I'm confused as to why anyone would bother to vote in these elections, to be honest, because the candidates don't seem to be campaigning on a platform of facts and solid policy; instead they mud-sling and instill fear in voters of what might happen if they vote for the opposition. Why are there so few statistics, facts and numbers? Sure these things can be manipulated, but they can also be factually refuted, but they serve to inform the voters rather than scare them. Oh wait, that's why: some don't want informed voters. I was struck by Tex saying that if Obama were to be elected you should "prepare for the worst taxes & unemployment this country has ever seen since the Great Depression". Frankly you'll be in the same state of affairs no matter who you elect. The United States is sitting in a deficit of upwards of 3.5 trillion dollars, depending on which set of financial records you decide to look at, and how much information you include from those. (please avoid the "that's just the right/left media", because that doesn't fly) Think of that number for a moment. That means that even with a GDP of $13 Trillion the US is in the red, and will continue to dig deeper unless some technique of raising more money is found. So, if McCain is elected he will have to either take similar measures as Obama, or ignore the problem and watch Rome burn. I get this impression that the people of America are becoming afraid to voice their criticism of their government for some reason. Oh, right, it's because their government can now punish them for it. I know this is a somewhat all encompassing post of a number of opinions, but the government is suppose to fear its people, not the other way around. Don't let elected officials and running candidates scare you into voting their way. Get off your ass, turn off Faux News, CNN, MSNBC or whatever other news outlet you're watching and go out and get some bloody facts, for goodness sakes.