It’s time that the lone author of Things I’ve Noticed makes his election time statement. It’s the least I can do and I think it can be more effective than phone calls and door-to-door campaigns thanks to the power of the internet. This 2010 U.S. election may not seem as important as the one in 2008 but it is crucial that we as a country stay on course out of this long difficult road back to prosperity, peace, and decency. Keep in mind that we were led astray by the policies of Bush into an unnecessary war and the worst financial crisis in generations. Ask yourself, what went right during the Bush administrations? Environment? No. Economy? No. Foreign Policy? No. Health Care? No. Immigration? No. World reputation? No.
Obama and Congress started in a hole so large that it will take more than two years to come out of it no matter what. They have had two years to stop the bleeding and they have successfully done it. People say the stimulus didn’t worked, but I shudder to think where we would be without it. Government spending does create jobs. If there is a highway construction project money sponsored by the government, there need to be contractors, workers, managers, and engineers that are paid to do the work. It’s ironic that some of the stimulus money went to states with Republican leadership who are more than happy to accept it while criticizing the stimulus plan as a waste of money. This type of stimulus is necessary and those who complain about it tend to be ones who support going into further debt with tax cuts and war spending.
It’s up to businesses to start hiring people instead of squeezing the workers they have left after all the lay-offs with increasing amounts of work. Large companies are generally hoarding cash, earning record profits and not hiring. There is always uncertainty in business but it seems many business leaders have a vendetta against Obama. There is no better time to grow your human resources than when labor is cheap and the pool of skilled candidates is large. And it should be remembered that people without jobs make poor consumers. Who will buy all the stuff that companies sell if 20% of our people don’t have jobs? (On a side note, it’s interesting how nobody seems to be giving Obama and the Democrats credit for the stock market’s recent rise. It’s also interesting to see that the TARP program which was necessary to prevent a catastrophe may actually lead to a profit for the government (according to Bloomberg).
Our largest problem is that we tend to elect the politicians that tell us what we want to hear. We can’t have all the services and support network with social programs like unemployment benefits and Medicare, Social Security without tax revenues to pay for it. Given that the economy is slow right now, people are earning less and governments are getting less tax revenue. The tax cuts for the rich must end. The rates were much higher before and the economy still grew. Jobs were still being created. I haven’t seen it proven that the Bush tax cuts led to job creation and many jobs were created under Clinton with higher tax rates. Don't forget that the wealthy often pay lower effective tax rates than middle class people because they have more deductions. It takes money to save money on taxes. If it is corporate jobs, then the taxes only impact the private taxes of the execs. This has no bearing on whether their companies hire new employees. Corporate tax rates are different (and much lower). And very few owners of small businesses will be affected since few of them make over $250K (although Fox News would like you to think otherwise). Those who say higher taxes on the upper brackets are a disincentive to earn more money are just reaching for excuses to protect the wealth of the rich. Wealth disparity is the highest it has been in a long time. Besides, the jobless don’t really need to concern themselves with income tax brackets if they don’t have jobs. All the people getting wealthy by not hiring you can at least support your unemployment benefits.
Democrats stand for personal freedom, Republicans stand for corporate freedom. We all know the damage that corporations can have on the economy and the environment when left to do as they please. Republicans want to legislate to impose their morals on our diverse people and control what a woman can do with her body while letting the “free market economy” continue its assault on the middle class.
Let it be known that Obamacare is better than Republidontcare. Regardless of your religion, agnosticism, or atheism, there is nothing more merciful and graceful than helping others. It’s amazing how we teach kindergarteners to share and then forget how to do so as we get older. Those who oppose health care for all tend to be the ones with jobs and health insurance. They should remember that healthcare costs are the cause of a large number of personal bankruptcies. None of us should be happy that a child in the most prosperous nation on earth has to suffer from a lack of medical care. Preventative medicine and health care for all might be expensive but they are cheaper than having uninsured patients go to the emergency room or having people unnecessarily getting sick from not getting check-ups.
Environmentalism has taken a back seat to other issues of the day but if we revert back to a Republican Congress and/or Senate, the earth will suffer and our health will suffer while the rest of the world’s countries will begin to disrespect us. Environmental technologies can spur the economy. They can be exported throughout the world and bring money into our economy.
My thoughts have been somewhat disjointed but I wanted to make sure I made some points that are in my mind. The Republican “Party of No” has nothing but a bag of tricks that has proven itself not to work and the Tea Party is unrealistic and often doesn’t make sense. (I jokingly call it the Stupidi-Tea Party). Please vote on Tuesday and please support Obama and the Democrats. Their vision has only begun to take effect and it takes time get out of the hole to get to real change. Change is difficult. It takes sacrifice and plenty of patience.
+ Atul
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