The Way I See ItBy cj pollickGo Rays – How exciting to have the Rays in the Tampa Bay area! Playoff games are sold out. U.S. Government Bailout - According to a recent news report, about 80% of American voters would vote against every current politician in Washington. The message? Kick-out the old and elect a new Congress (with new ideas.) However, the same report stated that about 90% of the old politicians would end-up getting re-elected. Yes, we'll likely see Ted Kennedy, Chris Dodd, and a host of other Congressional old-timers on television after the November election. Generally speaking, many of the old-timers in Congress are running for re-election unopposed. Interestingly, it is the career politicians in Washington that were backing the largest U.S. government financial bailout in history, about 800 billion dollars. The federal bail-out plan was pushed through Congress by Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-NV.) and Nancy Pelosi (D- Cal.) Democrats and Republicans were sought by their political leaders to support the federal bail-out plan. In the Senate, it was a no-brainer, both political parties widely supported the plan. In the House, however, there were vocal objections, Representatives from both political parties objected to the bail-out. However, and at the end of the day, both political parties agreed to the federal bail-out and U.S. taxpayers will end-up paying the bill. Raw deal? Yes, if you ask the common working person. Why, they said, should hard-working Americans be asked to bail-out large banks and other financial mortgage companies because they made bad loans and other bad management decisions? Let the bad companies and all of their stockholders lose their funds first, said disgruntled taxpayers to elected officials. Ironically, it was the Democrats in leadership that led the charge to support a federal bail-out of 800 billion dollars, and the price tag of the bail-out might increase over time to 2 trillion dollars. Imagine the time it will take to repay all of that taxpayer money loaned to financial groups that grossly overpaid top executives! The Great American Bail-out? Yes, it stinks and most folks know it. Do You Earn $31,988? - According to recent IRS statistics, Americans that earn $31,988 in taxable income are in the top half of all U.S. taxpayers. If you have $153,543 in taxable income you are in the top 5% of all American taxpayers. The bottom 50% of taxpayers pay less than 3% of all U.S. income tax collections while the top 1% of U.S. taxpayers pay 40% of all U.S. tax collections. Folks who have $32,000 in taxable income don't feel like they are in the top half of all U.S. taxpayers, that is for sure. On the other hand, imagine being a part of the top 1% of individual taxpayers that pay over 40% of all tax collections in America. Does this sound like a tax system that needs fixed or what? Higher taxes? - In England, two of its largest insurance companies are planning to relocate offshore of England to avoid its high corporate taxes. Yes, and Barack Obama and Joe Biden want to increase corporate taxes in America. Where do they think those large U.S. corporations will go ... offshore? (Which would cost American jobs, tax revenues, etc., etc.) Just how bad is it in America? Some illegal Mexicans are headed back to Mexico (they can't find jobs.) Tuesday’s Town Hall Debate Was Boring, Lieberman Was Not – When the television commentator gets to choose what questions get asked during a debate, such as the debate between McCain and Obama, you saw the result – a boring, nothing new, television show. Many observers probably changed the channel to void total boredom. On the bright side, and in Clearwater, Sen. Joe Lieberman introduced Gov. Sarah Palin to a thunderous applause at Coachman Park. How did Joe introduce Palin? Lieberman said, “I came here as a Democrat, elected as an Independent endorsing the Republican ticket (John McCain) for President.” Sarah Palin And Joe Biden Debate - There are many of you folks who observed the televised debate between Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden last Thursday evening. And, of course, depending upon your political persuasion, you most likely thought one or the other candidate won the debate. On the other hand, if you read some of the articles and editorials written by so-called unbiased journalists, then you know they are indeed biased. The Way I See It, Gov. Sarah Palin won the debate. It was refreshing for many people to listen to someone who has not been part of the Washington political fabric the past four decades. Yes, and as far as the biased Katie Couric is concerned, Sarah was too nice to her. Palin could have said, "Katie, you are being paid tens of millions of dollars to ask questions for your liberal owners, what Supreme Court decision would you like to discuss?" What separates the candidates? 1. Taxes - Biden and Obama want to increase taxes, McCain and Palin want to lower taxes. Many financial experts have stated that any increase in taxes during this recession could lead the country into a depression. 2. National Security - Biden and Obama support leaving Iraq and sending more troops into Pakistan/Afganistan. McCain and Palin support winning the war in Iraq and moving to fight terrorists in Afganistan and Pakistan. 3. Change - Biden and Obama talk about change, but Joe Biden has been in office so long his voting record has fluctuated back and forth on many important issues. McCain has also been in office a long time, his voting record is much like Biden's. Obama has been labeled as the most liberal senator in elected office -- quite an honor if you are from San Francisco. Sarah Palin is a person of real change. She is the only candidate who has a record of making changes in government. Thus, if you seek a candidate who could bring change to Washington -- Sarah Palin is that candidate. She is the only candidate who brought change in government as the CEO. 4. Foreign Policy - Biden and Obama have stated they would meet with any world leader who desires to talk with the leader of America. No pre-conditions. McCain and Palin would only meet with terrorist leaders under certain pre-conditions. Thus, if terrorists would not agree with pre-conditions before meeting with the most powerful person in the world, there would not be a meeting. 5. Appointment of Judges - Biden and Obama would appoint judges who support the liberal political agenda. Biden made that point quite clear during the debate. McCain and Palin would appoint moderate and conservative judges. That issue is perhaps the most important judicial item the next president would address. Should our courts support the liberal or conservative political agenda? The next president will make that decision. 6. Total Control – If Obama and Biden win, the U.S. Congress and the Presidency would be under Democrat Party influence. If McCain and Palin win, the U.S. Congress would remain under Democrat Party influence, but not the Presidency. A sharing of power where both branches of the government would need to work together. (Something McCain has done and Obama has not.) 7. Healthcare – Obama wants to provide healthcare for every person in America, legal and illegal. McCain supports a tax credit of several thousand dollars to buy and form of healthcare a legal citizen desires. Where would Obama find the money to fund his healthcare plan? Increased taxes. Imagine a tax increase during a recession. The highest reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it. – John Ruskin |