Opinion

As an American, you should be able to hear Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain vehemently campaign in person for your vote this November. You should have the opportunity to meet, interact and shake hands with them as you learn about their positions on all of the issues. In many parts of the country, this is considered normal. But alas! You have one unfortunate circumstance: you live in California.

It does not take a leap of faith to realize that the United States is not achieving its goals in Afghanistan. The Afghan government has little reach outside of Kabul and for the most part, life has not improved since 2001. The tacit protection the Taliban receives on the Pakistani side of the Durand Line has been the chief impediment to nation-building efforts in Afghanistan. The view that Pakistan is the weak link in the chain has gained strong ground in academic circles and is now widely held by Western policymakers.

Partisan Event Encourages Uninformed Votes

Debate about whether or not one's vote really counts or even makes a difference is a reflection of the common concerns that the American political system inevitably provokes each election season. While these sentiments may seem particularly applicable to Californians when they vote for their choice of president, especially since our solidly blue state's 55 electoral votes will undoubtedly go to the Democratic candidate, Californians should not believe that their votes are of little importance when it comes to the 12 propositions on this year's state ballot.

Voter fraud is an endemic and prolific problem in contested states and predominantly affects Republicans. Democrats use the same, empty rhetorical trick to facilitate it: race baiting. Meanwhile, groups like the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) generate thousands of fictional voters (among them a Mr. Mickey Mouse) in poor areas, throwing up a smoke screen of "Republican racism" to conceal their tactics.

After John McCain throws everything in, including the kitchen sink, who does he call? "Joe the Plumber." The last debate on Oct. 15 produced a new sideshow in the list of circus characters that have popped in and out of this year's presidential election. McCain invoked "Joe the Plumber" as he tried to put a face to Obama's tax policies. Joe Wurzelbacher, as he explained, was a plumber in Ohio who wanted to buy a business, yet under Obama's policy he would be taxed more. This was McCain's last-ditch attempt, at least for now, to depict the Obama campaign as actually bad for the middle class. Did it work? No. The first thought that came to my mind was, "A plumber is making $250,000. Why am I in school?"

It's hard to rage against the machine. However, if you're a well-established name in the music industry, it may have just become easier.

The media has consistently used polls to create news and forward its liberal agenda.

The Republican party chairman in Macomb County, Michigan, probably should have considered his wording when he admitted in an interview that his organization was actively compiling a list of foreclosed homes in order to void voter registration.

Following a record setting 85-day stalemate over the state budget, the financial situation for California looks nearly as downtrodden as it did two weeks ago when state officials were seemingly still in a deadlock deciding the budget. Because the budget was planned too optimistically and state revenue has been unable to meet original estimates, the deficit, which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been aiming to close, looks like it will get a lot worse before it gets better.

The presidential town hall debate on Oct. 7 produced daylight fireworks. That is, it was fun to watch for a little bit, but you pretty much didn't see anything. The debate produced no knockout blow for either candidate, at least not overtly. This ultimately meant a win for Barack Obama. He cruised to another debate win just by showing up, but that is not to say he didn't articulate his positions well.

The image of the 1950s is that of a simple and quaint life. The picture-perfect nuclear family was comprised of a father who worked from dawn until dusk, a mother with a bobbed perm and a kill-you-with-kindness attitude and kids (one girl, one boy of course) who thought that the world's greatest injustice was being bullied in high school. Throw in a fascination with dishwashers and a loose-to-iron-fisted love for the Bible and you have your stereotypical, white-picket-fence-dog-in-the-yard family, every hippie's nightmare and every Republican's dream. While this image is dead to our generation, the dream for a "perfect family" just can't stay buried.