A while ago I put up an 'I support Barack Obama' banner on this site. Why bother, you may wonder? I figured I'd write a small post on why I support Barack Obama.

So... why do I bother? I'm not American and some people may argue that voids my right to even say anything about the US elections. First of all I will be living in the United States very soon hopefully which means the current US elections do indeed affect me to a certain degree. Secondly, the political direction of the United States affects more than just the United States. Finally, my fiancee IS American and what affects her, affects me one way or the other. The US elections affect the entire planet and world politics. Simply because the United States are (still) the world's number 1 superpower, if not the only superpower. In short, these are important things that affect everyone including me. I cannot donate to any campaign for obvious reasons I agree with. I cannot cast an actual vote, again for obvious reasons. I can however voice my opinion and 'do my part' in that way.

I was gonna write a whole lengthy article explaining my reasons but I figured I might just as well condense it all into one of those infamous top 10 lists. So here's my 10 reasons why I support Barack Obama:

1. Voting with Bush 90% === FAIL.
2. McCain's campaign is funded by Big Oil and large corporations while Obama is funded by real people.
3. Obama doesn't deal with lobbyists (legalized corruption in my book). McCain surrounds himself with them.
4. 'Trickle down' economics don't work. History has shown us this much. More money for regular people does.
5. McCain's campaign focuses on negativity. Obama's campaign focuses on actual issues.
6. Capitalism is great. Completely deregulated capitalism / corporatism isn't. Look at the current banking situation to see why.
7. The real possibility of Sarah Palin ending up being president is a nightmare.
8. Getting more people healthcare isn't socialism, it's only humane. Healthcare should be a right for every person.
9. McCain's supporters scare the hell out of me.
10. The world needs change. I think America needs change.

Finally, I'd like to invite everyone who thinks that Barack Obama will turn the USA into a socialist state to educate themselves through the links below.

• Socialism
• Communism
• Fascism (for Andy Rutledge and others who brought this term into the game)

So here it is. This is why I support Barack Obama. For those who do have the right to vote in the US elections: Vote wisely. Make sure you get your facts right * and vote for what you really stand for. There's a lot at stake.

Finally, feel free to discuss in the comments. Opinions that strongly oppose mine are just as welcome as opinions agreeing with mine as long as they're written in a civil manner.

Note: Like in any campaign, both camps have had their fair share of bending / twisting the truth. Educate yourself on the issues that matter to you instead of letting negative advertisement lead the way.

So... it's come to my attention that today is Blog Action Day. Any blogger who wants to join in should write about poverty. Now what does that really mean? Let's take a look.

Poverty: The state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions

Merriam-Webster

This brings up a fundamental question. Is there not enough for everyone on this planet? Do we have too many people living here for everyone to have a socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions? The answer: NO.

In my opinion, poverty is not a problem. It's not a problem at all. Instead, it's a symptom. The problem poverty is a symptom of?

Greed: A selfish and excessive desire for more of something (as money) than is needed

Merriam-Webster

There it is. A simple problem but no easy solution. Greed is a basic human trait which has probably been there since the dawn of humanity. Greed is everywhere. From small children refusing to share with other children to governments actively supporting greedy corporations over everything else. Got the money? You got the power. The power to buy whatever you want, including politicians that will work for your cause. Corruption isn't just a Third-World phenomenon. The fact that the word 'lobbyist' exists explains it all. Corruption all the same, only difference here is that it's legitimized and wearing an expensive suit.

The recent stock exchange crash is a classic example of the unlimited destructiveness of greed. A very, VERY small amount of people has managed to bring the entire world economy on the brink of collapse by letting greed dictate their actions. The greedy bastards got bailed out and got away with more money than you and I will ever spend in our lifetime. A lot of them even kept their job. No bonuses this year for the UK ones though, Mr. Brown said with a firm voice. That will teach them!

So what can we do about it?

Lately I've felt more and more frustrated about seeing the world plunging into a downward spiral without being able to really do something about it. The rich get richer, the poor get further pushed down with their face in the dirt and greed is still happily functioning as the driving force behind our environment going all to hell. I guess every individual feels powerless because let's face it, individually we can't really do anything. However, we can make an attempt to do our part by:

• voting for government representatives who DON'T put greedy corporations first. Vote with your heart, not with your wallet
• not buying anything from greedy corporations that are known to exploit people for profit
• trying to eliminate our dependency on oil (provided by greedy corporations and governments) by 'going green'
• buying Fair Trade products which will help poor economies develop
• and there's more...

The well known slogan Make poverty history is all wrong. It should really read:

Make greed history

I suspect we have a long, LONG way to go. Eradicating a fundamental flaw in human beings isn't gonna be easy. Let's hope we'll eventually get there.