Barack Obama was elected in 2008 with a message of hope and change. Unfortunately, the change we got was for the worse. There is little hope left that the country can pull itself out of the recession anytime soon, and we’re left hoping that the Middle East won’t erupt into flames that will consume us all. There are hundreds of reasons to vote for a change of administration in November, but I’ve tried to condense them into eight main areas of concern:

1. The economy should be reason number one on everyone’s list. Obama insists we need more “stimulus” despite the fact that we’ve already spent more than $800 billion, with nothing to show for it but waste and failure. The National Debt is now a staggering $15 trillion, and growing every day. Meanwhile, more than 42 million Americans are living in poverty, nearly one in seven Americans are on food stamps, and unemployment is more than 8%.
2. Business. Consider these two Obama quotes: “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” And this one: “The private sector is doing fine.” It’s no wonder that more than 400,000 small businesses are closing every year. And the Obama administration has enacted more than 4,200 new anti-business regulations, with an estimated cost of $84 billion.
3. Foreign relations. Obama’s attitude toward Israel, our most important ally in the Middle East, is shameful. The recent assassinations in Libya are just the latest indication that the Obama administration is in over its head. With the Middle East in a state of permanent crisis, we need someone who’s not afraid to stand up for our principles and stare down terrorists.
4. Healthcare. Obama stripped $700 billion out of the Medicare program to set up the “Affordable Care Act” (Obamacare). This will bankrupt Medicare, raise premiums for everyone, and change U.S. healthcare from a consumer-driven system to one which involves the government in every healthcare decision.
5. Disregard for the Constitution. Obama seems unwilling or unable to work with Congress, so he just goes around it. He made “recess appointments” when Congress was not actually in recess, and he granted Attorney General Eric Holder “executive privilege” to hide the truth about “Fast and Furious” from Congressional investigators. After Congress voted down the DREAM Act, Obama ordered the Department of Homeland Security to enforce it anyway, implementing the act by fiat.
6. Immigration. Illegal aliens are crippling the economies of many states by overwhelming public services like healthcare, welfare, and education. Yet the Obama Administration opposed Arizona’s efforts to enforce federal immigration laws.
7. Social agenda. Obama and the Progressives have defined the killing of an unborn human being as a “woman’s right to choose.” Under Obamacare, Catholic hospitals may be required to pay for contraceptives and abortifacients for their employees, despite their moral objections to abortion.
8. Divide and Conquer. When Obama was elected, people hoped that having an African-American president would help heal the divide between races and cultures. Instead, he has pitted groups against each other rather than encouraging them to work together. He supported the Occupy Wall Street protesters and constantly fans the flames of hatred and suspicion against successful people (“the 1%”).

Americans have a clear choice on November 6. If you want a government of entitlements, redistribution of wealth, overspending and weak foreign policy, vote for Barack Obama and the Democrats. If you believe in personal responsibility, free markets, fiscal responsibility and a strong national defense, vote against them. The choice is ours, and we and our children will have to live with it for years to come.