Financial Crisis

So, we've elected a new president, but there's still that pesky 800 lb gorilla to deal with. The "Financial Crisis" (cue dramatic music). Our last (and, unfortunately, current) president has built a legacy of "fixer-upers." A failed war in the middle east (it's failed in that we're out a lot of money and still haven't achieved victory), failed foreign policy on nearly all fronts, failed domestic policy, sky-high unemployment, "astronomical" deficits (both national- and annual-budget-) and now a stock market and overall economy melting like the proverbial wicked witch. Regardless of whether the "best man" won this year's election (or whether either of them has/had the ability to be "one of the greats") or not, the real star of the show is the economy.

Even if Barack Obama can fix it, he still has to deal with a war on two fronts, one of which we never should have started. Of course, we all want the war in Iraq to end, yet the "band-aid" approach (pull out quick) will likely end us in a worse situation than the one we started in. Of course, finding a practical solution to Iraq won't be the end of the repairs.

After the financial crisis and Iraq war, our health care system is in dire need of reform. Socializing health care may make Americans happy (I'd be happy), but it may also come at a price. Thomas Jefferson said "a government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take away everything you have." So, government health coverage may help us out, but it also puts another aspect of our lives in the government's hands. The problem? What happens if the government decides to take it away? Or hold it hostage? If that's our only way to get health care, we may be willing to make sacrifices we normally wouldn't to keep it. This will be a tricky issue...

Social security? Medicare? What's going to happen to us when we get old? Are they both broken, or do we just want to fix them both.

Immigration? This one's an easy fix, though no one seems to be acknowledging it. MAKE EVERYONE (more or less) LEGAL! Seriously, we don't seem to have very effective methods for keeping them out, so they'll be here anyways. If they're "legal," we can document them (get a good count), tax them (quit complaining about them living off the system for free) and increase the punishments for being here illegal, since it's so easy to get in. This would increase ta revenue, help us monitor who's coming in and keep the Latin American community happy. Problem solved.

All of these things barely scratch the surface in regards to the problems the current administration has created, and all of it needs to be repaired before Barack Obama can even begin making this country "better." Good lord, what have we let our government do to us?

PS-We have a crap load of debt that needs to be paid off before we can call our economy and security "fixed." So much for "fiscal conservatism."

Barack Obama: President Elect

It's official. Barack Obama has been announced the president elect of the United States of America. This is a huge win for the middle class (aka most of us), and is the true beginning of the change we need to get our nation back in line with the rest of the modern world.

John McCain's supporters are still 'booing' the results, giving the lie to their 'middle-road' claims. This is okay. I truely believe that we are about to witness one of the greatest turn-arounds in American history, and in the end we'll be left with one of the most popular presidents in history.

The next few days will be crucial, revealing our ability or inability to work together for the greater good. I have the untmost confidence in the American public's ability to unite for the greater good, and the stronger we come together now, the better off we will be four (eight?) years from now.

For Republicans and Democrats (and Independents/3rd parties) alike, this is an incredible victory for real, hardworking families and individuals. Let's work together to grow this nation to it's full potential.

Election Day Problem

Okay, I, like many, always said "it can't happen to me!" I knew I wouldn't have any issues voting on election day. I knew about early voting, 'no questions asked' absentee ballots and all that wonderful election reform we're enjoying here in Colorado. For me, though, going to the poll on election day is the closest thing to a religious ritual I will experience, and it's only like this once every two years. I couldn't imagine deviating from the ritual, and so I decided not to vote early, in any way. We moved just before the beginning of October, so I was able to update my registration with my new address in plenty of time to receive my new voter registration card before election day. And so it was.

Now, a couple weeks ago, I received a mail-in ballot. I vividly recalled I was the only one in our house (my wife, her twin brothers, myself, and the menagerie) who did not check the mail-in ballot option on my voter registration update form. Now, it's possible that the person who took care of the registration process for me (who will remain unnamed to protect his/her identity) took the liberty to make the voting process easier for me. I'm not making any accusations, it could have easily been an error in the process of entering my information into the voter database. Either way, I got one. I decided I would still go to the polling place near my house on November 4, and I did. That's when they told me.

They said those two words no concerned voter wants to hear in the moment right before you step up to that (un?)reliable touch screen voting machine. PROVISIONAL BALLOT. I was astounded. This couldn't be happening, I thought. My vote needed to be counted. Today. So I said 'no.' I left, I waited in line, and then left. I filled out my ballot and took it back in. It's crazy, I know at least two people (I actually waited in the car while they filled out provisional ballots) who felt it was too much effort to go home (about a 6 minute drive from the church where we voted) and bring the mail-in ballot we received back.

Well, at least I voted. Now the only thing left is to wait for them to count. ::sigh::

Liberal Taxes?

We've come to a point in American culture where words like "liberal" and "Democrat" have been associated with stereotypes which do not reflect their meaning. "Conservatives" have been on the offensive this last decade, filling the airwaves with propaganda comparing liberals to radical ideologies like socialism and communism. They claim liberals in Congress and the Senate only want to "tax and spend." Regardless of your political associations, I think it's safe to assume most would agree that this is better than the "conservative" alternative, "spend without taxing." In the former, the government is spending money collected from taxes. In the latter, the government is spending money we don't have. This explains why there was a budget surplus under President Bill Clinton, while there was a (massive) budget deficit under President George W. Bush.

These policies affect all of us on a more regular, day-to-day basis as well. Conservatives believe that creating tax cuts for the top earners in the nation (uber-wealthy individuals and large corporations) spurs economic growth and prosperity. It's often referred to as "trickle-down" economics. The best argument against this is pretty simple. If you gave $50,000 dollars to someone like Bill Gates (and I don't mean to pick on Bill), what would happen? It wouldn't seem like much money to him, and it would likely end up sitting in some form of bank account. If you gave $50,000 to a middle-class family, on the other hand, it would likely have a large impact on their financial situation. Most families would spend the majority of it, either paying off debts, buying a new car, taking a vacation, etc. The money would go back into the economy and have an impact on their quality of life.

It's baffling to me how so many lower- and middle-class voters swing towards Republican candidates. There is a fundamental difference in the platforms of the Democrat and Republican parties. Republicans, as defined by their actions and policies, tend to make life better for a small minority of the nation. Adversely, the Democrats have shown a desire to help lower income brackets move into a higher brackets. One would think the majority of people would vote to better themselves, not people who are already doing quite well.

The McCain camp has pushed 'Joe the Plumber' down our throats this fall, which seems ridiculous to me. If your business is in danger of making more than $250,000, what are you crying about? There are millions of unemployed Americans with a current income of $0. And the types of jobs that are still being created are of a lower quality than those being cut. We have PILOTS working in GAS STATIONS. So, they're not unemployed, but they're also not "doing well." Most people don't make $250,000/year, so why would you not vote for the guy who wants to lower your taxes? Here in Colorado, at least, there's an ad with a "small" business owner who claims he could grow his company by at least 20 employees, but that he's not going to if Barack Obama is elected. This is asinine, so he might pay more taxes under an Obama presidency, but he's still making more money. Do people really think that the tax increase will somehow be more than 100% of the additional money they could make if their businesses grow? That's the only way they would make less than they would if they don't grow their business. ALL tax rates are a percentage of your total income. If you make more money, you still only pay a percentage of that money, meaning your net income will still be higher.

The arument that American corporate tax rates are so high we're already in danger of losing jobs because companies will "move overseas" where taxes are lower doesn't make much sense either. America has a large enough population with enough money to spend that companies almost need to business here to be successful. Why would they go pay a lower tax rate in Ireland if it means they have to pay export and import taxes to get their goods into America, not to mention the cost of shipping those goods here? Republicans want to have their cake and eat it too. They claim small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, creating jobs and moving money through the economy. They then turn around and say Democratic tax policies will drive comanies and jobs off-shore. My father is a small business owner, and I've worked for half a dozen small businesses, and none of them had the resources or option of taking their business to another country. It's not feasible, and most small business owners fall into the middle-class, where they would not be affected by "liberal" tax policy.

It's the night before election day, so this blog won't likely have an effect on the outcome, but these are still issues we all need to be thinking about, regardless of who the next president will be. Americans need to unite, the many against the few, to demand our government starts working for the citizens, rather than corporations.