Over the past year, the nation has seen enough smear ads, personal attacks and molehills made into mountains to sicken even the most politically-minded. We’ve heard abstract catchphrases like maverick and change tossed around like the words themselves proved something profound. Both candidates are offering the same thing – change. The question presented to us on Nov. 4 is twofold – what does change mean and who will provide it?

Change for the betterment of this country will involve a complete uprooting of much of the assumptions this country has based its politics off of in the past eight years. It will require a reestablishment of priority amongst our country’s leaders. It will require a reinstatement of the civil rights that we, as a country, once held so dear and have had stripped from us by overbearing politicians hiding under a cloak called the Patriot Act.

This shift in Washington’s political mindset won’t be easy, and only one man is fit to set this change into motion. Only one man has the concrete plans to help America return to a time of prosperity and social justice. Only one man can be a commander in chief and a just guardian of our civil liberties. That man is Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Our educational institutions are criminally under-funded. I came from a high school that didn’t have enough money to provide a book for every student, and my case isn’t unique.

If America’s job market stands any chance of ever bouncing back from this economic depression, the first step is educating younger generations. Since his time in state Senate, Obama has been a staunch supporter of providing an equal education to every student, regardless of income. He has voted for providing more funding to the school systems – starting with early education and ending with state colleges, which would give grants to aspiring teachers who agree to teach in high-need areas.

Furthermore, Obama has promised to rewrite the painfully ineffective No Child Left Behind Act to allow more freedom for the teachers rather than force them to pander to a test for fear of losing funding. He has also been quoted as saying he would give subsidies to new college students so the first year of schooling, often the most expensive year, so student loans do not bury them in debt even before graduation.

According to Business Week, 400,000 to 500,000 American information technology jobs alone have been outsourced to other countries over the past few years. With the economy and job market in shambles, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has offered this as a cure – tax cuts for businesses.

His theory is that this money will be used to create jobs across the country, thus jumpstarting our economy. Does this sound familiar? It should.

It’s called the Trickle Down Effect and it’s exactly what President George W. Bush has been preaching for the last eight years.

An Albert Einstein quote comes to mind, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Obama, on the other hand, has proposed an economic plan that cuts taxes for 95 percent of working Americans. His theory is that rather than expecting a business to filter money down to the

employees, the money will be put directly into our pockets. What better way to pay off failing mortgages than to have money to do so?

Obama has also promised tax breaks to companies that keep their jobs in the country. With more jobs staying in America, our job market can finally recover and start to flourish once more.

America’s dependence on foreign oils is crippling our economy. Obama has promised to have the country running on 10 percent renewable energy by the end of his first term, as well as work to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

McCain’s solution for renewable energy? Throw money at it. According to CNN, McCain has done nothing but promise to give two billion dollars to finding a cleaner burning coal. Sure, he encourages companies to pursue alternate energy sources, but offers no incentive for any company to do so. Instead, McCain supports tapping into our oil reserves, which holds a finite amount of petroleum.

Not only is this environmentally irresponsible, but in the long run, it will only increase our country’s dependence on foreign oil, thus driving us farther into OPEC’s control. To be completely controlled by OPEC would mean economic implosion.

This election comes down to one thing – who has the actual plans to make a change in our country and who just says they can, but offers no real solutions? To turn a phrase, actions speak louder than words. That’s all McCain is – words. Sen. Barack Obama can bring the change we deserve. He can push us towards the social and economic progress this country so dearly needs.

Both candidates offer progress, but McCain can only talk about it. Be it economically or socially, Obama is the only man to regain America’s place as an arbiter of peace and an economic superpower.

Miller is the President of the UW-Eau Claire College Democrats and guest columnist of The Spectator.

Tomorrow, most of you will be going to the voting booth to cast your ballot for president. I can tell you right now that one of the candidates already assumes that you will be voting for him.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has worked hard to convince college students, and the rest of the population for that matter, that he is something he is not. In the past two years, Obama has voted along party lines 96 percent of the time and in 2007 was ranked as the most liberal senator in Congress.

Compare this with Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) record of breaking with his party and joining with prominent liberals on such legislation as McCain-Feingold (campaign finance), McCain-Kennedy (immigration reform) and McCain-Lieberman (addressing climate change).

On all of these issues, McCain bucked his party and actually reached across the aisle rather than just speaking about it. He not only has a proven record of leadership and bipartisanship, but he also has the plans to take this country in the right direction. On three major issues – national security, energy independence and moral values – McCain has the right ideas and policies to take this country forward.

When it comes to national security, McCain is undoubtedly the stronger of the two candidates. Having served as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five and a half years, McCain knows firsthand the tortures of war. He realizes, however, that as horrible as war always is, it is sometimes necessary. He will not hesitate in using our armed forces when so needed in order to protect our national security and interest.

This includes keeping our military in Iraq until sufficient progress has been made and the country is stable enough to ensure that we will not have to redeploy to Iraq anytime soon. McCain was the principle supporter of the surge that has proven to be the most successful strategy yet for securing Iraq. Though initially fighting both Republicans and Democrats on this issue, nearly all politicians (Obama excluded) have come to admit the success this strategy has brought.

Through negotiations with other states, but also maintaining a strong national defense, McCain will improve our image throughout the world. Obama, on the otherhand, feels as though we can reduce our military capabilities and rely upon diplomatic relations to solve international conflicts. In this desire, he claims to be a John Kennedy of sorts by being willing to sit down with our staunchest adversaries.

On a quick historical note, following President Kennedy’s first and only meeting with Premier Khrushchev of the USSR, Kennedy said Khrushchev “just beat [the] hell out of me.” The USSR’s impression of a weak and inexperienced Kennedy was a primary catalyst for the Cuban Missile Crisis. Do we really want this to be the impression of us if and when a President Obama would sit down with a power like Iran?

One issue that many Americans are feeling the effects of is our dependence on foreign energy and oil. McCain knows that we have to break this dependence using any and all means necessary.

Although many focus on McCain’s support for increased domestic drilling, one thing they overlook is his emphasis on nuclear power. This form of energy has been proven effective, safe and cheap all throughout Europe. France, for example, derives more than 80 percent of its energy from nuclear power. This must be explored as an option in order to break away from oil imports from countries who seek to undermine us in the world.

McCain has also broken with many Republicans regarding climate change. He believes that this is something that needs to be addressed here and now. He supports signing the Kyoto Protocol, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, provided that countries like China and India also sign onto the agreement. He has also expressed support for a carbon-cap and trade program which would bring about drastic reductions in carbon emissions from companies here in the United States.

Finally, on moral issues of our day, McCain has proven to stand with a majority of Americans. McCain realizes the sanctity and dignity of human life and will work to protect life throughout his administration.

On abortion, McCain has strongly supported the unborn child’s right to life while also seeking to make the process for giving a baby up for adoption easier. Contrast this with Obama’s opposition to bills like the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which would prevent doctors from killing babies fully born during a botched abortion, and you can see the stark difference.

McCain has also been outspoken against the torturing of war prisoners, despite Republican ambivalence on the issue.

When you hear words like bipartisanship, reaching across the aisle and hope, don’t automatically think of Obama. Take a good look at both candidates’ accomplishments and policies, and you will realize that Sen. McCain is truly the only man qualified and ready to be President of this great nation.

Hamill is the Chairman of the UW-Eau Claire College Republicans and guest columnist of The Spectator.