There was a letter to the editor in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette that stated
What Sen. Barack Obama is advocating, “spreading the wealth around,” is simply socialism at its core.
Juan, who commented on this letter, decried Obama’s use of Juan’s tax money for non-free market spending by the government. I wrote the following response to Juan.
Juan,
Do you pay more taxes than Barack Obama? He probably has more skin in this game than you do.
We the people of the United States have banded together to have a government do the things that we cannot do as individuals.
In these troublesome financial times, most of the wise individuals are slowing spending and trying to increase savings to try to protect themselves from unknowable possible future events. When everyone slows spending, this has very bad consequences for employment and the future of the economy. However, each individual is acting in his or her own best interest. Few people have the wherewithal to take the chance that their assets can withstand any possible future debacle.
However, acting together through our federal government, we do have enough wherewithal to be fairly sure we can weather this storm. The rest of the world seems to think so too as money flows to the safe haven of the United States Treasury bonds and notes.
Acting as a group, we can afford to offset the financial pull back that most individuals must undertake. Increased spending on infrastructure by the federal government will be one of the things that pulls the economy out of the slump.
That is, unless John McCain gets elected. He is promising to cut government spending in the middle of a recession. The last time this was tried we ended up in the great depression.
This recession is unlike the ones in recent past. If we are close to a depression, as many suspect, extraordinary measures will have to be taken. What we are experiencing right now is a result of political corruption and corporate rule taking precedent over the needs of the people. I do agree wholeheartedly, this is not the time for a balanced budget. Who knows when that can be accomplished….Right now they need to stop the bleed.
The war’s purpose was to line pockets of Cheney’s Halliburton, the bird flu scare lined Rummy’s pockets via Tamiflu…big agriculture pushing out small farmers lined Monsanto’s pockets (another Rummy win), the list goes on and on, but you get the picture. So, ending the war could be a first step to returning to sensibility.
What we need immediately is an honest administration that serves we the people, just like you state in your letter.
It’s awful to think that under the Clinton admin. we did have a zero deficit. Two stolen elections later, we are drowning in the sea of spend- like-a-drunken-sailor, “conservative” waters. The bail-out, along with everything else has been one more of the designed crises, like those WMD’s aimed at us & the war against terror that will last until the last dollar is stripped away from the flag waving taxpayers. (Reminds me of the quote by Sinclair Lewis, “When Fascism comes to America, she will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”) (Ah, that republican Joe-the-Plumber base of the church goers & the testosterone driven & played pseudo-patriots…they don’t get it.)
Government has been rendered broken by design, now Obama’s team is left with years of clean up duty.
Fact checking just keeps the claims honest, as for the economy, this will be Obama’s immediate challenge. I trust he will rise to the occasion. Voting for McCain is economic suicide.
The factcheck link you provided is a good one.
However, I have to wonder if the sources that factcheck quotes take into account the damage that balanced budgets in a recession would do compared to the good for economic stimulus that these deficits would do.
After we come out of the recession is when we will need to balance the budget.
The obsession that some of these organizations have for balancing a budget under all circumstances makes me question their expertise.
Juan should also know that his tax money is in reality bailing out corporations and banks, now THAT is socialism. The CEO’s of those corporations are paid salaries Juan will never know.
Why is it that people who will only benefit from Obama’s tax plan don’t get it? I wonder if Juan makes $250,000/yr.? Disinformation is rule of day with John McCain, he counts on ignorance, despite the facts.
Juan might do well to do some fact checking when it comes to McCain’s claims, I suggest he check this out: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/a_new_stitch_in_a_bad_pattern.html
You are so right we can’t gamble when we are this close to the abyss. We need a forward thinking leader in the White House. We are going to need Obama pulling together the finest minds & ideas to pull us out of the chaos the republicans have left behind.
It is a proven fact that the economy does better under a Democratic president. (See
History Shows Democratic Sweep Would Be Better For Stock, Ed.)
Why is it that the wild spending & war mongering republicans think they can somehow still lay claim to that “conservative” label? It’s a myth.
Your statement:
“We the people of the United States have banded together to have a government do the things that we cannot do as individuals.”
says it all. Kudos to you, Steve. May we celebrate an Obama victory Nov. 4th!