Ok Journey, this is for you.
Owen said
1) Raise taxes, and not just capital gains. Income taxes will be raised as well. And if you make more than $200k/yr, you are "rich", and defined as such you will get SOAKED; thus, you will have little incentive to keep earning what you do now,--the opportunity to make a nice profit will simply not be there....And all of us working stiffs fortunate enough to make over $50 k/ yr, you better hold on to your wallets as well... we are going to pay for the social security bailout
Obama is proposing a tax cut for middle class Americans. Closing loopholes for corporations and the very rich, and repealing the current tax cuts on the upper one percent. As far as that 200k number, I assume you are talking about raising the Social Security tax cap. Which would not effect someone making 50k. It woud be those that make over 102k who would actually be paying more.
2) Nationalize health insurance. We're going to cover EVERYONE, including illegals/immigrants--guess who's going to pay for it? Remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Someone has to pay...It ain't gonna be the super rich, and the poor certainly cannot pay for it. Yup, you're right--those of us in the middle, working class will be footing the bill
As someone else already mentioned, we already cover the very poor and immigrants. What we do not cover is the WORKING poor. His plan is voluntary, and it includes holding providers more accountable for costs.
3) Draw down troops and eventually withdraw from all military involvement in the Middle East. The mullahs in Iran are counting the days....They love Obama!
This is really rediculous. We have military bases in various Middle Eastern countries. Then there is NATO, the UN, and Israel. You seem to imply that our presence in Iraq is DEfensive. It's not, it's OFFensive.
4) pass the "card check" unionization bill--no more secret ballot, as has always been the case up till now in votes, union thugs will be able to intimidate and coerce people into voting for union representation because now they will know which workers are not on the 'list', and thus they can apply pressure and coercion tactics.
I do not know enough about this to comment. I can only say that a strong labor movement is good for all workers.
5) Want to 'engage' and talk with countries and leaders that openly hate us and show us no respect, like Hugo Chavez, Amejinad(sp?) in Iran, Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Bashar Assad in Syria, etc..etc...Bottom line, if he's a dictator, Obama wants to talk, make nice, and negotiate with you.
This is exactly what we need to get back to be strong and respected in the world. What is this, some kind of ego trip? They don't like us so we shouldn't talk to them. That is cutting off your nose to spite your face. Who better to talk to than our enemies? Would you rather spend billiions of dollars on pointless wars??? Grow up.
6) grow government and the welfare state to a size that cannot be even imagined right now. Bush as a republican did a bad enough job enlarging the size of our federal government, under Obama it will exponentially get even bigger.
Again, this is just silly sound bite talk. Not even enough substance to argue with. Why is it more acceptable to give your money to Bears and Stearns, rather than to programs that educate future tax payers, or protect your drinking water??
7)pass more regulation and red tape to hamstring business in the name of 'helping the workers'--which in turn will only drive away investment and jobs...
Deregulation and the gutting of the labor movement have nearly ruined us. The bulk of it the work of Republicans in the last 30 years.
Get ready, America, for the first(I'm sorry, the SECOND) black president of the United States.....
I do not understand this comment whatsoever. Other than it seems racist.