Vote Hillary ’08

Hillary Clinton should be the first woman president of the United States. Another Clinton woman, her daughter Chelsea, spoke at Portland State on her mother’s behalf last month, clearly illuminating why Hillary is the best candidate this election year.

Chelsea addressed the crowd in an honest, soft-spoken manner as she gave a speech detailing her mother’s plan as president to end the Iraq war, create new green-collar jobs, provide affordable healthcare, improve the educational system and much more.

Answering questions, she was friendly, earnest and extremely knowledgeable. She answered several difficult questions without hesitation and gave honest specifics on how her mother would improve foreign relations and boost the economy without raising taxes.

Hillary Clinton has created a clear plan to draw out of Iraq’s civil war by beginning to safely bring soldiers home within 60 days of her presidency. She visited troops in Iraq, drawing the conclusion that there is no military solution and diplomacy needs to be restored. She would provide high quality, lifelong healthcare and benefits to all veterans by enacting a GI Bill of Rights for the 21st century so that veterans have access to education, jobs and becoming homeowners.

Depending on learning disabilities and how much an individual’s family has taught them, there’s a huge educational range between students entering kindergarten. To solve this, Clinton wants to start education sooner. She wants to end Bush’s ineffective No Child Left Behind mandate and improve education programs overall.

She’d also help college students with a new $3,500 college tax credit, increase the maximum Pell Grant, lower interest rates on student loans and more. She wants to get rid of the FAFSA in place of a check box on tax forms for those seeking financial aid, making the process simpler and more efficient.

Gas prices have driven up the cost of food, rent and other goods. Clinton recognizes that the economy needs to be stimulated with high paying jobs that do not rely on fossil fuels. She also recognizes that global warming should be addressed by creating green collar jobs where people would work to make schools and businesses more environmentally friendly with solar power, insulation, window tinting and other ways to save tax money going to utility companies.

She wants to take tax cuts away from gas companies and companies that ship their jobs overseas. She instead wants to provide tax cuts for middle class families. Clinton also wants to “rein in” insurance companies so that everyone can afford quality healthcare of their choosing.

Clinton would also be a champion for women. Men still make more money than women for equal jobs. Women make 77 cents to every dollar that men make and women of color make even less. She wants to introduce the Paycheck Fairness Act to equalize pay. She wants to find a cure for breast cancer and end sex trafficking.

When I first sat down to write this article, Clinton and Obama were side-by-side on the racetrack with Clinton just a bit ahead. Now, Obama has won a small number more delegates than Clinton. Delegates are won state by state by our votes. Clinton had been ahead because of the support of superdelegates that can vote for any candidate despite average citizens’ votes. On May 11, news reports depicted Clinton losing the support of many of her superdelegates, but these votes can swing back to her side.

The whole point of voting is not to vote for the candidate that you think will win but the candidate that you think will do a better job. Vote with your heart by May 20. Clinton is the best candidate.