How Will You Vote?

I met an individual this evening who volunteers for the McCain-Palin campaign. I learned very little from the man, whose opinions upset me more than helped me to understand what the Republicans stand for in this race. I realized from his comments, however, that many people who choose to support one candidate or another seem to be regurgitating information rather than thinking through what they are actually saying. They seem to speak more about their OWN opinions and not really what the candidates are supporting.

This leads me to my main concern - where has all the common sense gone? Do some women voters REALLY plan to vote for McCain simply because he chose a woman running mate? Really? Do some other voters plan to vote for Obama simply because he is African-American? Really?

Why does gender or race even play a part in one's decision to vote? No, seriously? I don't get it. What about issues, agendas, purpose, intention, etc.? What about voting for the best candidate because he or she is planning to make the most logical decisions that will affect Americans?

I realize that we all have opinions on different issues, and some people feel very strongly about specific topics. But why can't we all look through the vigor and think sensibly about the actual purpose and end result of some things? For example... taxes. Yes, I said the 'T' word. Taxes are actually a very good thing for our economy. The way they are set up now, however, is somewhat illogical because of so many loopholes that the 'rich' folks can swim through. Why would muli-millionaires pay less in taxes than those in middle-class? If you earn more income (be it through wages, interest on your savings, or even dividends on stocks), you should pay more taxes... I guess I thought that was common sense. Maybe someone can explain this to me?

I don't know... I could continue on and on about this, bringing up more sensitive issues like abortion, the death penalty, energy plans, No Child Left Behind, and the war in Iraq. Instead, I'll ask you how you plan to vote: based on how the candidate of your party feels about these topics OR based upon the best-suited candidate overall? Based upon the regurgitation that is spread so widely by the media and internet, OR based upon the responses from each candidate to questions that influence your life the most personally?

What matters to you most when you cast your potentially-life-changing vote in November?

I would love to hear your thoughts.