The Enviroment

Obama is has a more complex solution to environmental problems than Mccain. (For more info, please refer to the NY Times article.) This should be a reason to vote for him.

Why is environment important?

1. Long term well being of the planet, ensuring future generations of people don't die due to global warming, toxic substances in the air and water from polution, and lack of oxygen when trees run out, etc.

2. Foreign policy - It is easier to be pro-Israel when not in need of Arab states' oil. As oil decreases, oil prices should steadily rise, meaning we're pouring more money into failing Middle East regimes. Even if one is not pro-Israel, one must admit that the USA can have a more objective and self-serving Middle East policy without those financial ties.

3. Economy - As oil prices go up, the amount being spent on oil is money that could be spent on other sectors of the economy, and it is money going abroad, that could be spent at home. Furthermore, when we find efficient, oil-free ways to do things, this brings costs of production down, lowering the prices of products, so we can buy more goods. This means more stores are open and more people have jobs. (The research to find that efficient source of energy could be expensive; Obama proposes tax breaks for research and governmental exploration of nuclear power. This would mean tax-payers are paying for part of the research, but most of that money would be coming from higher corporate tax rates and from those earning over of a quarter of a million a year. Besides which, the long term cost benefit is worth it. It is possible that in order to cover the cost of research, or that, in the less advanced non-oil energy phases, product prices would raise slightly, but this raise would be comparable to the raise if oil were used, and would be beneficial in the long term, since once prices were lower they will stay constantly lower - unlike with oil-dependent production, where product prices fluctuate with the prices of oil.) 

Furthermore, as other countries become increasingly frustrated with oil prices, they will be willing to buy cost-efficient technologies that replace oil, and the country with such technology will profit.