Money Talks Still In Politics

Yesterday Barack Obama said that he was no longer going to seek public money for the campaign. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/19/obama.public.financing/index.html Awesome, right? He won't take the public's money. Or, is it a good thing? Didn't he make a promise to do so a few months ago? Now, he has given this a great spin by saying the money he is seeking is from private individuals who give $5, $10, $25 dollars and he needs to raise as much as he can from them to beat the evil Republicans. Public money just is not enough to beat back the Republican machine, he needs as much as possible to CHANGE America. Now, if 1,000,000 people gave $25, how much would that be? Right $3,000 er...I mean $25,000,000. Obama though has raised 272 million dollars since January. NEWS FLASH: All of this money isn't coming from people giving $25!!!

I am going to throw Obama a bone here and agree that sometimes you have to work within "the system" to change the system. In fact, I think it's mandatory. That is one reason I think it is silly when politicians say they aren't going to work with the evil lobbyist, and then have to fire their entire campaign staff the next day. It's just stupid, but I will save the lobbying debate for another day. Obama is right that sometimes you have to perform the same old tricks to win in order to make the changes desired. However, where he went wrong is he made a PROMISE to only use public money by working with his Republican counterpart to form an agreement, so neither candidate would be at a disadvantage. If McCain said no, Obama was within his promise to NOT accept public money and get it from supporters, instead. This would ensure that private interests did not affect the candidates if both candidates accepted the agreement. Very noble of Obama. Instead, though, Obama did not seek an agreement with McCain (who probably wouldn't mind public fundraising right now, since the Republicans are having trouble raising money) and went right past GO to collect as much money as he could from private individuals and companies (yes folks, let's not be naive, companies too).

Obama's entire message is about CHANGE. Many don't really know what this change is, but they know they want it. I probably can describe it most simply as people are tired of how politics works in this country. Where politicians care more about gamesmanship and building up power within a political party, than actually making some tough decisions that will piss off your supporters and your enemies in order to fix the country. Obama has showed he does not represent this change. I can hardly blame him, since almost no politician actually represents this type of change. It's nearly impossible, especially since you have to work within the system first to then change it later (and piss off many, ruining chances for reelection). But, Obama goes around preaching that he is better than all the other politicians, that he really is this savior, that he runs a clean campaign.

Unfortunately, all I have noticed in this campaign by both parties is politics as usual. The same tricks, the same distorting of the truth, the same backpedaling when a promise made six months ago no longer seems attractive...or while it's the right thing to do....it may cost you the election. This is the point when every politician starts to see the gold at the end of the rainbow. They imagine themselves in the White House, moving in the new furniture, calling the shots. They imagine all the good and change they will do. Then they say, no matter what the cost, do whatever it takes to win. Who can blame them? I just don't like when a politician comes out and won't admit what he or she is really doing...or worse, try to claim they are DIFFERENT, grabs the hearts of so many in the country, and then uses the same bag of political tricks.

If Obama is going to say he is about CHANGE and makes promises to do something...I expect him to keep them. If he turns the other way because it's EASIER or it gives him a better chance to WIN...then he is like the rest of them...and his message is one big LIE. Surprise!

(Editor's note: I will attack McCain one of these days...but Obama is just giving me too much material)

401k.gov

So, Obama now wants the Federal Government to start giving money to low income and middle class worker's 401ks http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/16/news/economy/retirement_savings/index.htm?cnn=yes. Sounds wonderful, right? The Government should help out the people who cannot afford this easily on their own. GOOOO OBAMA! But wait...where does Congress get all this fun play money to put into 401ks? From YOU! This plan of giving 500 hundred dollars to people making under 75k would cost the government nearly 20 billion dollars a year. I don't know about you, but Obama is finding a lot of ways to spend more federal dollars, more of your tax dollars...when we already had a HUGE deficit and he says he will balance the budget. How can this happen? HUGE HUGE HUGE tax increase!!

In case you are keeping score, Obama wants to have a excessive profits tax on Oil Companies. Of course, their profit margins are not huge at all, they just have a lot of revenue and a lot of costs, but Obama and his tax police will tax them more anyways. Then, Obama wants to federalize health care. We all know how smoothly things go once federalized (see TSA). Now, Obama wants to take more money out of your paycheck and redistribute it to the less wealthy. Some of you may be in the category that would get this 500 FREE dollars...but it comes at a price. Taxes will go up, meaning it's not truly 500 dollars you are getting for FREE. You are being forced to pay for it. Wouldn't you rather the federal government, who has a long history of mismanaging money, no matter what party controls Congress or the White House, give back more of those dollars to state and local government....oh and to you? Do you really need Uncle Sam stealing money from other people (including you) to redistribute the wealth. It sounds great until you are the person Sammy boy is beating over the head to take your money.

While Obama has good intentions, he is showing how truly liberal he is, now. What a disappointment. I really liked him in the beginning, but maybe Hillary was right (I can't believe I just said that). And, maybe Hillary should have been the democratic candidate (I just threw up a little in my mouth). Billary at least did not drastically increase taxes and last time those two were in the White House, they ran a very moderate administration. Obama will have us all paying through the ears in taxes and then let the mismanaged Feds redistribute the wealth when they get around to it.

Americans do have a problem saving. They learn from Big Brother himself when it comes to spending money and saving. We need to figure out ways to get people to save more, or else there will be a huge crisis when retirement comes, if it ever comes for Generation X, Y, Z or whatever they are all called now. One idea is to have automatic enrollment into the company's 401k plan, forcing people to save. If you think that is too Big Brother, don't worry...most of these ideas come with an opt out escape pod, so no one is actually forced to do anything. But, when the money is taken out at the same time as taxes, and you don't get used to having it...more people save it.

While Americans may need some help saving, they surely do not need Obama and his government tax police stealing money from Americans to give it to people he deems as more deserving. I spent a lot of money going to college to make what I do today. I don't appreciate Obama saying I don't deserve every penny I earn, or that Tom, who dropped out of high school and has never held a real job, is more deserving of my money. Whether we are blue collar or white collar, we all work hard every day. We deserve to keep the money we earn. Imagine if a president were elected that said, I am going to tax the middle class heavily, so I can cut taxes for the rich and give them more of the middle class worker's money. People would revolt and overthrow the government. Well, why should we be able to do the same to "wealthy" people? Didn't they earn the money the same as those in the middle class? Isn't it still their money? Every day I become more disappointed with Obama. I just hope people really research what he is saying and what it will do to this country.

Obama = Socialism?

So, whenever I hear Obama talk, I want to stand up and cheer and say bring back the 1960s and Camelot. I BELIEVE he is going to change things. How is he going to change them...I don't know, but it sounds good. I guess less fighting? I think to myself, finally a President who sounds intelligent when he talks. Then I slap myself and listen to what he is actually saying. I quickly realize that he is brainwashing me and so many other Americans into accepting something that is wrong, untrue, or simply will not work in America. I look around and see everyone buying into it. I instantly feel like I'm in some Stanley Kubrick movie and cannot get out.

Today, Obama told a crowd in North Carolina that when he is elected, he would tax the oil company's for their windfall profits. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSWAT00963020080609?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true The crowd cheered. Yeah, that sounds good in theory, right? They make so much, and gas is so expensive, we should blame the oil companies for stealing money from our pockets. Maybe the oil companies should have invested more on oil research over the years. Or, maybe oil was so cheap the past fifteen or twenty years, that they didn't have the profits to invest...until now. Unfortunately, investing takes time. While it hurts being addicted to oil like crack, taxing windfall profits will not cure the addiction, like taxing heroin will not suddenly cure drug addicts. Instead you will only hand money over to the government, to waste in some pork barrel earmark for a bridge to nowhere.

The only way things will get better with oil in the LONG TERM, is by developing alternatives. This can ONLY happen when oil is expensive, forcing people to change habits and creating potential profits for other businesses to develop anything cheaper than oil to run a car. It will hurt for a while, possibly a long while, but eventually things will change. To help relieve the pain, Americans should buy smaller more fuel efficient cars, move closer to where they work, take fewer trips, and walk/ride bikes more (also solving the obesity problem). TAXING people who are legally making money does nothing but give politicians in Washington more money to waste. It will not create lower gas prices, but instead raise them. HOW, you might ask? Because then the oil companies have LESS profits to reinvest. LESS profits to find more oil. LESS profits to develop alternative fuels. Instead they will KEEP their profits up to the "windfall" tax and tell the American Government to go f-off and good luck finding the solutions to high gas prices. The oil TAX will not go to developing alternative fuels just like social security taxes don't go to social security.

It always sounds great when someone running for office says...I am going to give you more money for free, increase services for free, free lap dances for single men, free cars, free education, free free free. NOTHING is free. It comes at someones expense. While its easy to say, TAX THE RICH and demonize the rich...ever sit back and ask is that fair? What have rich people ever done to you, except give you a job and your paychecks? If you go out and work hard to make a living, is it fair for someone else to come and say "I make less than you doing my job, so you need to give me some of your money that you worked hard for"? Most people that are RICH worked very hard to get to that point. The men and women who work for oil companies, that work in the oil industry work very hard, whether they are blue collar or white collar. The men and women who invest in these companies, who risk their own hard earned money, many of it in retirement 401ks, so we can have gas to fill up or tanks...they deserve a return on their investment...a return on their risk. They deserve to retire. They DO NOT deserve Obama coming in, stealing their money and giving it to BIG Government.

Obama's slogans always involve change. There is no real change in his ideas, though. He just wants to change the presidency from a so called "conservative" President to a "liberal" President. Well, I believe in hard work and getting paid for doing the hard work...not government hand outs and not government stealing from my own pockets. It appears that Obama's talk of change are lies at worst, misleading at best. His "changes" will just make Congress and politics more partisan. Let's hope he finds his way to the center fast! Otherwise, this election will be easy.

Things are Heating Up

No, I am not talking about Global Warming, folks. Unless you somehow have been away from a television set for the past 24 hours, Obama the Savior clinched the Democratic nomination.* (*Hillary of course disputes this). Several months ago I said that I wanted it to be an Obama vs. McCain showdown for November. Obviously the voters listened to me. I should be happy, right? Jumping off couches like Tom Cruise, maybe? Well, if Obama thought it was tough fighting Hillary in the Democratic Primary, things are about to get a lot hotter. Enter the Republican Machine and the swift boats!!

What I realized last night, though, is that I don't know a lot of the substance of these two candidates, especially Obama. I especially liked Obama's "change" message and McCain's "maverick" approach. But, have I just been caught up in the political spin cycle and believe those terms apply? To get a good look at how they differ, it will take time http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/04/news/economy/mccain_obama_econplans/index.htm?postversion=2008060412, but I have found some basics. McCain is pro military, pro staying in Iraq, pro limited government and pro low taxes. Obama is pro getting out of Iraq, pro government entitlements, pro government controlling everything and pro raising taxes. Weren't people getting sick and tired of the Republicans telling us how to live our lives and spending all our money? Well, now we may get Democrats who are going to do the same thing, but instead take more of our money to do it.

I haven't decided who I am voting for yet. Youth vs. Old timer, Change vs. Same, Experience vs. No Clue, Big Government vs. Limited Government. There are pros and cons for both. But, in the end I want us done with the middle east, no longer dependent on foreign oil, less federal spending, block grants given to the state for necessary projects, no more earmarks, less government entitlements, better health care (not run by Uncle Same), better retirement possibilities, more individual responsibility and less government intrusion in my life. Who will give me this? Seriously, who? I think we may need a third candidate. The Political Pig, perhaps?