Maverick Schmaverick

I happened to be in the car last night during the vice-presidential debate. I flipped the radio on to listen to the debate. I try to keep an open mind about elections. I am a registered Democrat, but I will vote for the person I feel is the best candidate. This time though, I’m just as irritated as hell with McCain’s choice in Sarah Palin. I can’t put my finger on it and I don’t have a logical explanation. She seems smart and she seems sincere. But when she said the word, “Maverick” for the second time I turned the radio off. I can’t stand all that folksy “soccer mom” “Joe six-pack” “darn tootin” crap. It makes my blood boil.

The only reason my television doesn’t have a brick through it is because I wasn’t home to watch her wink repeatedly at the camera, like it’s all some big inside joke. I don’t think there is anything funny about our current economic situation, our standing in the world, or the 4,000 troops that have been killed in Iraq to protect us from WMD’s that don’t exist. So, stop winking at me lady and explain why you are the better choice.

The issue that is most important to me is health care. After the $105,000 bill we were presented for a week’s hospital stay a couple of years back, and with the ridiculous cost of prescriptions (which seem to rise inexplicably each year by 2, 3 or even 4 times), I live in constant fear of losing our health insurance. It is fair to say that if it weren’t for the insurance plan that my employer provides to us, I would have left my job long ago. I work day in and day out in a job I don’t want to be in, because if I leave, I will lose my health insurance.

I went to both candidates’ web sites some time ago to read about their health care proposals. This little tidbit was either missing from McCain’s web site when I last visited, or was inconspicuous – McCain wants us to pay income tax on the health insurance premiums paid by our employers. Yep. Let’s give tax breaks to large corporations and wealthy folks, and let’s tax people’s health care benefits. Good plan, huh?

For those of us who do not receive insurance from our employers, we will receive a $2,500 per person ($5,000 per family) tax credit to purchase health care ? Well, that would help pay for three months of insurance (assuming someone will insure me). I have no idea where the other nine months worth of premiums is supposed to come from. Here’s a link to a non-profit non-partisan site that explains the truth about McCain’s “health care plan”. Read if for yourself.

http://www.factcheck.org/mccains_5000_promise.html

I’ve had enough of the maverick and the soccer mom. Give me an honest debate about the issues so I can choose who I feel is the candidate that will best represent me. Big surprise…this time it will be Obama.