Before You Cast That Ballot...

Follow Up to Didn't See That Coming... warning its a long one.

America, well she is in trouble.

She's a damsel in distress, looking for Superman to come and save the day. That "Superman" will be selected on November 4th, but who will she choose? Does she really know either of the applicants or their plans?

 

Oh she's heard the sound bits, the negative talk (from both sides) along with the finger pointing, but how about some old fashioned truth.

 

The truth is: Congress makes all of the laws and the president has to work with what is thrown his way.

 

The truth is: McCain’s plan really will tax your health care premiums, because instead of it being a pre taxed deduction, it will become a post tax deduction.

 

The truth is: That approximately 40% of the "uninsured" are not entitled to health care benefits because of their citizenship status.

 

The truth is: Obama's plan to raise taxes will eventually hurt the middle class. People like Warren Buffet; do not pay taxes because of their extensive tax shelters. Corporations recoup losses by raising prices on goods and services or worse, eliminating jobs.

 

The truth is: If you live in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, or Washington DC, $250,000 really isn't a whole lot of money.

 

The truth is: Being a governor is structurally closer to being a president than a senator is, which is why only two senators have ever been elected to office in the past.

 

The truth is: Only nine times in the entire history of the presidency has a vice president succeeded to office, rather than being elected.

 

The truth is: Main Street is as much to blame as Wall Street for this economical mess. Nobody was complaining when they signed for their $400,000 home for a $1200 a month mortgage payment and people living off their credit cards, before the slide, certainly should have taken action way sooner than they did.

 

The truth is: Corporation boards determine compensation packages, not CEO's.

 

The truth is: Vouchers only work as long as the parents make up the difference in taxes. You can not have parents paying lower taxes for one school district and then allow their children to go to a school in a higher paying district. It only works if everyone pays the same.

 

The truth is: In the long run, a supermajority government is rarely good for the American people.

 

The truth is: A government of the people, by the people and for the people, has to be voted in. As a citizen, you can not abstain and then later complain. You also need to do your due diligence and read the platforms and not rely on the media for your information. Voting is the cornerstone to democracy and ultimately, to remaining a free country.

 

Here are some other facts to ponder:

 

Obama has been criticised for his lack of foreign policy, so as vice president, Joe Biden is going to fill that gap. Isn't that what we have now?

 

It is estimated that the Iraq War will cost tax payers around 400 billion, however, since 1996  tax payers have footed the bill for services to undocumented workers at a whopping 397 billion ( not including incarceration costs or deportation) and another 550 billion for immigrants who come to the USA at poverty level and are immediately placed on welfare.

 

In 1999, congress repelled the Glass-Stegall Act and the Bank Holding Company Act, paving the way for "supermarket" financial institutions.  Both Pelosi and Biden voted yes, McCain voted abstained, which is the same as voting no.

 

Americans have paid fewer taxes in the past eight years, and then they did the previous eight years.

 

Here are some other items "we the people" have footed the bill for:

 

2001  9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon  ( The government bails out the airlines to keep from massive lawsuits placed against them and keep the economy going.)

 

2002 Half of Arizona on fire because of two idiots. Worst forest fire in US history and has to be declared a disaster.

 

2004  Charly and Ivan

 

2005 Katrina and her sister Rita

 

2008 Ike

 

How about this:

 

We create a government health care plan that small business can buy into. Some insurance agencies allow SB's to group together and get health plans that way, but there are not enough of them. Problem solved for small business owners and the uninsured.

 

We stop immigration of the world's poor for ten years. It takes ten years ( and this based on young adults, not elder or children) to become a productive member of the community. When we said “Give us your poor" I don't think it meant that Americans will pay you to come live here. This includes bringing students from other countries to go to college here ( and I mean all countries). Let them get their basic higher education elsewhere.

 

Americans want cheap costing products, (just look at "manufactured in" label next time you are at Wally Mart), so you need cheap labor to produce them. If you want the jobs to stay here, you need to be willing to pay a higher cost for products. Same thing with the environment. Do we really think China is going to place restrictions on their plants when we import so many items from them? Buy American.

 

Most of the jobs going overseas are technology jobs, so matter what the penalty the government will impose, it will be worth it. America needs to incent companies to keep jobs here.

 

If we are to have a voucher system, then it should be for children with special needs and autism spectrum children would be included from EVERY state (some states do not recognize autism as a disability). This will free up money the schools have to spend on "No child left behind", get those children into schools where they can really learn and fulfill the mantra that every child is entitled to a free education. While we are at it, create a national achievement test and abolish all state tests. This will ensure that every state is on the same playing field.

 

Finally, Americans need to get real about petroleum. American adults produce 4.61 pounds of trash a day, however only 45% of recycled items stay out of the landfills. Landfills have a "liner" placed at the bottom. This ensures our drinking water is less contaminated, but that also means that natural decomposition process can not occur. Our trash becomes petrified. Americans need to get off disposable plastic, like bags and water bottles. It takes millions of gallons of petroleum to produce them. If the government wants to reduce our dependency on forgiven oil, how about posing a tax on disposable plastic to companies like big box stores grocery stores and alike. They, in turn, will start charging extra for bags or the consumer can buy reusable ones. They hold more anyway. There could be a redemption program much like there is for glass and soda cans. Imagine that, clean up the environment, and reduce oil usage all at the same time.

 

 

 

Author's Note

Say what you like... I implore everyone to go out and vote, however you choose.

Reviews

[Chillbear Latrigue]

Okay, not I think I'm in love. I wish I had written this. That is the highest compliment that I can pay to another writer. I think that you hit every nail on the head. I would disagree that abstaining from a vote is the same as a "no." If you're against a bill, go on record. Plus in a close vote, which I don't know that it was, abstaining does not counter another vote. This was intelligent and assertive without coming across as angry.

[Mark Pearce]

J. C. --

My Gosh, you put yourself out there on this one.

As for your interpretation of Congress really being the ones in charge...well, it's been pretty well controlled by the respective party apparatus' over the past fifteen years which has short-circuited the envisioned "checks and balance" function that we would hope to see in federal government. Will Congress take the legislative lead again? Stand for their constituencies rather than for the party apparatus? I don't know.

What we have had running the country of late is a rampant philosophy to destroy the power of government. It's at times like these, when government intervention is so necessary to help contain the damages caused by market excess, that the whole simplistic plan is laid bare.

Like the people it is derived from...Government is good/Government is bad. Strictly adhering to a philosophy that assumes that government is ALWAYS good or that government is ALWAYS bad is not only foolish, it is destructive. Hopefully we're past that kind of simplistic thinking.

My two cents.

Thanks for having the courage to put so much out there to respond to.

[G]

I am reading this late. I never thought abouyt the cost of plastic and its relationship to oil. Thanks. At least you posed a solution to many people complain v but don't have a plan. I did vote

[The DuchessPoet]

The truth is we need leadership that matters and a congress that respects and is ultimately influenced by their leader...
I didn't, unlike popular ignorant thought, vote for for Obama because he's Black...
I wouldn't for example vote for Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton... Actually if I had to choose between them and the McCain Palin ticket (the Dan Quail) of 2008 then I won't vote! LOL

I don't know if Obama is the person that can lead but he certainly is worth the chance...
How did such an intelligent and progressive country allow someone who says "so what" to a question about why shoes were thrown at him in a country that he claims to protect...
I truly thought that Dan quail was the dumbest until Bush and the latest disaster Palin!
I don't have the intellectual perspective on politics that you do but I do have common sense!

Good Write on some interesting topics!

[Wildfleour]

I so completely agree with you. Most people forget that Congress is in control.

It's a big ole mess.