A Message of Hope

As I began traveling door to door for the Barack Obama campaign, meeting Americans who were undercut by our country’s failed economic policies, I realized how important it was that Obama’s proposals be implemented to give these people a chance to achieve the American Dream. Unfortunately, during the course of this election and sadly even after its conclusion, the editorial pages of The Courier have reflected the divisive and often false opinions existing in our city.

Instead of listening to Senator John McCain properly denounce unfounded rumors about Barack Obama being a Muslim, many in Findlay refused to believe. Many also refuse to believe that Democrats want to reduce the number of abortions because when Senator Obama released a plan to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies in the United States, many of my fellow Pro-Life Obama supporters were considered “baby killers” by those in Findlay.

Then, little was said about John McCain’s plan to tax employer based health care as income and to comparatively insure 11.2 million fewer Americans; while Barack Obama’s proposal to lower the cost of health care premiums, with a provision allowing citizens to keep their current plans and doctors was equivocated to socialism.

And, while comprehensive reports indicated that not only would John McCain’s tax plan leave working middle class Findlay-ites paying more in taxes than under Obama’s plan, but eventually everyone would have to pay for the estimated 5.6 trillion more dollars John McCain’s economic plan (compared to Obama’s) would add to the national debt; opinions in Findlay stated that Obama would raise their taxes when his plan effectively reduced taxes for a majority of them.

Furthermore, the idea that “Barack Obama does not support Israel” is simply false. I recently attended the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) Summit in Chicago where Barack Obama’s foreign policy advisor received a standing ovation from the most Pro-Israel audience you could imagine.

Let’s learn from our encounter with the Washington Post and construct opinions based on facts. And finally, let’s hope that President Obama will end the divisive partisanship evidenced in this paper’s recent opinions and reach across the aisle to serve a plurality of interests and restore our image as a world leader.

Stephen J. Kostyo