More on Obama

Dear American Voters:

As I said in my previous Obama post, I have always voted for Republican presidents. I mentioned my reasons were typically fiscal. Lately though I have been thinking about the future of my children. Not just financially, but in terms of what I want for them and for their futures. I want them to have a great education and every opportunity to take advantage of that education. I am fortunate that my children seem to have no disabilities at this point. I do have a family member with disabilities. He has been diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia as well as Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's Syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder. It has been a nightmare for us, as a family, to try fighting our way through all the red tape and beaurocratic bullshit just to get him the education he is supposedly guaranteed. There's not enough funding. There's not enough support. There's not enough knowledge amongst those who are supposed to be in charge. It's shameful. All this leads me to reason #2 that I support Barack Obama...

From the Barack Obama website:

In addition to reclaiming America's global leadership on this issue by becoming a signatory to -- and having the Senate ratify -- the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the plan has four parts, designed to provide lifelong supports and resources to Americans with disabilities. They are as follows:

• First, provide Americans with disabilities with the educational opportunities they need to succeed.


• Second, end discrimination and promote equal opportunity.


• Third, increase the employment rate of workers with disabilities.


• And fourth, support independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities.

And from Obama's Plan on Autism Spectrum Disorders:

Support Special Needs Education for Children with ASD: Barack Obama understands that children with special needs - students with visual, hearing, physical, sensory, and mental impairments - require meaningful resources in order to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. Obama is a strong supporter of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and supports full federal funding of the law to truly ensure that no child is left behind. The current underfunding of IDEA causes school districts throughout the country to deny necessary services to students with ASD and other special needs. Obama will also work to change IDEA's definition of "autism" to Autism Spectrum Disorders to ensure that all children diagnosed with ASD disorders receive the support they need.

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These issues are becoming so much more a concern to me. I think it's important that people pay attention to specific plans the candidates propose. There are often differences that seem small on the surface, but in reality make a huge difference. I hear a lot of people saying, "Obama talks a good game, but that's all. He's got no plan." I beg to differ. I think he has some wonderful plans. Plans unlike the other candidates are offering. Plans that could make a real difference for people who are too often overlooked.

~Mom on the Edge