member for 26 weeks 2 days
I've closely followed and participated in some of the recent threads regarding the candidates. Most of them focus on a single issue...Obama's history, Palin's stance on reproductive rights, etc.
I've been thinking about them and thought the time had come for me to lay out why I believe Obama is not just the wrong person for president, but the disastrously wrong person. In saying this, I don't believe John McCain is the right person, I think he's just less wrong than Obama.
Bear with me. I'll try to be cogent.
--Economics. For me, this is the overriding issue, eclipsing all others. For you people who make your stand on civil liberties, I believe that a strong economy affords us the ability to make progress in this area.
Please look back to the gains made in civil rights during the Depression. There were none. When survival is the issue, everything else goes by the board. It was only when Kennedy reduced taxes, allowing the economy to soar, did we begin to make progress in that arena.
Obama ignores the fundamental prescriptions for dealing with the economy in troubled times, prescriptions agreed to by economists of every stripe. He proposes increased income taxes, increased taxes on capital, increased taxes on social security, and increased corporate taxes.
He claims the income tax will affect only a narrow segment of society, those twenty percent of people who already pay the bulk of income taxes now. However, he is also proposing to let the Bush tax cuts expire. This will affect people making as little as $20,000.
United States corporations pay the second highest tax rates in the world. Only Japanese companies pay a higher tax. Japan has been in a recession for thirteen years and economists agree it is largely the result of these high taxes. Further, it is one of the primary reasons corporations leave the US. It's intuitive: if companies or people can do better elsewhere, they'll go there.
Please take a look at history. JFK reduced taxes ushering in an era of prosperity. Reagan cut them and we've enjoyed nearly three decades of uninterrupted prosperity. (Yes, there have been blips, but no prolonged recessions like the one we had under Jimmy Carter.)
And, please note that despite the recent turmoil caused by very specific and corrupt government interference in the marketplace, we haven't had a recession under Bush...despite 9/11 and despite the war.
We are standing on a cliff. With Obama at the helm, we're going to go off it.
--Make up of Government. Americans have traditionally given the executive branch to one party and the congressional branch to another. Do you really think that an unrestrained Obama-Pelosi-Reid triumvirate will be good for this country? I don't.
--Experience and leadership. Obama's resume is not impressive. Although he's been a community organizer, state legislator and senator, he's stood for no real issue, fought no real fights and gained no real ground for anyone. His multitude of "present" votes in the Illinois chamber speak for themselves. His positions today reflect those of the hard left.
--Class Warfare. Obama has shamelessly engaged in the us versus them, rich versus poor, worker versus owner rhetoric that has divided this country. Far from being a force for unity, he is the opposite. If elected, this philosophy of punishing the "rich" including the small businesses which generate seventy percent of all new jobs will begger us.
--Associations/Alligences. You know what they are. Jerimiah Wright. Father Pfleger. William Ayers. ACORN. Whether this is troublesome for you as it is for me, I think it speaks volumes about Obama that he lies or minimizes his association with them. It is inconceivable that he didn't know where Wright stands or was unaware of Ayers' background. And, if you do believe he honestly didn't know, what in the world does that say about his ability to see what's right in front of him?
If you're an Obama supporter, please think again. Look at his positions through the lens of economic policy and what those policies will mean to you. To your ability to change jobs, let alone find one. To what they're going to mean to your pay check. To your ability to provide extras for your family. Try to be objective. Take, if you can, Bush out of the equation. But for heaven's sake and your own, rethink it.
Thank you, Freda, for this platform.
Comments
Login or register to post a commentNorma thank you for such a
Norma thank you for such a great post! You are welcome.
Great Post!
XOXO,
Freda
Founder
www.AlphaWomen.com
"Those Who Say It Can't Be Done Need To Get Out Of The Way Of Those Who Are Doing It!"
It is a pleasure to read
intelligent comments. Norma's post is excellent. Whilst I believe that some of this information is drawn from certain negative media, I respect the fact it has come from someone who analyses information with a rational view. We do need to consider what is best for this country.
Many negative issues were raised about Obama early in the primaries and I gave them some credence as I so dearly wanted Hillary Clinton to be the next President.
However, Obama won the nomination and I needed to do my homework. I did and what I found was a man with the capacity to be a great servant leader. The world needs someone with vision, someone who will put country first and serve by leading.
Right now there is a terrible financial disaster out there and it confounds even the most talented and knowledgable economists and financiers in the world. Given this set of circumstances, the best leaders in the world may have to significantly re-examine their economic policies and make appropriate changes.
Whoever is elected will inherit this mess. It will take years to turn it around. I believe that Barack Obama has the propensity to be a thoughtful leader in these times. A leader for the 21st Century who has the knowledge from which to make decisions, the humility to know when to take advisement and the wisdom to know which is the better course of action.
I know he is not a Muslim and that such conjecture has arisen simply because of his name.
Time will prove us right or wrong. Unfortunately at this time there is no room to make a mistake.
Freda, this is a great forum. As I read about you and about the other posters I have to wonder, how many Alphawomen would have been better suited to the position of Vice President of this great nation?
Take care you wonderful women.
"Dreams are Food for the Soul, it is the Dream that keeps you alive!"
"And, please note that
"And, please note that despite the recent turmoil caused by very specific and corrupt government interference in the marketplace, we haven't had a recession under Bush...despite 9/11 and despite the war."
Are you saying that government interference is what caused this recent turmoil? It seems to me that the lack of government interference caused this turmoil, and their "too late too little effort" simply exacerbated it.
And when you say "We" have been enjoying prosperity since Reagan who do you mean? Because neither I or a majority of my friends/family can join you in that "We" category. From my vantage point there are many getting richer, and others of us who are either getting poorer, living paycheck to paycheck or relying heavily on credit just to get by (which we all know is coming to a screeching halt.) That doesn't sound like prosperity to me. It sounds like imbalance.
I will say that what bothers me about Obama is that he does want to spend a lot but never says where the money will come from or what things he will put on hold. McCain on the other hand keeps talking about a spending freeze on everything but defense spending !?!??
McCain suggested his "end to earmarks" as a way to save 6 billion dollars. Big Whoop. We spend over 500 billion dollars a year on defense and neither of the candidates have a problem with it. We can't keep living like this. We can't keep living a fear based, power hungry existence that allows us to justify that kind of spending. If we cut our defense budget in half we'd still surpass the amount spent on defense over any country on the planet by more than half. Why isn't anyone suggesting a cut in defense spending? Well, there are some candidates, but you'll never hear them because the partisan controlled media won't have it.
I wish Suzie Orman would do an assessment of the U.S. spending habits.
Could you imagine if an individual household paralleled the spending of the US government? Could you imagine spending almost half of your income on guns? That is what we are doing.
But how else are we going to "spread freedom and democracy" right?
But I digress.
"And, please note that despite the recent turmoil caused by very specific and corrupt government interference in the marketplace, we haven't had a recession under Bush...despite 9/11 and despite the war."
Shouldn't we have policies and systems that cushion such blows? Aren't there always going to be those "unexpecteds"? If an economy works so well, and lends itself to such prosperity for all, how could it be so vulnerable in the face of adversity?
"Speak not in the ears of a fool: for she will despise the wisdom of thy
words."
Proverbs 23:9
Dear BeautyMark- Yes, I'm
Dear BeautyMark-
Yes, I'm saying that government interference in the marketplace caused this turmoil. The executive branch and the Congress encouraged and mandated banks to make "subprime loans." The loans were sold willy nilly to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who then repackaged them into mortgage backed securities and sold them all over the world.
The Bush administration, at least since 2001, has urged some regulation of FM/FM. McCain backed legislation to regulate these two giants in 2005. The efforts were ignored or blocked by Congress unwilling to turn off the flood of mortgages.
Essentially, the government removed risk from the marketplace. So, yes, a corrupt government caused the mess which we are paying for.
As to your assertion that the rich get richer and that you live paycheck to paycheck. It's my understanding from your various posts that you are in your thirties, are in graduate school and have worked in a variety of community or church based organizations.
But it's also my understanding that this is your choice. Certainly, there are other jobs or careers you could have chosen that would "enrich" you, if that was your goal.
I also assume you took this career path with your eyes open. You're obviously too intelligent not to have considered what you would earn in these endeavors. BeautyMark, doing what you want to and then complaining about the ramifications isn't credible. It's like a nun surprised by a vow of poverty.
I don't try to defend McCain except as the lesser of two evils. And, I mean that literally.
In general, our country has been blessed by great men arriving on the scene at the precise moment they're needed most. I think especially of Lincoln and FDR here. Unfortunately, when I look at the political landscape I only see mediocrity.
Shame on me for thinking
Shame on me for thinking that an educated person doing good and needed work should get a living wage. What was I thinking??? Maybe I should just pack up my theology books and become a...what do I become??? A banker? A lawyer? A scientist? Maybe an astronaut!!! I hear they make good money!
To be honest Norma, I was hardly just talking just about me. I truly believe my situation is temporary because of the fact that I am still in grad school, and sadly there is great demand for counselors/pastors who specialize in psychological trauma, addiction, and abuse recovery-which is my specialty, so I don't think I'll have much of a problem finding work when I'm done.
From the sound of your reply to me though, It doesn't sound like you have much insight regarding what it takes for someone like me to get a masters degree. I work 52 hours a week, one full time job and one part time job. And I take two graduate level courses per quarter. It doesn't matter what field I chose, I'd be in the same position if I were in grad school. I think that what I have to do to get a masters degree, is inhumane. And contrary to what you think, this is not a choice for me. I do choose to be educated, but I do not choose to have to kill myself in order to get an education. But what are my options? If I have so many, I'd love to hear them.
I could choose to not go to grad school, but I hate to break it to you, there are not throngs of jobs out there waiting to be taken that pay much more than minimum wage, no matter how how smart you are. But really, I wasn't just talking about me.
I was really thinking about the myriad of friends I have who are graduating with Masters degrees in all different kinds of fields who have to hold down two jobs or more just to get by, not because they've taken some unspoken vow of poverty, but because there are no jobs.
I was thinking about the friends and family of mine who get hired for 37 hours a week instead of 40 so that employers don't have to pay health insurance for that person.
I was thinking about my father who lost his job as a draftsman 7 years ago only to find that NO ONE will hire an "old guy" because they can't afford to pay him what he is worth.
I was thinking about the female friend of mine who continues to get passed over for promotions at work and is then asked to train the men who get them.
I was thinking about my mother who worked as a bartender her whole life because that is all she knew how to do, and with two kids to feed, and a lifetime of experiences that made her believe she was stupid and worthless, going to school or "choosing" a better job wasn't really on her radar screen.
I think about my union organizer friends who have gotten arrested just to make a point that janitors who work full time should be able to keep food on the table and roofs over their heads.
Intelligent and/or skilled, capable people cannot find jobs that pay them what they are worth. This is the reality for many Americans. These are the stories that make me wonder who you mean by "we."
You know, I want to live in a world where Reaganomics works. But I don't. I'm not saying that there aren't people who do know that life, I'm just saying I don't know any personally. Maybe I'm too far down the pole for the trickle to reach down to me. Or maybe because I "choose" jobs that involve caring for people I should just expect to be poor. Call me a socialist, but I don't think that is right.
BeautyMark-- This is a
BeautyMark--
This is a beautiful and eloquent post. When you write about issues close to your heart, you're unmatched.
There are terrible inequities in our society. Of course there are.
But in a capitalist society, the marketplace puts the value on jobs. Janitors make less than lawyers. Bartenders make less than doctors. How else could we decide what a job is "worth?" Government? And, in such a society, how would we generate the wealth to pay people what they're "worth?"
Our society does have the compassion to try to cushion and improve lives through programs like welfare, jobless benefits, and job training. It may not be enough. And it may not always be the right solution, but the effort is there.
You're right. I may not have the insight to know what it takes to get through graduate school today. I did work part-time jobs when I earned my masters, but certainly not the hours you're working.
Our hardest economic struggle arrived when our oldest child received a diagnosis that required special schools, a variety of therapies and very expensive medicines at exactly the moment when both of us lost our jobs during the depression in the oil industry in the southwest. Because neither insurance or our previous income covered these needs, we started our own firm. But BeautyMark, it was tough for many years and to my shame, I sometimes resented the endless work. But at the other end, it was worth every minute because today he is a lovely man, truly my sweet darling.
I'm getting a little far afield here. Your passion does you such credit, although as you know I disagree with many of your conclusions. But we and, here I use the term broadly, need people--you--to remind us of other realities.
Thank you Norma, I
Thank you Norma, I appreciate every single word of your post.
Believe me I understand that the nature of supply and demand is what determines the pay scale of a job. And that is exactly why I struggle so much! I am not a strict anti-capitalist, but as you can probably understand, it is hard for me to be supportive of a system that shuts out people who don't have the right marketable skills or the right product to sell.
Capitalism to me, means that there are always going to be the haves and the have nots, and that will never sit well with me. I don't think Capitalism is evil, but I do think that Capitalism + American Individualism is what hurts this country. We tend to value looking out for numero uno.
My favorite example of an inspirational capitalist is the CEO and founder of Costco, Jim Sinegal. He is a prime example of how capitalism can work for the good of the people.
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/business/story?id=13627...
If more CEOs capped their own salaries like Sinegal does, relied on ethical business practices instead of advertising dollars, more people could be paid a reasonable wage. If course that kind of mentality doesn't work in all sectors, as in non-profit or government, but maybe having a decent living wage for more Americans would alleviate some of the need for government programs and non-profit services.
This reminds me of Gandhi's 7 deadly social sins:
"Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi, one of the most influential figures in modern social and political activism, considered these traits to be the most spiritually perilous to humanity."
* Wealth without Work
* Pleasure without Conscience
* Science without Humanity
* Knowledge without Character
* Politics without Principle
* Commerce without Morality
* Worship without Sacrifice
(And I would add Work without sufficient compensation)
"Speak not in the ears of a fool: for she will despise the wisdom of thy
words."
Proverbs 23:9
… cogent you are.
Norma, your post is like the transcript of my inner voice … only presented much more eloquently. I enjoy reading your well thought out posts … cogent you are.
I cannot vote for Obama because I strongly believe he will put my company out of business and subsequently put several members of my family and other wonderful employees into the unemployment line and the financial downfall that follows. Fortunately, if Obama is elected President, those who are still employed and paying even more taxes will take good care of us. On the other hand, each debate makes me less and less sure of McCain’s proposals for “change”.
Today, I spent a few hours researching the other candidates listed on my absentee ballot because, admittedly, I did not know much about them. I actually like one or two of them, but have yet to find anyone I can support 100%. Bush has lost most of his credibility as a leader as well as the ability to rally Americans … and we need to get him out of office ASAP. However, I wish we could go back and do a second round of primaries. Knowing what we know now, I wonder if our choices for President/Vice-President would be different.
I suspect that in your
I suspect that in your family business, payroll taxes, workmen's comp, social security taxes, state franchise and sales taxes, if applicable, are paid well before any member of your family sees a dime of income. And, if you're incorporated and not working on a DBA, that personal revenue is also taxed and your social security taxes twice as high as your workers.
While I don't wish to bemoan the point, the burden on business, especially small business, is egregious.
And, I agree about McCain's proposals. He's all over the place.
He's an incoherent candidate. In fact, I wonder whether part of the turn-off is our unwillingness to suffer through four more years of a president who can't complete a simple sentence, much less communicate a vision.
The Case Against Obama
Amen girl! You are right on... Obama is a phoney and it scares me to death to think of him as President. He has associated with many shady characters. He claims to plan on decreasing taxes for most Americans, yet he has never voted in this manner, ever! He has always been FAR LEFT and never has he reached over to the other side politically. He has been quoted to be completely against gun ownership, which is against the rule of law in our nation, but more recently says he is for gun ownership. At the onset of his campaign, he said he would immediately withdraw the troops, and now he said he would make a timeline (give the opponents that info by the way), and listen to the commanders on the grown. He has no foreign affairs experience and recently said he would travel the world, listen to orgnaizations all over the world and base his agenda on these findings! WHAT???! If this doesn't scare you, I can give you more!!!
What a confused
post. Most Americans do not earn in excess of $250,000. If a sole trade or small business owner turns over $250,000 that is still not placing taxable income within the scope of Obama's tax policy. Ayers and ACORN connections have now been clarified. The Ayers connection is tenuous at best.
cwood - your post is reflective of the robo-calls being made on behalf of the McCain campaign team. A desperate bid for sure.
What really scares me is the fact that Sarah Palin, so close to the Presidency if the aging McCain whos intellectual and physical capacities could fail him at any time, actually sleeps with someone who palled around with terrorists. Alaskan Independance!!
America and the world have been brought to their knees of late and it is vital that this huge and important economy is led by someone with youth and vigour as well as integrity, vision and the mindset of a servant leader.
That is not John McCain.
"Dreams are Food for the Soul, it is the Dream that keeps you alive!"
This sets it out more eloquently than I can....
"
On Friday, two dependable conservative organs backed Democrat Barack Obama for president.
First, Philadelphia talk radio host Michael Smerconish:
On his talk show on WPHT today, conservative Philadelphian Michael Smerconish endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Smerconish did so by reading a couple paragraphs from his pending op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"I've decided," he said. "My conclusion comes after reading the candidates' memoirs and campaign platforms, attending both party conventions, interviewing both men multiple times, and watching all primary and general election debates.
"John McCain is an honorable man who has served his country well. But he will not get my vote. For the first time since registering as a Republican 28 years ago, I'm voting for a Democrat for president.
"I may have been an appointee in the George H.W. Bush administration, and master of ceremonies for George W. Bush in 2004, but last Saturday I stood amidst the crowd at an Obama event in North Philadelphia," says the Republican.
Then the Chicago Tribune, a newspaper that has not endorsed a Democrat for president since it was founded in 1847, followed suit. From their editorial:
Many Americans say they're uneasy about Obama. He's pretty new to them.
We can provide some assurance. We have known Obama since he entered politics a dozen years ago. We have watched him, worked with him, argued with him as he rose from an effective state senator to an inspiring U.S. senator to the Democratic Party's nominee for president.
We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions. He is ready.
It may have seemed audacious for Obama to start his campaign in Springfield, invoking Lincoln. We think, given the opportunity to hold this nation's most powerful office, he will prove it wasn't so audacious after all. We are proud to add Barack Obama's name to Lincoln's in the list of people the Tribune has endorsed for president of the United States."
"Dreams are Food for the Soul, it is the Dream that keeps you alive!"