Why I won't vote for Obama

While Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama has some characteristics that I like and positions that I agree with, I will not vote for him because of these reasons:

• He's got ideas, but not practical solutions. He's all talk.
• He lacks experience. He hasn't even completed one term in the Senate. He would make a better candidate after several terms in Congress and more of a record of leadership.
• Charisma and gifted oration are not substitutes for experience and practicality.
• His rating on economic policy is 87% liberal, 0% conservative. I consider myself to be a fiscal conservative.
• I doubt he has the political clout to get things done.
• He opposes drilling in Alaska. While I don't think we can drill our way out of the energy crisis, drilling should be part of the solution. I believe we can drill in an environmentally-responsible way.
• He advocates universal health care. Univeral health care usually means working people pay for health care, while people too lazy to work get free benefits. Many uninsured Americans simply choose to spend their money on luxuries (SUV's, cell phones, and cable tv) instead of necessities (health care). Then there are the irresponsible ones, who refuse to stay with a job to earn or keep their health care.
• He would let illegal immigrants stay in the U.S. and become citizens.
• He supports giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
• His rating on foreign policy is 85% liberal, 12% conservative. I don't want him picking up the red phone or sitting across the table from the Russian president. He's making up his foreign policy as he goes along, adjusting it to please whoever he's talking to. He's too naive on issues of national security.
• He voted against the ban on partial-birth abortions. He voted against a law that would protect babies born accidently during abortion. I support legal abortion in the first trimester, but there need to be laws that protect the unborn child.
• He does not consider homosexuality to be immoral. If it is a life style choice, as opposed to a biological predetermination, it is immoral, just as much as a heterosexual who sleeps around. He should respect the beliefs of conservative Christians who consider homosexuality to be immoral -- not tell them they are wrong.
• He supports civil unions that would carry equal legal standing with marriages. He thinks gay partners should get health benefits.
• Obama has received the endorcement of Sen. Ted Kennedy.
• He is rated F by the National Rifle Association. I'm not gun crazy, but a rating of F must mean he has no respect for a person's right to own a firearm.
• The ACLU has given Obama a rating of 88% on civil liberty issues. There's not too many issues that I find myself in agreement with the ACLU.
• He wants to strengthen the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is already a burden on government, industry, and society.
• He used drugs in high school and college. It's good that he's honest about his drug use, but he made poor judgements as a young person. I grew up in the same era and never tried drugs.
• He sends his kids to private school, but doesn't support making private schools more reachable for less affluent Americans. Public schools are okay for everybody else's kids.
• He advocates free public college for any student with B-average. You need to pay for your education to appreciate it. You have to make sacrifices to get a college education. A college education is a privilege, not a right. Community colleges are affordable for most Americans.
• Scored 60% on Humane Society scorecard. The Humane Society leans towards animal rights and is anti-animal agriculture.
• Opposes renditions. I'm okay with renditions, so long as we charge the people we apprehend and don't send them to third world countries for torture.
• He supports making the minimum wage a working wage. The minimum wage is not meant to be a working wage. Raising it will reduce jobs.
• He wants to strengthen unions. Haven't they caused enough problems?
• He voted with Democratic party 96% of the time. He talks about bi-partisanship, but never splits with his party.
• He opposes any efforts to privitize social security.
• He wants to raise capital gains taxes and taxes on dividends.
• He will raise taxes. He will raise taxes