic school. He explained that he was neither taught Wahhabism nor any Islam related materials. In his autobiography entitled “Dreams from My Father” which was published in 1995, on page 142, Barack Obama wrote that:

In Indonesia, I'd spent 2 years at a Muslim school, 2 years at a Roman Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Koranic studies. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I'd pretend to close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended.

It is said that Obama's father raised Barack Obama as a radical Muslim. How true is this fact again? With regards to this issue, Barack Obama described in his autobiography which was written in 1995 about both his biological father Barack Hussein Obama Sr. and his stepfather, Lolo Soetoro (a non-practicing Muslim) as both Muslim. Whether it is an agnostic or atheist is by choice. Though Barack Obama was raised as a Muslim, there're no firm evidences to support that he is a radical Muslim. Also, by the time his father married the younger Obama's mother, he was an atheist or agnostic, meaning that he was no longer practicing a Muslim practice in his life. Barack Obama once wrote:

For my mother, organized religion too often dressed up closed-mindedness in the grab of piety, cruelty and oppression in the cloak of righteousness.

This isn't to say that she provided me with no religious instruction. In her mind, a working knowledge of the world's great religions was a necessary part of any well-rounded education. In our household the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf alongside books of Greek and Norse and African mythology. On Easter or Christmas Day, my mother might drag me to church, just as she dragged me to the Buddhist temple, the Chinese New Year celebration, the Shinto shrine, and ancient Hawaiian burial sites. But I was made to understand that such religious samplings required no sustained commitment on my part. Religion was an expression of human culture, she would explain, not its wellspring, just one of the many ways - and not necessary the best way - that man attempted to control the unknowable and understand the deeper truths about our lives.

In sum, my mother reviewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well.

A wicked e-mailed claimed Barack Obama as a Muslim. In fact, Barack Obama has been associated with the United Church of Christ since the mid-1980s. Barack Obama says that he attends the 11a.m. Sunday service at Trinity in the Brainerd neighborhood every week and his pastor, Wright, has become a close confidant. He is a Christian and he is rooted in the Christian tradition.

Some say Barack Obama converted himself to Christian to seek for a post of public office. But, this statement is not true. Barack Obama has become a member of the United Church of Christ since 1988, before he sought public office. That means his intention to be in Christ Jesus is not wholly aimed for seeking public office.

It is said that Barack Obama has benevolence towards radical Islam. However, this is not true again. Barack Obama once said: “You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings”. This statement further remarked that he won't tolerate with radical Islam, and he's more likely to give Osama bin Laden a kick. Therefore, there's no connection of the Obama's name with a terrorist leader, Osama bin Laden.

Barack Obama is said to have a middle name of “Hussein” and this is proved by many sources. But, even so, do you know how absurd and funky if people judge on other person's middle name. Do you know that George .W. Bush has a middle name of “Walker”? The “Walker” here refers to a devastatingly powerful armored combat vehicle, AT-AT Walker which Bush piloted while he was in the Galactic Empire's campaign in the Galactic Imperial Reserves on Endor. While piloting his AT-AT Walker, Bush fired on Endor civilians, which are called Ewoks. Up to now, Bush's involvement in the tragedy on Endor is sealed with mystery. Even a deceased victim came to Bush to seek for a justice. Press secretary Tony Snow asserted "The incident on the planet Endor is outside of United States jurisdiction. The Ewoks are not from the planet Earth and are therefore exempt from the Geneva Conventions." Bill Kristol came to the Bush's aid and said, "Look, I think that at the time, no one knew the Ewoks weren't a grave and gathering threat to national security."Kristol added, "I think in the end, history will show that George Bush did the right thing." And Bush was further defended by Bill O'Reilly, "Who are these Ewoks anyway? And can we trust them? They don't wear pants. Is that really the kind of example we want to set for our kids? The president was just protecting America, and your children."

Another claim hit Barack Obama is that he was willing to choose to study radical Islam as an adult in Indonesia. In fact, Barack Obama did attend a Muslim school in Jakarta in his age of 6 to 8. I think at these ages, he was under dilemma to have no choice to select which school he has to attend. Furthermore, Barack Obama emphasized that the school he attended did not teach radical Islam or Wahabbism. I know the Indonesian education system well. The school that Barack Obama attended in Indonesia is not really a religion-based school but just a government school with secular curriculum. Here, kids from different religions are mixed in one class and there is no obvious separation of male and female. And this is not a case in the radical Islamic school. The CNN in Jakarta, Indonesia and Washington, D.C. reported that the allegations that Barack Obama has attended a Madrassa to be baseless and untrue. The deputy headmaster of the Basuki school (in which Obama attended from 1969 to 1971), Hardi Priyono said, “This is a public school. We don't focus on religion. In our daily lives, we try to respect religion, but we don't give preferential treatment.” He further remarked, “It's not an Islamic school. There's a lot of Christians, Buddhists, also Confucian….So, that's a mixed school.”

When dealing with recent e-mails falsely claimed that Barack Obama is a Muslim, he said, “I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” while interviewing by Ted Olsen and Sarah Pulliam. Barack Obama has been constantly mentioning about the role of faith in politics in June 2006. Barack Obama emphasized his strong Jesus Christ beliefs to the media. During his election campaign, it was obvious that he has his head bowed in prayers and he insists that he will be guided by prayer when he's in his office. Barack Obama made clear of his position as a Christian by repeatedly said that he is a Christian who attends Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

Barack Obama denied the three rumors on him that are circulated widely on the internet. The rumors claimed that he is a Muslim, he was sworn in to Congress on the Quran, and that he rejects to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Watch the video to know the explanation from Barack Obama.

Remark:

I personally think that people should never have narrow mind towards the elected 44th US President, Barack Obama. Is that a shame for people not a “Christian” (not on Obama case) to run the country? Religion doesn't have any close-relation to run a country, does it? Who's capable to rule the country, he or she will be selected for this IMPORTANT task. The Christians are not necessary be in white, it can be of any colors. These days, due to the influx of different cultures, “the White Christian” has been a past, no more fact emphases that the Christian must be white.

Regardless of who is elected for a president, it's a time for most Americans to demand for a change as 8 years Bush's administrations have brought more frustrations to Americans. Why do people still want to question about the eligibility of Barack Obama as the next president of the United States? It's time for a new government under Barack Obama to address people's needs and desires that have long been dreamed of on the land of America.

Personally, I don't matter Barack Obama's past, but the foremost thing is whether he's capable to bring a progress to America and at the same time, he is justice to every American, including those who're not of his races.

Any discussions on Barack Obama's past, background and school he attended during his childhood are pointless. As I think he's a Christian for many years, people shouldn't attack him with his previous background upon his victory in the recent election. I think his task, choice of career and his patriotism towards America matter much rather than anything else. I am sure that he's a right person to fill the vacancy of 44th president of America. Let us pray whole-heartedly for a unity, economic growth, political stable of the America, and no more controversy circulated around Barack Obama who I think is better than George W. Bush and John McCain. Place your belief and confidence towards your new elected president, Barack Obama but please don't be stirred by the wicked and unintentionally planned messages with the aims to see America in collapse.

Upon exciting about Obama's victory, I'm concerned about Barack Obama's personal security. He might become a focus for a radical Islam group to attack as he tried to convert from Islam to Christian. For them, any conversion to other religion is DEATH. So, America should have a strict protection towards this newly elected president while preparing to attack from any unexpected bombings and planned attacks. At this moment, CIA, and other security arm forces should be careful enough to protect America so that 911 event won't repeat in the United States.

Who my favorite candidate was is not important - just living and breathing the campaigns was exciting. I was truly amazed at how the cable networks could take one story, play it all day and keep it alive for days.

Will I ever see Joe Lieberman at the side of Senator McCain again, whispering corrections in his ear while at a press conference?

Will Hillary ever tell her harrowing story of landing "under fire" again?

Obama laid out his plans for improving the country. According to McCain the plans made Obama a "socialist" and according to some of his supporters even a communist. Still, I wonder what McCain"s plan for improving the nation's economic situation would have been? Oh yeah, Bushism.

With Governor Palin snuggly back in Alaska, what is going to happen to Tina Fey? Is she doomed to obscurity? And what about Saturday Night Live? Should they brace themselves for a huge drop in ratings?

Of course, "Joe the Plumber" is in deep trouble. His fifteen minutes of fame are over, his candidate lost, he will most likely have to get a plumbing license, the IRS knows where to find him and absolutely no one cares what he has to say.

The pundits and the commentators will soon be at a loss for material when completing their analysis of the campaign. Will they miss the magic maps as much as I will?

The ending of the campaign did turn out to prove that American democracy was alive, well and maturing. But, with the campaign over I sure am going to miss the discussions of the really important news stories on cable TV.

               During the campaign the issues of age and race were widely lower key than expected, and once the nominees named their running mates, sexism was added to the mix. The regular routine of running negative ads against the other party ran free, and America has been at odds more than ever before. With so much to talk about, it is no wonder this years election has brought out more voters than any previous presidential race. But the final question will be answered this tuesday; Who will be running the country for the next four years? 

               With so much tension about the projected winner, election news is everywhere. Polls most of us have never heard of give us updated projections on the hour and the final hours of the race have not yet begun. The press coverage is expected to be through the roof, and even those not planning on giving Tuesday's race much attention will have a difficult time ignoring the media frenzy.  With two days of media madness in the countries future, Wednesday's forecast might be prettiest thing to see since the end of summer.

No, they are not fallen heroes; they are all Marxist, communistic socialist, hell bent on changing our government to a socialist, communist dictatorship.

Dictator; a leader who rules a country with absolute power, usually by force.

Communition; trituration; pulverization; diminution by a gradual wearing or reduction as by slicing or rasping.

Clamor; any loud repeated out cry din or noise vociferation noisy confusion of voices a continuous vehement objecting or demanding.

History will tell you if you raise your voice and demand surrender divide them and instill fear with propaganda like part of them have given up and some others are dead, we stand a real good chance to win the war.

Obama's plan entailed just such tactics: in dim; information; he sought out the people above as to where they went wrong.

Maneuvering; working his way into our inner circle of our government.

Intelligence; gathering information about the people around him as to who he could bribe or are susceptible to threat of exposure to a hidden matter that may cost him his job or even jail.

Attack; charging his opponent by twisting, bending, distorting, and even lying about who he really is (we still don't know) and his real plan.

Watch, look and listen to everything your opponent says and does, change it around and distort it by maintaining only two distinct slogans that way it's hard to get caught in a lie yourself.

Insert spies, pay off TV reporters, newspapers and do any thing possible or necessary to keep the upper hand including suppression and or oppression.

Never talk to any more than five minutes.

Obama's plan to continuously refer to McCain as the “bush” has worked so well keeping him busy defending himself instead of campaigning.

I myself call these tactics the “Jesus plans” but don't think for one minute I am referring to Obama as Jesus, it's just the opposite, I think more like Satan. Obama is no more than a cheap thief stealing the perfect plan from the perfect man, the lord came of the lamb the first time but the second time he will come as a lion.

Let's define Barack Hussein Obama. Barack; the evil one, father of lies. Hussein; the insane one, hatred. Obama; the abomination of all mankind.

Devils advocate; one who argues perversely for a bad cause. Devil; evil a liar a wicked or malignant person.

If he is elected we will have the devil to pay.

Finally, I have something to say to all the media. I am so glad to know that God does not allow sinners into heaven. I have never in my years seen so many of you eat so much crap and have oratory sex just to fulfill your own deficiencies and depraved minds. You have licked you lips and wagged your tongues with the delight of a prostitute in the back seat of a car in a dark ally, and swallowed Obama's seed as if it were a delightful honey. You have orally impregnated the orifices of your body with expectation of his mere touch. You have all become his whores to spread the seed of dishonesty and discord to the American people.

Now you all can take pride a bastard child of sedition and lies. I really hope you are the first to lose your freedom. Remember the devil owes no allegiance to anyone.

Obama's top four hoes: Charlize “Hussy” Gimme some Obama, Georgina “Stuff Me A Lot with It” Obama, Tony “Break it off” O!Bama, Stoke me rabidly Obama “You Devil”!

Obama's number one dishonorable Judge Rra Barflay Turndick. After you read this go ask your master what to do and when he will be available to touch him.

Disgusted American Patriot

Who is Joe Six Pack?

Throughout the final weeks and days of the 2008 presidential campaign, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has portrayed herself as a vocal advocate for “Joe Six Pack Americans.” The reference is in keeping with Palin’s folksy, straight-talkin’ rhetoric, but has left many people wondering exactly who Joe is?

He’s a hard-working, patriotic, tax-paying American.

This is likely the definition Palin was hoping most people understood. Joe is the everyman that makes our country great. He works hard. He has strong values, does the right thing and loves his country.

He’s a good ol’ boy who likes to hunt and fish.

This Joe is a white redneck from a red state with a truck that has a gun rack. His friends look like he does and Joe doesn’t much care for outsiders.

 He’s a beer drinker.

Joe likes to drink. As his name implies, he doesn’t just enjoy one beer, he prefers the whole six pack. I’m not saying Joe’s a drunk…I’m just saying.

Though there are some positive images associated with the name Joe Six Pack, there are also some obvious negatives. In the minds of many, Joe is not black, latino or any ethnicity other than white. So when Palin says she is for “Joe Six Pack Americans,” she sends a not-so-subtle message that she is against those who don’t fit that description.

Is Joe helping or hurting the McCain Palin ticket?

Only time will tell, but an exclusionary approach seems risky at best. At the time of this writing, John McCain trails Barack Obama in the polls by double digits. In order to win the election, most pundits believe he will not only need to win the votes of his supporters but also convince current Obama supporters to change their minds. McCain and Palin can only do this if they appeal to those minorities, independents and democrats who may be having doubts about an Obama/Biden administration.

Since “Joe the Plumber”’s emergence, many facts have come to light concerning Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who plays the role of Joe the Plumber, which reveal the entire premise of his question to Obama and all of its elements and facets to be a lie.

According to many respectable news sources (among them

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/us/politics/17joe.html?_r=1&oref=slogin,

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/joe-the-plumber.html,

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_3.html,

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4961157.ece),

“Joe the Plumber”’s real name is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher and he says he has been a plumber for 15 years. We now know that he is not a plumber, he just works for one. He is not licensed as a plumber, he has never served a plumbing apprenticeship and he does not belong to the plumber’s union. If he does plumbing work, as he says, he is working illegally. Moreover, the man who plays the part of “Joe the Plumber” owes back taxes in the amount of nearly $1,200 and therefore has a lien against his property. 

According to these same news sources, Mr. Wurzelbacher admits that he earns significantly less than $250,000 a year and, even if he purchased the business he says he wants to purchase, he admits that he actually would make much less than $250,000 and that he would, in fact, get a tax cut under Barack Obama’s plan. Despite this, this man, Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, complained to Barack Obama about his tax plan because Obama would raise his taxes. Thus, the man himself debunked the entire premise of his complaint and in this way also revealed that “Joe the Plumber” does not exist.  

These are facts. What is worrying is that I was able to turn on the Fox News channel last night and see Samuel J. Wurzelbacher as a guest still introducing himself and being introduced and glorified as “Joe the Plumber” and nobody, not the audience, not the interviewers, naturally not Mr. Wurzelbacher, nobody present on the show addressed or even alluded to any discrepancy between the fictitious character “Joe the Plumber” and their guest, Samuel J. Wurzelbacher. As I watched, I felt as if I was viewing parents holding a discussion with a santa claus for the entertainment and pacification of their children.

The question is, why is the McCain campaign (evidently with the support of Fox News) sticking its proverbial head in the sand in denial and making an icon out of a voter who is so gripped with a penetrating irrational fear of paying taxes he isn’t even liable to pay, that he has fabricated an entire persona and an entire scenario that doesn’t even exist? Why is the Republican campaign idealizing a voter who has proven his dishonesty and lack of integrity by fabricating these lies, by not working legally in his trade and by not paying the taxes that he is responsible to pay under the Bush administration?

According to McCain, "[Obama] claims that this honest, hard-working small businessman could not possibly have enough income to face a tax increase under the Obama plan." By this flagrant denial of the facts, are McCain and his supporters insisting that the average American is a dishonest, tax-evading, unprofessional, fear-laden citizen just like the "honest, hard-working" Mr. Wurzelbacher? And is Mr. Wurzelbacher their idea of the model American citizen that they want to promote and reward? What about the hard-working American who plays by the rules? What about the hard-working Americans who do pay their taxes? What about the hard-working Americans who pay their bills on time? What about the hard-working Americans who do live with integrity? 

As Winston Churchill once said “...man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but usually manages to pick himself up, walk over or around it, and carry on.” While most of us already know that Santa Claus and Joe the Plumber aren’t real, McCain’s campaign and Fox News wrongly continue to do their public and the integrity of the American people a disservice by perpetuating a grand myth around Mr. Wurzelbacher and by denying a truth that their public is already apt to deny. 

On the economical aspect of the Obama/Biden campaign, they plan to cut taxes for approximately 95% of workers and provide them with a$500 tax cut or $1,000 for couples that are working. Another convenient idea is that they plan to simplify taxes. In order to do this, Obama plans to terminate the need for senior citizens to file tax forms. They will also make it possible to file taxes in under 5 minutes without the help of an accountant. This plan will help people that have an income that is less than $250,000. Those that are over that income will not see an increase in tax rates though. I do admire McCain for planning to provide $5,000 for health insurance to every American family.

A major aspect of Obama campaign is the fact that the No Child Left Behind plan didn't work as affectively as it was supposed to. First off, Obama will fund the NCLB to get the proper materials to help every child. He also wants to change from having teacher's record progress rather than teaching strictly to pass tests. He also plans to reward teachers with a higher pay if their methods of teaching prove to be effective. For high school students entering college, Obama plans to simplify the FAFSA application process. Although McCain plans to do the same thing, he doesn't clearly state how he plans to do this. Obama will eliminate the current financial aid application and replace it with a method of simply checking a box on their tax information and income. He will also eliminate the need for separate applications.

In my opinion, the energy and environment issue should be the most addressed by both candidates. Obama and Biden plans to invest around $150 billion over the course of the next ten years to set up efforts to study and create cleaner sources of energy for the future. An interesting fact for people that are into vehicles is that by 2015, Obama plans to have 1 million plug in Hybrid cars on the road that get around 150 mpg. Within 10 years, Obama and Biden plan to terminate our need for Middle Eastern and Venezuelan oil within 10 years by increasing fuel economy standards and developing a $7,000 tax credit if you purchase advanced hybrid cars. He also will provide $1,000 for an emergency energy rebate to American families. They also would like to set up clean coal technology. McCain's plan to increase funding for off shore drilling and expanding oil exploration will do nothing to help the future of America. This idea seems selfish since it will only help for a short period of time. Also, increasing oil exploration won't help decrease harmful emissions in America. I cannot believe that McCain actually wants to construct 45 Nuclear power plants by 2030. Little do people know; nuclear waste is planned to be stored in Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Nuclear power plants can also be catastrophic potential terrorist targets. Obviously people in Nevada will not agree to have nuclear waste stored in their vicinity so where else would the waste go?

Barack plans to terminate American military in the Middle East in exactly 16 months with a series of brigade whereas McCain plans to keep our troops in Iraq in order to help fix their government. Barack plans to slowly take our troop out of Iraq. McCain wants to keep them in there and basically continue the work of George Bush which doesn't seem to be working right now. Obama plans to plot out 2 brigades every month which will get all of our troops out by 2010. The war issue doesn't seem as important right now due to the economy prices that the United States has been facing lately. In my opinion, the way that Obama was attacked for his statement that our troops are just killing innocent people wasn't that bad. There are many videos and evidence that our troops do partake in these actions. That is one example of how McCain bases his success on picking at Obama's statements.

On the immigration aspect of the campaign, Obama plans to secure borders to decrease the amount of undocumented aliens getting into the country. As a matter of fact, the amount of undocumented immigrants increased 40% since the year 2000. He also plans to do something that will benefit illegal immigrants that prove to be useful to America. Obama and Biden plan to set up a system that enables these illegal immigrants to get a chance to become citizens if they pay a fine, learn English, and are able to carry on a stable lift. McCain doesn't seem to care about any other nation but the United States. He plans to only secure the border and put money into keeping all illegal immigrants out. Not saying that it is okay to let illegal immigrants in but if they prove to be doing well in the United States, they should be given a second chance under certain circumstances. McCain plans to create an electronic employment machine that will keep better records of workers. He also plans to immediately prosecute illegal workers.

For technology, Barack plans to increase internet accessibility. He also wants to protect children from inappropriate media without violating the First Amendment. He and Biden also plan to increase and exercise our privacy rights. What this means is that our personal information will be protected from being circulated through the media without our consent. Both Obama and McCain offer increase in weapon technology which can be the difference between winning or losing a war. Obama understands that America is falling behind in the age of technology and plans to modernize our technology such as the use of Wifi being more accessible.

Overall, Obama is fit to be president unlike John McCain. One of the main reasons why I am against McCain is because if he becomes president and he dies, Palin will take charge. Palin doesn't seem to have any knowledge of world issues and wouldn't make a good president. On the other hand, if Barack Obama dies, Joe Biden is more than able to run the United States. You can tell that he has a vast knowledge of specific details such as our foreign policies. Palin seems to only know indistinct problems and has a hard time getting in depth.

BarackObamaforPresident2008!