Charles Watson, 17, Hong Kong International School (Republican):
John McCain's campaign is based on two ideals the United States of America was founded on: an end to then colonial ruler Britain's oppressive taxation and the need for less government intervention in our lives.
The US has strayed from these ideals, as its people now pay 20 per cent of national GDP in taxes. This is something a Senator McCain presidency would reverse.
Senator McCain is also someone who understands that good government is limited government, and seeks to shorten the reach of Washington's bureaucracy - not lengthen it - which is important for those of us living outside the US. He is also very open to free trade with China, whereas Senator Obama is a protectionist and wants to keep jobs in America. Senator Obama has looked at the failures of the George W. Bush administration and decided we need more government. He thinks we need more than 14.6 million people working for it to avoid a repeat.
Senator McCain, on the other hand, understands a ballooning government has been part of the problem, and wants to cut the burden of higher taxes and unnecessary government intervention in the lives of US citizens.
Meanwhile, Senator Obama seems to have very little respect for the supreme law of the United States. His short three years in the Senate were spent eroding our civil liberties, and his revisionist view of the Second Amendment effectively shreds the very premise of the right to bear arms.
Nicholas Gordan, 17, South Island School (Democrat) :