The Eagle Newspaper

News

Obama vs. McCain: a concern for college students

By Andrea Kocher
Springfield Staff Writer

Presidential candidates McCain and Obama in debate.
Photographed by: the Eagle

Illinois Junior Senator Barack Obama has secured the Democratic presidential nomination and will be running against Republican Senator John McCain in the upcoming November election. Both of the nominees have begun a long, difficult, five month journey in hopes of becoming the next President of the United States of America.

Most college students cringe when they hear the word politics, but fail to comprehend the grave effects the election of a president has on their everyday life. From gas prices, to taxes, to the war in Iraq, young people often fail to realize how politics affect them directly and how these issues, and others, may be viewed differently between the two candidates.

Voters tend to blame a poor economy on the party that controls the presidency, which is unfortunate for Republican candidate John McCain, in that Democratic candidate Barack Obama declared that he would impose a windfall profits tax on U.S. oil companies in response to the dramatic rise in gasoline prices. McCain’s gas tax holiday proposal, which would remove the 18.4 cent-agallon federal gas tax for the summer, was found more likely to be disapproved than approved by the American public and Congress. A poll conducted in March found that the concern over gasoline prices had risen, and is now voters’ second biggest concern.

“The rise in gas prices is ridiculous; there are times where I don’t come home to visit my family because the price of gas is too high. I support Obama’s proposal to place a tax on the oil companies,” said Krista Walbert, a sophomore at Dallas Baptist University.

Tax cuts are a prominent dilemma being discussed in the political campaigns of both Republicans and Democrats. The Tax Policy Center stated that McCain’s plan would provide effective tax cuts for Americans, with the largest percentage increase after-tax income going to the wealthiest 0.1 percent of Americans. The lowest income, 20 percent of taxpayers, would see an increase after-tax income of 0.9 percent equaling 101 dollars, whereas the wealthy, numbering around 150,000, would see their after-tax income rise by an average of 11.6 percent equaling 678,500 dollars. Obama’s plan somewhat differs, providing greater tax percentage benefits for lower income groups while the wealthy would experience tax increases.

“As soon as I get out of college I will have a job that will place me in the lower to middle class, which will definitely affect the amount of tax benefits I will receive,” said Katie Zeter, a sophomore at Monmouth College.

With long-term estimates of the cost of the Iraq war ranging from 1 to 3 trillion dollars, the question arises as to what direction should be taken to reduce the cost and amount of casualties associated with the war. Barack Obama has told voters that the war is costing each American household 100 dollars a month. He feels that there are other battles we could be fighting instead of fighting this misguided war. John McCain repeatedly states that the success in Iraq justifies any cost, and that overspending in other areas is causing the strain on the federal budg- et. McCain said he plans to pay for tax cuts and modernizing the military by eliminating wasteful spending from the federal budget.

Obama stated that he would complete a phased withdrawal of all U.S. combat brigades from Iraq in the first 16 months of his administration. McCain argues that the war has brought measurable improvements in security and has been the key to weakening Al-Qaida and reducing violence; he wants the troops to return home with honor in victory, not defeat.

“Bring the troops home; too many Americans are losing their life for this neverending war,” said Lauren Hutton, a sophomore at Lincoln Land Community College.

College students that feel politics have no direct effect on their future are illinformed. Students, mostly college students, tend to be more focused on keeping a job and working towards a career than watching political speeches and debates. Today’s college students are the future and need to become active participants in society to ensure a positive change for years to come.