Before We Argue.....

...that Obama is a socialist, please observe the reality we live in.

• Social security is a "socialist program" and a redistribution of wealth - with every paycheck I've made since the age of 16 or 17, there has been that portion that comes out of my check under the label "social security." I pay it. It's part of life. I've been conditioned to it. However, I pay into a system I will never be able to participate in. Alas, it's a redistribution of wealth, for the greater good. I don't hear too many people calling FDR a socialist
• Economic Stimulus Package, another "socialist program." Redistributing the wealth, but alas, that was for the greater good as well. (Side note: I didn't get a check...thanks government)
• The Federal Government's recent bailout, another "socialist action." If you believe in free-market capitalism, let the market crash. Let everyone lose everything. The market will recover on its own. Alas, we don't necessarily believe in that when it comes down to as individuals losing everything. We're not lazy. It's those lazy, freeloaders who don't deserve help. Me, I'm living the American dream.....so federal government, please protect me.
• We are still the only industrialized country that doesn't have a socialized health care program. And before you make the lame-duck argument citing Canadians having a poor health care system and that they'd rather have our system, my uncle, a Canadian, has specifically told me that he wouldn't trade his free health care for anything. Alas, people throughout the U.S. are forced to foreclose on their homes because they've taken out a second mortgage on their homes to fund their health care costs. But you know, that's part of the American dream right? Losing your home to pay for overly inflated medical costs. Awesome. I'm looking forward to that.

The Obama-Biden plan provides affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing healthcare system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan. (link)


Regardless, neither candidate is all they are cracked up to be. I find myself being less and less excited about either one, and more and more disgusted with the current state of Democrat vs. Republican politics. Particularly the supporters of either side who wish to impose their will and their thoughts upon me. We are a society founded on discourse, and to some extent it's a great thing to talk about politics. But please: Everyone stop using fear tactics. During Bush's tenure I consistently heard about him "rewriting the Constitution." Then, most recently, my dad said he's worried about Obama rewriting the Constitution. So let's talk about fear tactics

I've seen the emails and other publications roaming around about Obama being a Muslim or dressed in Muslim attire. So if someone wears a Japanese robe while visiting Japan, do we now claim they are Japanese? While the notion seems utterly ridiculous, it's analogous to the photos circulating and the notions that ignorant Americans continue to circulate. If you don't like a candidate, talk about the political reasons you don't like the candidate. But don't use fear tactics and falsehoods to attack them. Most recently, a poll revealed that TWENTY-THREE PERCENT of Texans think Obama is Muslim. Gee, that's a real head-scratcher....

Second, Obama isn't going to re-write the Constitution. Only Congress has that power. And it takes 2/3 of them. Now, others are going to cite that having a Democratic controlled Congress AND Presidency is a dangerous thing. First of all, we have a system of checks and balances. And because politics are truly local, unanimity isn't something that will consistently occur. Why? Because every House member and Senator has to count on their constituency for reelection. So although Obama may layout his policies, it still takes a Congress to pass the legislation. Thus, if their constituents don't support the policy, a House member or Senator will not vote for that issue because it could jeopardize their political aspirations. And lets not forget how many times the Republican controlled Congress bucked Bush's policies when it was a Republican Congress and a Republican presidency. The Constitution reflects the brilliance of the Founding Fathers. Checks and Balances and the electoral process are here to protect us. If you think the Constitution is eroding, I encourage you to go and study it yourself rather than repeating the notions you hear from political pundits. It will make a lot more sense and will make you feel a new-found respect for the Constitution and what it is to be an American.

I'll leave you with this:

Overall, the Obama plan would lower effective marginal tax rates for the majority of households. In 2009, only about 1 in 7 households would see an increase in their marginal rate. Only at the top of the income distribution—households making at least $500,000 a year—would a majority of taxpayers face higher rates. Obama’s plan would leave the average marginal rate on wages and salaries for the economy as a whole unchanged at 24 percent in 2009. In that same year, close to 80 percent of the population would see no change in their marginal rates under Senator McCain’s plan and most other tax units would face lower rates; only about 1 percent of households would experience a marginal rate increase under the fully phased in McCain plan. Overall, Senator McCain’s plan would reduce the average marginal tax rate on wages and salaries by about 1 percentage point, to 23 percent in 2009.
Senator Obama’s proposal would result in an average marginal tax rate of 25 percent on wages and salaries in 2012, lower than under current law but higher than if the tax cuts are extended. Because Obama would leave the top two statutory rates at 36 and 39.6 percent and reinstate PEP and Pease, taxpayers with more than $1 million in income would face an average marginal rate of 40 percent, 6 percentage points higher than under the McCain plan. Overall, because it would extend all of the individual income tax components of the 2001–06 cuts and increase the dependent exemption, the McCain plan would lower the average EMTR for all households slightly relative to a tax cuts extended baseline and significantly compared with current law.

Tax Center

AND, as a bonus, in light of the seriousness of this entry, please see this for a laugh. It's my new shirt.