(no subject)
I normally try to keep international politics off my lj, for the simple reason that I believe in the sovereign rights of a country and it's citizens. I would be appalled if the United States tried to interfere with a New Zealand election (although I've no idea why they'd want to), and so I try to extend the same courtesy to my friends who are US citizens. The obvious exclusion to this rule for me is the United Kingdom, as we are still part of the Commonwealth and, in my mind at least, still enjoy something of a parent/child relationship with them.
However given the furore caused by the recent Democratic and Republican conventions, I feel compelled to put my two cents in. To that end, I've decided to leave this post open to the public. I know that many of my online friends are already devoted Democrats, if not Obama supporters, but for anyone out there who isn't, i hope this international perspective will make you stop and think.
As a country, America has worked hard to extend it's sphere of influence around the world. That influence has taken a battering over the last 8 years, but during this campaign i keep hearing things like "restore America's good name", and while I applaud that goal, it also leaves me with some worries.
The recent Credit Crisis, for example, in the USA has had world wide implications. It's brought down financial institutions across the world (including several in NZ), affected international exchange rates, food prices, oil prices, and employment rates. People have lost jobs, homes etc, all across the world. I can only really speak from a New Zealand perspective, but at the moment we're paying NZ$2 per litre at the petrol pumps, by my estimation, that's just over US$5 per gallon! Our manufacturing plants are moving to Asia, or Mexico because the exchange rates are more favourable for importing materials and exporting finished goods. Mum and Dad investors are losing their life savings because reputable investment companies are going under.
I'm not trying to say that this is soley the fault of the United States, but a large part of the blame can be found in practices directly, or indirectly endorsed by it's government.
My point here is that while the United States may desire to extend it's influence over other countries, it cannot forget the responsibilities that come with that influence.
The sad fact of the matter is that what you do, and who you vote for directly affects the lives of billions of people world wide.
And this terrifies me.
Policies that could continue or be enacted under a McCain/Palin government worry me to no end. The Religious Right in America has gained disproportionate power over the last 8 years, and by voting in John McCain and Sarah Palin, it is likely this trend would continue.
John McCain himself has voted 90% of the time with George Bush. How likely is he to turn his back on those policies if he becomes president?
And he's not a young man. He would be the oldest first term president in history if he won. This in itself is not a huge problem, but he also has survived multiple cancers (primarily skin cancers), so you have to wonder about his physical health.
Should he become incapable of leading your country, the task would fall to Sarah Palin and this, in my mind, would be a catastrophie.
This is a woman who firmly believes that abortions should be made illegal, even in the cases of rape and incest. She has supported book bannings and burnings. She has a habit of firing people who do not agree with her (a librarian and police chief in Wasilla, and the entire membership of the Board of Agriculture and Conservation during her time as Governer). A woman who wants to drill for more oil and gas in Alaska, and does not believe the polar bear should be on the endangered species list. She is an incredibly narrowminded conservative, with so little experience as to force you to wonder what John McCain was thinking when he asked her to be his running mate.
A McCain/Palin government would only see more policies like that of the HHS's proposal to protect health care professionals who refuse to administer abortions on moral or relgious grounds. And would mean another 4-8 years of Fundamentalist inspired policies.
In a world where religious extremism is becoming synonymous with evil, in a world that has to submit to America's direction by default, you must carry your responsibilities seriously. We cannot vote for you, nor should we be able to vote for you. We can only hope that come November, you make your decision with not only your country in mind, but also the rest of the world.