ElectionTaxes.com is a website that compares McCain’s tax plan to Obama’s and allows each voter to see an estimate of what their net taxes will be under each plan.
My net taxes are lower under Obama’s plan. So much for the claims of McCain and the Republican Party that Obama is going to tax us to economic ruin.
Ok, first and foremost is the economy. I am just absolutely amazed at the Republican hypocrisy here.In 2005 Bush and the Republicans took a “firm stand” on people they felt abused the bankruptcy laws. Congress passed reform that would force more Chapter 13 bankruptcies by requiring a means test to see if one was eligible for a chapter 7 bankruptcy. The law would also allow creditors to appeal lost debts that would not have been allowed under the old Chapter 13 rules. Bush and the Republicans felt that more regulation was needed to protect these companies.So now fast forward to the current economic crisis. We have irresponsible companies making irresponsible decisions that threaten our economy. What is the Bush response? Well, if Bush and Republicans would be consistent, they would also be pushing for more regulation right? NOPE! They just hand money over to the companies making those bad decisions.McCain and Republicans have been yelling and screaming about deregulation as a solution for years. So are we to believe that leopards change their spots? Or are we to believe that John McCain is just changing what he says to the public in order to win? I choose the latter.While the Republicans push for stricter measures for individuals who declare bankruptcy, they support less strict regulation on companies and are willing to give them our tax dollars? It is sheer hypocrisy. If individuals need stricter regulations to try and keep them from making bad decisions and then using bankruptcy as a safety net, then shouldn’t companies run by those same individuals need stricter regulations as well?
And I am not for a second going to say that we should just allow our markets to collapse. However, when government steps in it should not just be with a wheelbarrow filled with cash (nearly a trillion dollars). Government should take over the payroll and human resources departments of these companies. They should reduce unneeded salaries, cut the strings on golden parachutes, prosecute those who get millions of dollars while driving their companies into the ground, and hire new decisions makers, chosen by a bipartisan panel of some sort, to fix where the company has gone wrong.And if the share of the average taxpayer of the bailout is going to be 7 thousand dollars, then perhaps those companies should help the taxpayers out by eliminating 7 thousand dollars on the debt of those taxpayers. Maybe not right away, but that should be where the repayment of the funds go, not back to the government so they can spend it on their pet projects, but back to the checking accounts of the men and women who bailed them out in the first place. Because that is what really happened, you and me are bailing them out and WE, not government, should see a return on OUR investment.
(Another thing I find ironic is that Republicans cry socialism all the time. However, the definition of socialism is basically government taking over the means of production. So didn’t Bush do that with AIG? People are calling it “corporate socialism” but in reality it is socialism at its purist form.)
Now, John McCain is wanting to play the part of “Superman” as he tries to “save the day” by “suspending his campaign” to return to Washington and try and tackle this mess. But the campaign isn’t really suspended now is it? Commercials are still running, Palin and his staff are still out there pushing the John McCain agenda, and all that has happened is that McCain is campaigning in
WashingtonD.C. instead of the rest of the country. And McCain, who supposedly was trying to take the politics out of this, has basically returned the politics to the mess. After the candidates come back to D.C., the “deal” stalled and the Republicans pulled out and have NOW suggested another “plan”. It does not seem that McCain has had any positive effect on these talks as of yet.John McCain wanted to postpone the debate. However, Barack Obama rightly commented that a President should be able to multitask and handle several things at once. This is exactly what Barack Obama needed to do! Framing debates to their point of view has been the Republican strategy (and advantage) for the last 8 years. What Barack Obama managed to do here is not only frame the argument around if the debate should be held to his own advantage, his statement is 100% correct. So he is doing the Republicans one better, not only is he framing the argument but he is doing so with the truth! If Barack Obama can continue to do that for the remaining time left in this election then he will have a much easier time winning.Finally, we need to talk about polling. Interesting polling results have come out showing Obama with near ties in several key states and turning several states that are thought to be “strong republican” as being closer contests than many anticipated. Louisiana has Obama only down by 7%. How can that be? Perhaps some Republican apathy on the part of Republicans (who didn’t vote for McCain in the primary and who consider McCain to be too liberal for them) and a possible strong showing of likely Democratic voters (especially when a main part of the Democratic base in Louisiana will come out in support of Obama, perhaps stronger than they have for any other candidate). So that at least makes Louisiana interesting (even though I still really don’t expect him to take Louisiana). However, the “likely voter” polls do not include new voters. And Barack Obama did a great job getting new voters registered and out to the primaries. That should be his strength in the general election and may cause many of the polls that come out closer to election day to underestimate Obama’s chances.I was initially concerned that Obama, by winning the states he “could not win in the general election” in order to win the primary, would be at a disadvantage. I have since come to the realization that Obama campaigned smart in the primary, that just means he will campaign smart in the general election as well. So before I was wrong, and I am very happy to admit it.
