President: John McCain — Barack Obama

Sen. Barack Obama is the better candidate over Sen. John McCain for several reasons, but education tops the list.

First, Obama’s plans are more specific. There are generalities in both candidates’ education plans, but Obama’s plan gives more detail about how to achieve his goals. He saw the shortcomings of the “No Child Left Behind” act from the George W. Bush administration and he and running mate Sen. Joe Biden plan to reform the accountability system and increase funding. McCain’s plan doesn’t really address the problem of “No Child Left Behind,” which is a lack of funds.

Obama’s “Zero to Five” plan, which will enhance early head start programs and make children more prepared to enter kindergarten, is excellent. He and Biden plan to quadruple early head start, according to Obama’s Web site. Beginning assistance programs at an early age is key to their educational future.

And for students at a college level, Obama’s higher education plan is sound. In particular, he pledges to create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit, which would ensure $4,000 in college tuition money for most Americans. The students’ “payment” would simply be 100 hours of community service, which is not bad for that amount of money. At a time when tuition rises every year and state cuts to higher education are an ongoing threat, anything helps.

Obama shines in his plans for education, but he will also outperform McCain in terms of the economy, which is generally considered to be McCain’s weakest area. It is worth noting that McCain voted with Bush 90 percent of the time on economic issues, and the economy is floundering as a result. McCain’s mortgage bailout proposal is shortsighted, giving too many breaks to greedy lenders and borrowers who should know better.

The issue of health care is a basic need, and everyone has a right to it. Obama’s plan provides the best means to achieve that. He has emphasized the need for preventative care for everyone, and not just those who can afford it. If you already have above-average coverage then that’s fine, but those who do not will be covered. McCain, on the other hand, has used faulty logic to propose a system of competition among drug companies. Even with better competition drugs will still be too expensive for many Americans. Expensive medication is the main reason why we are seeing so many prescription drugs shipped in from Canada. McCain seems to underestimate the overall cost of health care in this country. It is just not affordable for those who are not insured.

These three issues are what students should be most concerned with, and on all of these issues Obama wins every time. College students, Obama and Biden have the answers we are looking for.

U.S. Senate: Bruce Lunsford — Mitch McConnell

The economy did not reach its current state of disarray on its own. President George W. Bush should receive the majority of the finger pointing, but Kentucky’s own Mitch McConnell, the U.S. Senate minority leader, would not be too far behind.

McConnell brags about the clout that 24 years in the Senate has brought him and our state, but when his influence does not positively affect our people and the state of Kentucky, what is really being accomplished?

The Kernel editorial board was hesitant in endorsing either U.S. Senate candidate, though. First of all, we feel Bruce Lunsford is not really in touch with the needs of Kentuckians. What does he know about paying outrageous tuition, searching for a job or not being able to afford health care? He also has very little experience in politics besides his two failed runs for governor.

McConnell, too, is a little off base when it comes to our state’s needs. As mentioned, he has been in the Senate for 24 years, but he just has not done enough. We feel he is focusing too much on scratching the backs of fellow Republicans and bragging about his clout instead of using that influence to get things done for our state.

“Change” has been an interchangeable term in many Democratic campaigns and it does not stop here. We want a change. We need a change. With this being said, we feel Lunsford is the lesser of two evils.

Lunsford’s main agenda is bringing jobs to the state, which any college student can appreciate. It is not just talk, though — he has the experience to go along with it. With the help of two business partners, Lunsford created Vencor (now Kindred Healthcare), a Kentucky health care real estate company. It became a Fortune 500 company and now employs thousands across the country.

Under former Gov. John Y. Brown Jr., Lunsford was named head of Kentucky’s first Commerce Cabinet. During that time, he helped create more than 55,000 jobs, set up the United Parcel Service hub in Louisville and the Delta Air Lines hub in Northern Kentucky, and established a Kentucky office in Japan, which has helped in attracting Japanese investment to the state.

As far as education goes, Lunsford wants to revamp the flawed “No Child Left Behind” act, create a universal pre-kindergarten program, provide a strong math and science education and make college more affordable.

One of Lunsford’s biggest criticisms of McConnell is that he has “walked hand-in-hand with George Bush” during his two terms.

“They have a 100 percent policy — George Bush, Mitch McConnell — that you go from the top down, you take care of the richest first,” Lunsford said in an interview with the Kernel.

Lunsford hopes to change that by giving tax cuts to those who need it — working Americans. Since he is knowledgeable in the health care realm, he also has plans to make sure all citizens are insured.

Even though he has two failed attempts at running for governor under his belt, something is clear about Lunsford — he is persistent, passionate and wants to represent the people of Kentucky and effect change in anyway possible.

75th District: Kelly Flood — Kimberly War

Kelly Flood and Kimberly Ward are vying for the 75th district seat in the State House of Representatives, which represents UK, and both candidates have plans to use their voice to help out the district.

Flood has stated that she will advocate education. Her goal is to make it more accessible by providing scholarships and allowing more opportunities for technical schooling to prospective students not seeking four-year degrees.

Flood also seeks to provide tax dollars to aid UK’s top 20 plan and make health care available to adults up to the age of 25 under family plans. Flood also wants to limit mountaintop removal and research clean coal technology and alternative crops.

Ward’s strongest point is her focus on money management and business skills to help young children learn financial knowledge. Ward, an expanded duties dental assistant, would also like to implement more dental education as a means of preventative care.

Ward wants to look into the cost of tuition to ensure that students’ retention rates are high and degrees are earned.

Both candidates are inexperienced when it comes to holding a public office. However, Flood’s ideas have more specifics that speak to the needs of those in the district.

Flood understands the major issues that affect students and the surrounding college community, while providing the background of advocacy and social justice.

3rd District: Diane Lawless — Eric Thomason

One thing stands out between the candidates for the 3rd district seat on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council: experience.

Diane Lawless has the experience, and that is why, above all else, she is the best candidate for the job.

Both Lawless and her opponent, Eric Thomason, share similar goals to restore downtown development, institute a more bike- and pedestrian-friendly city and facilitate economic and cultural sustainability. We believe all of these issues are pertinent and need to be addressed by whoever fills the 3rd district seat.

But Lawless has the experience, background and specific plans to lead us to believe she will be the best person for the job. While she does not have a direct connection to government, she has political and leadership experience as the director of the Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center for 26 years. There, Lawless helped with the passage of the Rape Shield Law in 1978, lobbied for the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 and helped pass the Violence Against Women Act.

Lawless, a UK graduate, has also had a direct influence on this campus already, working with groups toward student safety and helping create the Cats Path, a path on UK’s campus illuminated at night and police-patrolled.

Thomason, on the other hand, is 27 years old, fresh out of college and inexperienced with the political system. Thomason could very well have a bright future in politics, but it seems Lawless’ experience is the safe bet in this race.

13 District: Chuck Ellinger II — Kathy Stein

Rep. Kathy Stein has a reputation in Frankfort for being outspoken and a strong backbone for advocates of education and health and service needs for senior citizens, children, the disabled and poor families.

Stein has the legislative experience and willingness to hold her colleagues accountable, and that makes her a strong choice for state senator for the 13th District.

While Stein’s opponent Chuck Ellinger II has served on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, he has done so as a passive member and not the aggressive legislator that this state needs.

Both 13th District candidates have made it clear that higher education is a top priority for them, specifically funding. In tight budget times for UK, increases in tuition and cuts to higher education funding are concerns for employees and students.

While both candidates say this issue is important, Stein is the candidate who has an identified plan for increasing funding and decreasing tuition hikes for state public universities like UK.

Stein, in an Oct. 14 Kernel article, said the 9 percent increase in tuition before the 2008-09 school year was “superbly bad.” She suggested raising tobacco taxes to increase revenue that could go toward education,  something she says is key and “underfunded.”

Raising tobacco taxes would also work to “diminish smoke-related diseases” because increasing the price of tobacco would discourage use, Stein said.

Ellinger also believes higher education is suffering as it becomes more difficult to afford, but he only suggested a “guaranteed” spot on the appropriations committee by the Senate majority leader as an opportunity to help with the budget.

While this position may be his now, politics is not always something that comes with a guarantee; UK cannot rely on a deal made with another politician as its path to better university funding.

U.S. House: Ben Chandler — Jon Larson

Every candidate in any race is always ready to “debate the issues.” But willingness to debate does not define a winner, especially in the U.S. House of Representatives race.

Jon Larson said he is ready to talk, but it appears he falls short of prepared stances to actually discuss. Larson, who has been a lawyer for 35 years, said one of his main concerns is immigration. Of all of the topics to choose to be passionate about — higher education, town and gown and Kentucky’s failing economy — it seems Larson could have decided on a heavier issue than immigration.

Larson’s opponent, U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, has his main focus: education. He has been representing Kentucky’s 6th District, which includes UK, since the beginning of 2004. According to Chandler’s Web site, he voted to pass the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 to help provide $18 billion in college financial aid over five years.

Chandler has fought to keep loan interest rates down for students after they graduate. He is interested in making young people multilingual. The environment is a concern of his, as seen by his support of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which increased fuel efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

Chandler’s priorities mesh with many of UK’s, whereas Larson’s seem offbeat at best.

Larson may be ready to debate, but Chandler is ready to deliver.