This country is in great need of new leadership.  Throughout the past eight years there have been many mistakes made.  The Iraq War is just one of those mistakes.  There needs to be a new leader of this nation to fix those mistakes and bring honor and respect from around the world back to the United States of America.  We need to stop thinking in terms of Democrat and Republican and start thinking about what is best for our nation.  I would love to become the President someday, but since I was born in Japan and adopted less than two months later apparently that makes me unqualified for the presidency.

I disagree with the concept of abortion.  It is the killing of an innocent baby and in my view, a human being.  There are many people out there particularly women who say it is an infringement on their rights.  But think about if you were that baby inside that woman, how would you feel then?  If people don't want a child then they should simply not have sex.  It is really that easy.  Abortion is wrong period.

I have not decided my position on this issue.

Education is one of the most important parts of our country.  However, we are beginning to fall behind other nations in the world.  I believe this is due to the fact we are spending too much money on things such as the Iraq War.  No Child Left Behind is a royal joke, just ask any good teacher who is tune with what it is.  Taking away funding from schools that are struggling will only make them do more poorly.  Teachers are paid next to nothing although some people will try to tell you otherwise.  An increase there might be beneficial to get more good teachers to go into the profession.  I also believe schools in urban areas should get increased funding.  Often times they struggle because the taxpayers can't afford much.  These kids deserve as much chance as the rich kids going to a private school, however, vouchers for charter schools are not the answer.  With a proper approach, our urban schools can prosper once again.

The time has come to look for alternative sources of energy.  We are beginning to get hammered by higher and higher oil prices and many of our vehicles are not fuel efficient.  The first step is to create more fuel efficient vehicles.  The next is to research more new power sources.  We have been relying on foreign oil for way too long.  If something did happen, such as an embargo on the US, we would not be able to go very long with out oil.  The time has come to develop new ways to power our nation.

Our environment is a very important part of our lives today.  People may call anyone who wants to protect the environment tree huggers, but all in all it should be one of the most important issues on the table.  We need to conserve more energy and control global warming.  This is not a radical's issue, scientists say it is bound to happen soon if things are not changed the only question is when.  We need to protect this for our children and our childrens' children. 

Foreign Policy has been a mess in recent years.  The Bush administration seems to think by not talking to our enemies we are protecting ourselves.  The only foreign policy is war.  I strongly disagree.  Negotiations with countries who we disagree with could only help our situation with them.  Finding any common ground would be a huge victory.  We need to try to see their side of the issue.  We don't have to agree with it by any means, but listening shows that we care and that would help a great deal.  Talking really should be the first step in foreign policy.

Personally I don't have a problem with gay marriage.  People make a really big deal about it, but it shouldn't be.  Our society seems to like to harass anyone who is different.  True it may be wrong according to your religion, but if we truly are a country of freedom we should be accepting of them too.  Marriage wouldn't have to be the title either.  This really doesn't have an impact on people who aren't gay or lesbian so I do not think this should even be a big political issue.

Health Care is one of the most important issues that we are facing as a nation.  Many countries already have universal healthcare in place.  I believe we need to have healthcare for all Americans whether rich or poor.  The other side argues that this would raise taxes, however, we would be paying considerably less total without huge healthcare payments.  Rich people can afford to give more money up for this issue.  They would probably pay less total and their care wouldn't necessarily change that much.  Money from other unimportant things like Iraq War funding could be put into this plan.

Sure there need to be rules on immigration.  We do need to secure our borders.  The reason really isn't so much for national security as it is we need to control our population growth to an extent.  I believe amnesty for everyone here now is a great idea.  Many have already been here for a long time and are actually helping our economy by taking jobs that citizens will not take.  Most of the people coming here are not terrorists or drug pushers, but they are people who are poor and searching for a better life for themselves and their families.  Isn't that what anyone wants for their family?  It is also important for us to remember that we were somewhat illegal when we came from Europe and eventually over ran the Native Americans.

Iraq is becoming a royal mess.  True, Suddam was a ruthless killer.  True, he was a terrible human being.  True, many Iraqis didn't like him.  But the one thing he was able to do that we aren't is control Iraq.  There were no terrorists until after we came in.  There was not a constant fear of civil war.  People were not afraid to walk down the street because a car bomb might go off.  It is time to wake up Washington!  We are spending millions upon millions actually it's in the billions on this war and things do not seem to be getting better.  Our troops are great and I don't want to take anything away from them.  They are doing the best that anyone can do over there.  We need to cut the funds.  Bush will not send more or keeps troops out there without armor.  We need to bring these brave men and women home.  It will not only save many of their lives, but also make it possible to put the funding towards other important things.

Protecting our nation is the most important job of government.  We need to make sure that our people are safe.  I think the best approach is to protect our country on our own soil.  The best offense is a good defense.  With many of our National Guard troops in Iraq, it makes it very difficult to protect ourselves here at home.  Instead of the Iraq War this should be the main concern.

People tend to make a big deal about taxes and sometimes with good reason.  Nobody wants to give money to other people.  We must realize that sometimes the benefits of the taxes we pay can actually save us money.  It is important to keep taxes as low as possible.  It is also important to make sure we have enough money within government to function effectively.  Some things would need to be cut such as funding on the Iraq War.  That would make room for things such as Education, National Defense, and Social Security funding.

Chances are actually very good that Social Security will still be okay after the Baby Boomers.  The worst thing we can do is privatize this.  The poor would just not be able to do this and then we would end up paying more in the end due to increased spending on social programs.  They certainly need to be some adjustments, but Social Security is really something we should cherish as a society.

The death penalty should be gotten rid of because killing other people is wrong no matter the reason.  It is also more expensive than keeping a criminal in jail for life. 
Darfur is awful and nothing is being done about it.  We need to do anything we can to help these people and stop the genocide.
Assistance for people paying for college is also important.  College costs have skyrocketed in recent years and even the middle class are having trouble paying for it.  Something needs to be done to make it more affordable for all Americans.