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Archive for Politics
Have a Beer, on Me!
(I figured that title would grab the attention of my readers!) You have got to read this parable that clearly explains the US tax code, and what Obama is planning to do with his “tax cut for 95% of Americans,” 40% of which do not pay any income tax.
But first, the story:
A brilliant explanation of our tax system using actual percentages, the impact of a tax cut, and the public reaction that everyone should be able to understand.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.So, that’s what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. ‘Since you are all such good customers,’ he said, ‘I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. ‘Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes, so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men – the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share’?
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so -
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 ( 22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
‘I only got a dollar out of the $20,’declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,’ but he got $10!’
‘Yeah, that’s right,’ exclaimed the fifth man. ‘I only saved a dollar,
too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I!’‘That’s true!!’ shouted the seventh man. ‘Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!’
‘Wait a minute,’ yelled the first four men in unison. ‘We didn’t get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!’The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of GeorgiaFor those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not, or will not understand, no explanation is possible.
(only read on if you promise to engage your mind, not your emotions, please.)
I am amazed at how many people are for Obama IF they understand his position on taxes and what he will do to our economy with a most-likely liberal Congress and House. It will be the first time in over 40 years that the White House and Congress/House will be controlled by the same party, and the anti-business / pro-high taxes / bigger government party. His rhetoric not only doesn’t match his record (never once voting for a tax cut and 94 times for a tax increase or against a tax cut) but his math doesn’t add up, or results in socialism. Again, for those willing to look beyond the eloquent rhetoric and look at the man’s real record, writing and the philosophies of those who he names as his influences and mentors in his extremely short political carreer.
FACTS:
- Obama will effectively raise taxes on all Americans (except those not paying any) when he allows the Bush tax cuts to expire. He can say he didn’t raise taxes, but that’s like a fireman refusing to turn on the hose saying he didn’t burn the house down. Obama can raise taxes by doing nothing.
- 40% of Americans pay no income tax. A “tax credit” to them is a hand out or welfare check, essentially buying future voters, as to reverse that would be nearly politically impossible.
- The bottom 50% of Americans pay only 2.9% of the federal tax burden. The top 10% pay 70% of the tax burden. We already have redistribution of wealth – more will only hurt our economy more.
- The government does not create jobs. (Other than federal employees, but the tax payers pay 100% of all their salaries, benefits and retirement.) “Evil” businesses and corporations create jobs. The more the government takes from companies, the less jobs they can create and the government takes in less money, and then they take more, and the downward spiral is devastating to the economy. Companies exist to make more money and every dime they get to keep is spent growing the company which results in new jobs and… more income for the government as a result.
- Every single time taxes are lowered, economic growth results. The Bush tax cuts brought in unprecedented income to the federal government. Record cash into the government cophers!
- The deficit was not created by the Bush tax cuts, it was created by Republicans and Demoncrats spending MORE than taxes brought it.
- Bush’s greatest failure was not the tax cuts, it was his inability (or willingness) to curb spending. Out of control federal spending on shaky credit created our current government fiscal crisis. Lower taxes actually brings in more money to the government. Democrats do not raise taxes so much as to get more income, but as a means of control and vote collection.
- Raising taxes is the WORST POSSIBLE THING for our nation and economy. The BEST THING IS NO NEW TAXES and CONTROLLING SPENDING. I only hear one candidate and VP talking about less taxes and less spending.
There is a lot to like about Obama – but his economic plans for our country are disasterous. Imagine if you ran your home the way Obama wants to run the country. The government can try to “bail out” others, but who bails out or “rescues” the governemnt when it goes awry? YOU. The taxpayer.
You now work from January into July just for all the taxes you pay, income tax, state taxes, property taxes, sales taxes and taxes included in the products you buy and services you use. And Obama wants you to pay even more. Your “fair share.”
Anyone who votes for him can’t complain later when the tax man comes and the economy suffers – your vote is surrendering your wallet to more government control and more of your hard earned money going into the sink hole of the US government.
A vote for McCain/Palin isn’t the solution to everything – but it is the best way to hold the greed of the federal government and keep more taxes at bay for at least four more years.
Please vote, and vote Republican.
Sincerely, your fellow tax paying American.
(Click image to see full size)
Catholic for a Day
While I am not Catholic – I have great respect for so much that the Catholic Church has done and stood for. While theologically my saving faith is in the person of Jesus and not the Church, when it comes to what is at stake in this political season, I find the following video from CatholicVote.com to be right on:
I am tired of hearing Christians say they aren’t going to vote for one reason or another. ANY REASON NOT TO VOTE IS A LAME REASON. Hey, I’m in Illinois, voting Republican is a “waste” of my vote, but I vote because I am an American and many have died to give me that freedom.
Be American and VOTE. I don’t even mind if you vote for the man I think is the worst possible leader for our nation. I will still applaud you for voting. We are both Americans after all.
Post Turtle
While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, who’s hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama and his bid to be our president. The old rancher said, “Well, ya know, Obama is a ‘Post Turtle’”.
Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a ‘post turtle’ was.
The old rancher said, “When your driving down a country road you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a ‘post turtle”.
The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor’s face so he continued to explain. “You know he didn’t get up there by himself, he doesn’t belong up there, and he doesn’t know what to do while he’s up there, and you just wonder what kind of dummy put him up there to begin with”.
Apologies to my friends who like Obama and plan to vote for him. I like Obama, honestly, and what he represents in progress in our nation. But we are not electing a symbol, we are electing a leader. It should be blatantly obvious that Obama is now saying whatever will get him elected. I don’t pay as much attention to what candidates say during an election as I do what they have done in the past (if they actually voted) and what they said before they knew they’d be running for president. The only “change” I see in Obama is how much his message and policies changed once he knew he was running for president. I’m not a huge fan of John McCain, but they man has been saying and doing the same thing for decades. What you see is what you get – a man dedicated to working hard for our nation, even when it wasn’t popular from either side. That’s leadership you can trust after the campaign is over.
Remembering Tony Snow
I know I am late, but I wanted to post this testimony from Tony Snow for my own keep-sake. Tony was a powerfully articulate speaker (my favorite Rush Limbaugh substitute) who was appreciated and admired by friends and foes alike. I learned so much from him about how our country works. He made me proud to be an American and understood the issues of today better than most and supported his positions with facts and logic instead of just angry emotion like so many of his opponents. And he was always upbeat and positive and respectful. Below is his testimony as he was dying of cancer. (FYI: the same cancer that took my mom at the same age: 53. Way too soon for both of them.)
Tony Snow’s last televised briefing. Photo by Getty Images
This is an outstanding testimony from Tony Snow, President Bush’s former Press Secretary, and his fight with cancer. Commentator and broadcaster, Tony Snow, announced that he had colon cancer in 2005. Following surgery and chemo-therapy, Snow joined the Bush Administration in April, 2006 as press secretary. Unfortunately, on March 23, 2007, Snow, 51, a husband and father of three, announced the cancer had recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen, – leading to surgery in April, followed by more chemotherapy. Snow went back to work in the White House Briefing Room on May 30, but later resigned, ‘for economic reasons,’ and to pursue ‘ other interests.’
Tony Snow’s Testimony
(prior to his death July 12, 2008)
‘Blessings arrive in unexpected packages – in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases – and there are millions in America today – find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God’s will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence ‘What It All Means,’ Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations. The first is that we shouldn’t spend too much time trying to answer the ‘why’ questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can’t someone else get sick? We can’t answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.
I don’t know why I have cancer, and I don’t much care. It is what it is, a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out. But despite this, – or because of it, – God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don’t know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.
Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims. You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere. To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life, – and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many non believing hearts – an intuition that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live fully, richly and exuberantly – no matter how their days may be numbered.
Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease, – smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see, but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance; and comprehension – and yet don’t. By His love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise.
‘You Have Been Called’. Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet; a loved one holds your hand at the side. ‘It’s cancer,’ the healer announces. The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. ‘Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler.’ But another voice whispers: ‘You have been called.’ Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter, – and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our ‘normal time.’ There’s another kind of response, although usually short-lived an inexplicable shudder of excitement, as if a clarifying moment of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tiny, and placed before us the challenge of important questions.
The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing through the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment.
There’s nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue, – for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do. Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was faced with the prospect of crucifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the holy city. From the Cross, he took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for forgiveness on our behalf.
We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us, that we acquire purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God’s love for others. Sickness gets us part way there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two peoples’ worries and fears.
‘Learning How to Live’. Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God’s arms, not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of love. I sat by my best friend’s bedside a few years ago as a wasting cancer took him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family, many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was a humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He retained his equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. ‘I’m going to try to beat [this cancer],’ he told me several months before he died. ‘But if I don’t, I’ll see you on the other side. ‘His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn’t promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity, – filled with life and love we cannot comprehend, and that one can in the throes of sickness point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us weather future storms. Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don’t matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do?
When our faith flags, he throws reminders in our way. Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions know it. It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit. Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all creation, to lift us up, – to speak of us! This is love of a very special order. But so is the ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every happiness more luminous and intense. We may not know how our contest with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God.
What is man that Thou art mindful of him? We don’t know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us who believe, each and every day, lies in the same safe and impregnable place, in the hollow of God’s hand.’
T. Snow
Newt on How To Lower Gas Prices
Finally someone talking sense about the rising gas prices. What you hear on the news is so distorted it borders on lies. I’ll resist the urge to rant on the real reasons for why gas prices are going up so high.
Watch this video, Newt’s got a smart plan that actually makes sense:
There is a follow up one here:
He mentions over 25,000 signers, it is now over 1.2 million. Americans are tired of the backwards thinking that is control
A Political Post Everyone Will Enjoy
OK, as a peace offering to all my friends (and Canadians) who don’t share all my conservative Republican views, here is a tribute I think we can all agree with!
GOD BLESS AMERICA… ALL OF US! (even the weirdos) HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
Thanks to Tannerman on Twitter for the link!
Why Are Christians Afraid of Politics?
Why are Christians afraid of politics? Getting Christians to discuss politics is harder than getting non-Christians to discuss Religion. I know the old saying, “Don’t discuss politics and religion,” but that saying comes out of the fear that we shouldn’t talk about things of which we might disagree.
But Christians, of all people, are the very ones who OUGHT to MODEL talking about what we disagree about. I mean, don’t we celebrate how well different denominations can get along and often work together even though they have very sharp differences when it comes to theology?
So why can’t we discuss politics nicely? Every time I do a post about politics I get e-mails about them – and very few comments on the post. No one ever e-mails me in response to my blog posts (except a few relatives that don’t know how to do the comments – I love you guys, and its ok!) But when it comes to politics, I get e-mails. And I don’t mean all the e-mails are negative, most aren’t – but I find it interesting that they are sent privately via e-mail instead of posted live on the blog. If Christians stay silent, we surrender our voice!
I wish more Christians would be willing to talk about politics. And disagreeing is ok. If you didn’t like my last post, and want to vote for Obama – it’s really OK with me – that what makes America AMERICA. But the best thing FOR America is to talk about why we like or dislike the policies of those who make the decisions that effect our nation. Notice, it is the policies that concern me, not the people. I’d have lunch with Bill Clinton or Obama and probably enjoy it! But I’d also enjoy talking with them about their ideas for what is best for America. I’d hope to change their minds, but I’d also learn a few things too I’m sure.
Then there is the old attitude that the Hope of America isn’t Politics, it’s Jesus. Absolutely. Amen! But we do have to live here. And while I’m all for giving unto Caesar what is Caesar’s – it’s not bad to want Caesar to ask for less and regulate less and take over less of what the people can do better than bureaucracy.
Anyway – just wanted to ask a favor of my readers. You don’t have to agree with me. But don’t email me your comments, post them with your name and stand up for what you believe.
I’m not excited about John McCain. But as an American, I take seriously my role of learning about the candidates and making my vote count, as little good as a Republican vote does in Illinois, especially being Obama’s home town! But that is what America is – and it is the SUM of every American doing their small part that makes the grand experiment of Democracy work. Everyone must do their part responsibly, or they really can’t complain. I’m very very concerned with what the voting record of Obama reflects that he would do as President despite what all the wonderful speeches say and with his lack of understanding on how the economy truly works. I’m sure he is a nice guy and I’m proud that America has finally nominated an African American as a Presidencial candidtate – that we can be proud of.
But we vote for ideas and policies and philosophy – none of which seem to make the news or even campaign ads. Do your homework and VOTE.
And don’t be afraid to be part of the arena of ideas… that is what made our nation great! This is a critical election that will have a LONG LASTING IMPACT ON OUR NATION… I ought to have lots of comments on this post….
if you dare. (but be nice, I’ll approve disagreeing comments, but I don’t have to put mean ones live, its still my blog after all.)
Comment away…. it’s your country too.
My New Obama Logo, I Hope He Likes It!
It seems that I see a lot of Obama bumper stickers, so I’ve been thinking of getting one for myself so I can join the crowd, but I don’t see anything on the stickers that describes Obama’s political philosophy. Yeah, I know “Change” but he offers nothing of real change, only more extreme liberal solutions to problems that liberal “solutions” have created to begin with. (unless you only listen to the mainstream media who have forgotten how to research and report.) And can I just say, I LOVE to hear this man speak! He is the master at saying nothing so well! I always find myself agreeing with him since he says nothing of substance. How do people not see that he is hiding what he truly plans to do? It’s so obvious, it’s like a kid answering his parents questions truthfully when they are trying to get to the bottom of who broke the cookie jar.
“Yes, the Cookie Jar is broken. There are far too many broken cookie jars in America today! Something must be done about the lack of cookies in this house. Who is going to clean up the broken the glass? And what about the kids who never had a cookie jar to begin with? We must change how cookie jars are made and make new guidelines for where they are placed in kitchens!” (Um, yeah, but who broke the cookie jar?) “Um, well, I did.”
Liberals made most the messes we are struggling with, or they are simply results of a fallen world and things government can’t fix anyway. Some know this, and so are vague, others sincerely think they are the hope of the nation, and think taxes and programs will someday create utopia and can’t see how often these things make matters worse. And so much of the population seems to miss this obvious fact caught up in the sweet sounding substanceless speeches.
I want to help Obama clear up his message about what he is for, so I came up with a slogan that might work for Obama and you are welcome to print and use this to help spread his message of despair and gloom and doom for America, the country that his wife is only recently proud of now that her husband might be President. I sincerely hope this might help him get his message out:
I’m thinking of having these printed and selling them. Now THIS sticker would honestly describe what an Obama Presidency would be about! Defeat in national security, Decline in the economy by trying what fails everywhere it is tried and over taxing the economy and creating a a Dependency on foreign energy and a voting block that is dependent on the government for all its needs.
I’d much rather have a President who understands what made our nation great and who understands the true nature of freedom. Of course, I don’t agree with every position of any candidate, but I DO understand what it means to be a Republican. (On a side note, I’ve only met two Democrats who can even tell me what it means to be a Demoncrat, other than they hate George Bush, yeah, we get that already.)
Being a Republican means you believe in: Limited government, free trade, strong national defense, lower taxes, sanctity of human life, power to the states, and that the hope of our country is not found in government, but in the citizens who make up this great country. Republicans believe that government can’t solve problems, it creates them. It’s job isn’t to solve social issues, it is to protect us, preserve our natural resources, build and sustain infrastructure and provide public education. It isn’t to guarantee or redistribute wealth, it is to guarantee and spread freedom. That’s about it.
WATCH THIS INSPIRING VIDEO, Reagan had it right about what makes America great! Given our options this fall, I must say John McCain is currently our best hope to get American back on track.
UP-DATE: By popular demand (and a little bit just for fun) I did it:
Play Pork Invaders
Was checking out John McCain’s Website and enjoyed playing Pork Invaders! I thought this was a pretty creative way to get a message out – especially the fact that John McCain has a record of $0 in ear marked pork compared to over $740 million to Obama. That’s a slight difference.
Play it here on my site: (my score was 13,030. Put your score in comments!)
OR CHECK IT OUT ON JOHN’S SITE
