The Way I See ItBy cj pollickJuly 4th – Once again, to the delight of thousands of folks, the fireworks display presented by the city of Clearwater was spectacular! Tourists Are Commenting – Tourists are very impressed with the new Beach Walk development. Many positive accolades are overheard as tourists and part-time residents drive down Beach Walk. Belleair Beach City Hall – The current projected cost is a whopping $3,519,100. Funds on hand for the development are $3,370,000. A budget meeting will be held 4 p.m., July 28. Who Can Best Help Our Nation's Economy - American business owners and taxpayers need help. The tax code in America is stiflying American business and hurting American workers. Can the tax ideas of Sen. Obama help solve the crisis? Yes, if you believe increasing taxes on businesses and taxpayers will help develop a bigger US federal government that will arguably help solve America's economic problems. Can the tax ideas of Sen. McCain help solve the economic crisis? Yes, if you believe lower taxes on workers and businesses will help spur new ideas and economic growth. Two different tax and spend ideas from the presidential candidates. Higher taxes or lower taxes, you will decide in November. Capital gains tax rate? Obama says it should be increased over the current 15 percent, McCain says it should be lowered. Would you invest money in equity markets if the possible gain on investments is taxed at 52 percent? Gen. Wesley Clark Plays Politics -- Former Democrat presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark, in his quest to put partisan politics over military tradition, put his foot in his mouth when commenting about Sen. John McCain's prior fighter pilot (and POW) military experience last week. Gen. Clark, a supporter of Sen. Obama, was also caught by a reporter flip-flopping on prior comments he made regarding military experience as a good quality for presidential candidates. When supporting Sen. John Kerry, when he ran for president, Gen. Clark said Kerry "heard the thump of enemy mortars ..." as a sign of positive experience to be top Commander of U.S. military in times of war. The reporter continued to say, " Now it seems you are changing your tune when it comes to the merits of military service." Of course, Gen. Clark tried to answer the reporter's question while not appearing as a biased opponent of Republican candidate Sen. John McCain (who had proudly served his country during the Vietnam War and was a POW.) Former top military officers playing partisan politics? Most retired top military officers try to avoid such activities, some, like Gen. Clark, do not. White Collar Steroids? - Drugs to help students and executives better compete in demanding positions have been on the market for years. Some of the drugs abused by some students and executives are known as Ritalin and Provigil, according to recent news reports. Ritalin is known as a brain enhancer (concentration) and Provigil is known for sleep reduction. When used correctly, these drugs help many people address certain medical conditions in positive ways. However, when used as "white collar steroids" they can have detrimental qualities. Cephalon, a large biopharmaceutical company was reported to have settled a case with the US government for abuses of Provigil to the tune of $425 million. Interestingly, about 20 percent of scientists and academics admitted use of these drugs, according to a national poll. The reason? To better compete with foreign scientists and executives that use such drug enhancements. The Way I See It, if Congress is going to address drug abuse in sports, it should also address drug abuse in business and technology. The Winner Needs 227 Electoral Votes - If you follow what experts in Washington are saying about the upcoming presidential election you might get lost in all the political bias. Of course, the same is true about most news sources that reflect their political bias most every day on television and in the newspaper. Here is the current state of the presidential election according to Electoral Votes needed to win the White House: McCain has about 227 Electoral Votes when looking at states likely to vote Republican. Obama has about 200 Electoral Votes from states predicted to vote Democratic. The winner, however, needs to win votes in states that are being referred to as "toss-up" states. What are those states? New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and New Hampshire. The good and bad news for each candidate regarding those “toss-up” states? Sen. Obama looks good in New Mexico, Nevada, and possibly Wisconsin. Sen. McCain looks good in Ohio, Michigan, Virginia and Iowa. New Hampshire does not have enough electoral votes to help swing any loss of an important state, such as Ohio. Bottom line? Look for a lot of campaign spending in those "toss-up" states. |