The 2008 Presidential Election: An Issue of Integrity and Character
Dennis AuBuchon
October 21, 2008
This election year brings complicated choices for the American voter. The two presidential candidates agree in principle on some specific issues but they differ significantly on how to achieve them. The key decision to be made by the voter is who can best lead the country in these troubled times. There are many issues to consider and it is important to evaluate each candidate´s position on them and their plan to address them. To begin with there is the issue of the current financial crisis. The cause of this crisis appears by many reports to have been a result of regulations and the lack of enforcement of them. Loans were made to individuals who had no possibility of making the payments. This has caused the crisis we have today. Financial industries should make sound decisions when approving loans. This involves the ability of the management to resist pressures from anyone, including government to make loan decisions, which are not sound.
Our way of government and the process of our elections are great but after people are elected, especially for the office of President it affects those who hold that office. It is true that the approval ratings of Congress and the President are low. The office of President must be held by individuals who exhibit good character and exhibit integrity principles in what decisions/actions they have taken in their careers. Many issues and stress face the President of the United States. The current financial crisis has shown us how our decisions affect other countries and how problems in one country can affect another. Proper decisions must be made on critical issues. Our national security and our very existence depend on the right decisions to be made by the President.
We as voters in this election year must pay attention to the candidates and their positions. It is important that their current positions match their voting record as the records are proof of where they stand on the issues. Character and integrity are important principles especially in this election year. The lack of integrity in society has shown how it affected not only their business and employees but also the public, which had confidence in their company. The need for character and integrity is no less important for the office of President. As the management of companies who lacked integrity caused great impact in society, the office of President has far greater impact. Being President of the United States and the decisions made by those who hold that office affects our country and the world. We have made tough decisions in the past and they affected the world as it is today.
Our future as a country and the issues we face must not be taken lightly in deciding whom we choose to lead our country. It is important that the right decisions are made and that we have the right individual in office to make them. Again, we have had great Presidents in the past and I am confident we will have them in the future. The path we choose when we elect the next President on November 4, 2008 will alter the path our country takes. We must make sure the path that the presidential candidates are presenting is where we want the country to go. Granted it is true that Congress must enact the requests of the President but we must have a leader who can take a stand on the issues.
The President must be able to lead and work with individuals from all parties to find common ground on the issues. The President and Congress must work together to solve the major issues that are facing the country today and that will face the country in the future. This is something that has not been occurring as much as it should and it takes a leader to make his/her case to make it happen. The President must display character and integrity principles to be able to convince the public to support decisions that made. There have been many Presidents in the past which have had that ability and we need that again. Neither the President nor Congress is always right on how to approach and solve issues facing the country. It must be a team approach and the President we elect must be able to work with Congress to get the people´s business done. His record must display that he has that capability with examples where he has succeeded.
One last point to make is that there is much talk about the issues and the plans to address them by each presidential candidate. However, talking about the issues and their plans does not give the public anything if they do not identify how they are going to pay for them. When plans call for tax reduction, it requires an equal amount of changes in expenditures. There are also proposals for new government programs, which may be necessary but government programs cost money to run and monitor. The money source for these programs must be identified so the public can decide if this is what they want. The economy today is in a state of crisis and government expenditures are a big concern of the American public. They do not want additional expenditures, which will increase the deficit. Government must be more cost conscious and fund those programs, which have been proven either successful or necessary. The President plays a big part in this decision as he submits his budget to Congress.
In summary, this election year will mark the course our country will take in facing the issues we have and will have in the future. If we choose the wrong course for our country, it will be harder to change in the future. As seen recently in the news the decisions made in the past by our government is affecting us now. The decisions we make in the future will affect us for years to come. The principles of good character and integrity are important for a President to have now. The proof that these principles exist in the candidates is important. Statements that they have good character or exhibit integrity principles must have the documentation to support them. If they cannot be validated the statements made by either candidate is worthless.
The records of the each candidate on the issues should be compared to their statements through their voting records. One site, which has been widely accepted for providing documentation as to the truth or falsehood of statements made by presidential candidates during the debates, is www.factcheck.org. Candidates sometimes make statements, which do not provide enough detail but present enough to project a different situation than actually exist. This can occur in an attempt to gain ground on their opponent. While some statements made are true if a candidate does not admit to certain facts as accurate what does, it say about his honesty to the people he is asking to elect him.
Our way of government and the process of our elections are great but after people are elected, especially for the office of President it affects those who hold that office. It is true that the approval ratings of Congress and the President are low. The office of President must be held by individuals who exhibit good character and exhibit integrity principles in what decisions/actions they have taken in their careers. Many issues and stress face the President of the United States. The current financial crisis has shown us how our decisions affect other countries and how problems in one country can affect another. Proper decisions must be made on critical issues. Our national security and our very existence depend on the right decisions to be made by the President.
We as voters in this election year must pay attention to the candidates and their positions. It is important that their current positions match their voting record as the records are proof of where they stand on the issues. Character and integrity are important principles especially in this election year. The lack of integrity in society has shown how it affected not only their business and employees but also the public, which had confidence in their company. The need for character and integrity is no less important for the office of President. As the management of companies who lacked integrity caused great impact in society, the office of President has far greater impact. Being President of the United States and the decisions made by those who hold that office affects our country and the world. We have made tough decisions in the past and they affected the world as it is today.
Our future as a country and the issues we face must not be taken lightly in deciding whom we choose to lead our country. It is important that the right decisions are made and that we have the right individual in office to make them. Again, we have had great Presidents in the past and I am confident we will have them in the future. The path we choose when we elect the next President on November 4, 2008 will alter the path our country takes. We must make sure the path that the presidential candidates are presenting is where we want the country to go. Granted it is true that Congress must enact the requests of the President but we must have a leader who can take a stand on the issues.
The President must be able to lead and work with individuals from all parties to find common ground on the issues. The President and Congress must work together to solve the major issues that are facing the country today and that will face the country in the future. This is something that has not been occurring as much as it should and it takes a leader to make his/her case to make it happen. The President must display character and integrity principles to be able to convince the public to support decisions that made. There have been many Presidents in the past which have had that ability and we need that again. Neither the President nor Congress is always right on how to approach and solve issues facing the country. It must be a team approach and the President we elect must be able to work with Congress to get the people´s business done. His record must display that he has that capability with examples where he has succeeded.
One last point to make is that there is much talk about the issues and the plans to address them by each presidential candidate. However, talking about the issues and their plans does not give the public anything if they do not identify how they are going to pay for them. When plans call for tax reduction, it requires an equal amount of changes in expenditures. There are also proposals for new government programs, which may be necessary but government programs cost money to run and monitor. The money source for these programs must be identified so the public can decide if this is what they want. The economy today is in a state of crisis and government expenditures are a big concern of the American public. They do not want additional expenditures, which will increase the deficit. Government must be more cost conscious and fund those programs, which have been proven either successful or necessary. The President plays a big part in this decision as he submits his budget to Congress.
In summary, this election year will mark the course our country will take in facing the issues we have and will have in the future. If we choose the wrong course for our country, it will be harder to change in the future. As seen recently in the news the decisions made in the past by our government is affecting us now. The decisions we make in the future will affect us for years to come. The principles of good character and integrity are important for a President to have now. The proof that these principles exist in the candidates is important. Statements that they have good character or exhibit integrity principles must have the documentation to support them. If they cannot be validated the statements made by either candidate is worthless.
The records of the each candidate on the issues should be compared to their statements through their voting records. One site, which has been widely accepted for providing documentation as to the truth or falsehood of statements made by presidential candidates during the debates, is www.factcheck.org. Candidates sometimes make statements, which do not provide enough detail but present enough to project a different situation than actually exist. This can occur in an attempt to gain ground on their opponent. While some statements made are true if a candidate does not admit to certain facts as accurate what does, it say about his honesty to the people he is asking to elect him.