Obama’s platform not all that strong
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By Charles Salembier
Published: October 18, 2008
Democrat Barack Obama’s campaign seems to focus on two primary subjects, tax policy and the economy and claiming that electing Republican John McCain means more of President Bush. Equating McCain to Bush draws on eight years of Bush-bashing by every resource available to the Democrats, from Michael Moore to liberal media and entertainers. Liberals worked too hard attacking Bush not to use it. McCain commented in Wednesday night’s debate that if Obama wanted to run against Bush, he should have run four years ago.
Regarding tax policy, remember first that the president cannot set tax rates. Only the Congress can do this. What is scary is that a predominantly liberal Congress is no check to Obama’s socialist ambitions. This point alone should persuade a vote for McCain. In 2005, McCain sponsored a bill to rein in the disastrous home loan policies set by an earlier Democratic Congress, but the Democrats rejected it.
The two men’s tax plans have about the same effect on government income, although Obama’s ads tell you otherwise. Obama gives bigger breaks to the lower brackets and pays for it by huge increases in the top brackets and upon businesses, which already pay the second highest corporate tax rate in the world.
As elsewhere, Obama’s socialist perspective ignores reality; it is YOU who pays when a business pays more taxes, in higher prices or lost jobs. What the socialist ignores is that it is the wealthy that drive the economy, create jobs and fuel a successful society. “Joe the Plumber” faced Obama down on his plan to heavily tax income over $250,000, by showing that Obama’s plan removes incentive to succeed. And Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., adds that it is “patriotic to pay more taxes.” Yes, Obama promises change, but socialism’s opposition to self-reliance, achievement and individual success runs against everything that makes America great.
Charles Salembier
Waynesboro
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Posted by ( SBK ) on October 19, 2008 at 10:06 am
Chris has raised a good point. Now that McCain has started to use the “S” word regarding Obama’s “socialist” programs, I think it’s time for people to also take a closer look at the “F” word—fascism.
In 2004, political scientist
Dr. Laurence Britt identified social and political agendas that are found in fascist regimes. By studying Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), he came up with a list of 14 characteristics. Here are a few:
* Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
* Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause (liberals,
terrorists, socialists)
* Obsession with National Security
* Religion and Government are Intertwined
* Corporate Power is Protected
* Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
* Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
And consider this: “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped
in the flag and carrying a cross.“ This quote—from 1935—is
attributed to Sinclair Lewis, author of “It Can’t Happen Here”—a
fictional novel about the election of a fascist American president.
The agenda of the extreme Christian right should be of concern to every American. Not only do they totally _ignore_ the concept of the “separation of church and state,“ it is their goal to create a church state, “whatever the cost” and “through any means necessary.“ Do some research on Christian Dominionists and you’ll see that this is NOT the “love your neighbor as yourself” Christianity that most Christians embrace.
Over 100 years ago, Mark Twain made this comment about religion:
“Man is the religious animal…He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat, if his theology isn’t straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother’s path to happiness and heaven.”
The McCain campaign has been incredibly divisive and today when Colin Powell officially endorsed Obama, he gave this response: “Because of (Obama’s) ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of this campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities – we have to take that into account – as well as his substance – he has both style and substance – he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president.“
I agree.
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Posted by ( peterclarke ) on October 19, 2008 at 9:02 am
Besides the obvious concern about the qualifications of Obama, this election is about which way the country will go. Socialism(Democrats) or Capitalism(Republicans).
Obama plans to give your hard earned tax dollars to 100 million American who do not have to pay taxes or do not have to file taxes. This is not a tax cut but a welfare cheque.
He does not want to give small or large businesses a tax break but wants to raise business and corporate taxes. This will never produce a single job.
He plans to give unions power similar to unions in Canada, which have destroyed Canada’s auto and manufacturing industries. He wants to renegotiate the free trade agreements, because the unions with their ever increasing demands have made it harder for American corporations and small businesses to compete with global trading partners.
He wants to talk, with out any conditions to radical terrorists and dictators from Cuba, South America and Europe. He wants to jump into a new and prolonged war of 10, 15 or 25 years in Afghanistan, without any time frame or exit strategy.
Barack Hussein Obama is a lawyer with no historical perspective, but with great rhetoric and hype of hope and change. He is social worker; a Junior legislator of less than 2 years, who votes present 40% of the time and votes 100% along party lines. He or Biden do not have a record of change. No change, with zero accomplishments.
The Obamas financed their house from a convicted money launderer, has a racist preacher as his spiritual adviser, associates with an unrepentant Williams Ayers a 60’s radical who admits to bombings of government buildings. His wife, until recently was not proud of America. Not the time for a four year equal opportunity on the job training program. Keep smiling…
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Posted by ( ChrisGraham ) on October 18, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Socialist, socialist, socialist. Repeat it enough, and you start to believe it to be true. Mr. Salembier is given enough space on this editorial page to make one think he is a regular columnist, and he repeats this nonsense about Obama being a socialist in every missive.
Answer us this, Mr. Salembier. Is not Mr. McCain deserving of the label fascist for his rantings about “Country First” that is nothing more than a smokescreen for his thinly-veiled game of class warfare aimed at supporting the continuation of tax policies that redistribute wealth from working-class and middle-class Americans to the superwealthy?
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