Editor disappointed in student body’s reasons for supporting Obama

Written by: the Site Administrator on November 7, 2008 at 11:09 am

Chasity Monschein
Editor-in-Chief

After the election, it seems like I cannot walk down a single hallway without hearing “Go Obama!” and all I can do is shake my head. While I am enthralled that the student body is enthusiastic about the new president, I am disappointed that the majority of people support him because he is an eloquent speaker or because he is black.
Yes, he can address all groups of people in a single speech and always can relate things to the common man. However, in order to run the most powerful country in the world, it will take more than some fancy speeches to heal our international relations. If one was to look through a history book, another leader who captivated people with his speeches was Adolph Hitler. I am not saying that he will be the American version of Hilter or that he is not an intelligent man, that is obvious by him graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University. However, just because someone can present a speech does not mean they will be the leader a country needs.
Second, he is milato, not black. When the average American thinks of the word “black” they think of someone whose ancestors dealt with the harsh rule of slavery and eventually overcame them in order to receive equality. Obama’s father is from Kenya and in no way did his immediate family ever have to endure that sort of suffering so why is this considered a triumph for the black community?
However, the biggest issue is not the fact that people supported him because of his speeches or his race, but that few individuals had any idea were he stood on the issues that America is facing. It is reasons like this why other countries view us as ignorant.
Now, there are teachers and students alike in LHS that voted for him because they agreed with his policies and could name multiple reasons why they voted for him. I completely respect them because they had valid reasons for their beliefs, but for the most part students had no idea.
Few people knew about his universal health care plan, and those who did viewed it as a free handout other than how it would affect other people. Looking at countries with universal health care plans, such as Canada and Russia, it is obvious that the patients themselves are not taken into account. It will be first come first serve, and the personal circumstances will not matter. So sorry for the man with cancer, the kid with the splinter signed up first.
While health care is an issue, so are the extra taxes being put on businesses. Although saying he will tax corporate businesses might sound nice, think about the people that run them. Instead of letting their pocket books being impacted, they will raise the price on goods and lay people off to cover the damage that they have lost. Loss of jobs and jumping prices at Wal-Mart is not the sort of “change” I believe people were thinking about.
Despite the lack of knowledge the student body possesses about the issues, it seems that it will no longer matter once January 20 rolls around. The votes have been tallied and the American people have chosen him as our president, so now all we can do is make the most of our circumstances.
While I am disappointed in America’s choice, I will still be proud of my country and will continue to pray for my leader. However, I just hope that by the time the next election rolls around, that people will have more valid reasons for choosing our president.