this point of view » politics

Newt Gingrich is hinting at a 3rd Party in 2012 :Opinion

admin — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:25:30 +0000

Politico has just released an article based on an interview with Newt Gengrich. This is an interesting change of stance from one of the most loyal and vocal of the GOP. It is no secret that the republican party is in disarray. The Reagan era of smaller government and less spending is over. It appears now that both parties are in favor of increased government programs, spending, and intervention. Gengrich quoted, “During the period I was speaker, the U.S. government – for four years – total growth was 2.9 percent a year. Under Bush, it was 6.1 percent. … This year, I think it will be 36 percent in one year.” This is astronomical. Even under the Bush administration growth is absurd, but 36% is unsustainable.

The republican part is in a very large predicament. As people become more and more moderate on social issues, fiscal policy becomes a key issue in retaining party loyalty. If the party of Lincoln and Reagon cannot reorganize itself and become the voice and body for fiscal and economic responsibility then it will surely die. Tempers have flared. There are many “movements” for change and if each of these movements could be organized into one voice, there may be a viable 3rd-party candidate on the ticket in 2012.

Republican for Obama – Why I voted the way I did.

admin — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:24:44 +0000

On November 4th, 2008 History was was made. I am a Rupublican who voted for the winner.

I have been lucky enough to have been able to vote in the last 3 elections. Growing up, I have always been a Republican, not because my parents were, but because my views coincided more closely with that of the Republican party. I also am typically pro-life and pro-defense. Anyway, I voted for George W. Bush in both previous elections. I proudly stood my my votes up until about 2 years ago. The mistakes this nation has made under this administration are not necessarily all W’s fault, but there were things he could have controlled that he didn’t. Going into this election, like most people I was ready for change. I thought that change would come from within the GOP. I always respected John McCain as a maverick and a leader. I voted for him in the primaries and thought he offered America it’s best chance for success in the next 4 years. Then something funny happened. McCain added Sarah Palin to the ticket as his Vice Presidential choice. Even after this I continued to support the Party thinking that maybe they actually knew what they were doing. As the election grew closer, it became apparent to me that the party I love so dearly has lost sight of the American people. The Grand Old Party was ending. Ultimately, my blind loyalty to my party started to fade… and on November 4th I voted for a democrat for the first time – President-elect Barrack Obama.

Hopefully he doesn’t screw this country up even more. I have some MAJOR issues with a lot of his policies including healthcare and certain aspects of abortion, but I hope that he doesn’t have a major opportunity to overhaul these points – it seems like no president ever does. ( I am all for healthcare reform – just against socialized healthcare.. it doesnt work. trust me I know.)

America needs inspiration, a leader who can put more than two sentences together without fumbling over his own words. I leader with passion and poise. Someone who can provide hope to the hopeless and bring America back into a respectful position in the world. Barrack Obama provides these abilities. He will help repair the damaged view the rest of the World has of America. The election of Barrack Obama has shown the Globe that we are just as tired of what has gone on as they are. No longer will America be isolated – and that is necessary for current and future American generations.

On a side note, I voted straight republican down the rest of the ballot. I still am very conservative.. but it really was time for change.

E-Group Rant- Wassup with the Economy

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:18:25 +0000

This was a very interesting post from a colleague of mine from my fraternities egroup. Thought others would enjoy it.

OK so we have touched on many different things pertaining to Dems, Repubs, Obama, and McCain. By this time its very clear who is voting for who, although the only person who actually expressed a reason why their voting a certain way is Troy. Everybody else just says I hate Bush and war so I have to vote for Obama. Texas may play out to be a very important vote this time around, so think really hard about who your voting for.

This is whats bothering me, 2 things.

First- that stupid wassup video. Lets go through the dudes and their situations.

Losing my home dude: Why is he losing his home? Did a Republican sign him up for a home loan he knew he couldn’t afford, or did he not use his brain and took on to much debt. This entire situation has Dems and Repubs finger prints all over, but once again we can’t take responsibility for ones self off the table. How would Obama fix this–by voting for the same fucked up band-aid as McCain. Hows that working out?

No Insurance dude: Dude had enough insurance or medical care to get a cast and a neck brace, but not enough to get a $4 bottle of hydrocodone at walmart. Or did the Repub. push him down and hurt him, and that’s why he is in pain? How would Obama fix this– by raising our taxes and socializing the health care industry which has proven to give substandard care i.e. Medicaid, Medicare

Hurricane dude: This is my favorite, I didn’t know Republicans created hurricanes and Obama will stop them. Or is it the Repubs fault he lives in a hurricane zone, or the fact that Bush or McCain didn’t go pick him up and take him to safety. Once again self responsibility. How would Obama fix this– He will not allow Hurricanes and if one does occur he will drive down and pick each person up, or raise our taxes to rent cars for them.

Stock Market Dude: Refer to Losing home dude and bailing us out with our own tax dollars.

Army Dude: This might be the only good argument. should we have gone? doesn’t seem that way, can we leave? Not now, because we have proper fucked that place. The crap thing is, that guy in Iraq is going to get on a plane and go to another war with no end in sight.

This is my main issue though. MONEY. I like money, and I know each one of you also. We have a lot of people on this list who work hard and make a nice living doing what you do. So why would you vote for somebody who flat out has said I want to spread the wealth around?

For those who don’t know this is what that means. I’m lazy so I like to use valet when I go out, so lets say homeboy runs his ass off and brings my car back and as I’m waiting i see a homeless dude with a sign just sitting there. I pay homeboy the valet cost, but tell him I’m not going to tip you because I’m giving your tip to the homeless dude because he needs it more than you. I know he is just sitting there waiting for a handout and your working for your money, but it’s not fair for him to have less than you so i am going to spread the wealth around. That’s called socialism. That’s what the government is going to do to all of us, why would you vote for that. You don’t penalize people for doing well, please somebody help me understand how this works for you.

So then they go on to say, if you make less than 250K/yr your not going to be taxed. Do I make more than 250/yr now no, will I at some point in my life that’s the plan. But it won’t come through handouts, it will come through my hard work and sacrifice. Why should the government take my profit from working harder and pass it around to those who haven’t?

bigger scale: Some of you work for smaller companies, and those companies are already having trouble in this economy. What do you think a tax hike will do for those companies and your job security. If you work for that smaller company you could be casting a vote to get laid off. I know it sounds dramatic, but honestly if your company has just let people go in the past 6 months how is even less money going to stimulate anything.

Calvin and Hobbes on War.

admin — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:24:18 +0000

Here’s a funny little picture from the past. Calvin and Hobbes were a staple comic of my childhood. It is always great to look back at the comic I loved dearly and look at it in a new light. The jokes I laughed at back then have become satire about many issues that have been rehashed in adulthood. Take a second and check out this classic comic about war.

Will the Bailout save America or send us into the abyss

admin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:06:50 +0000

The Bail out

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.” - Alexis de Tocqueville

There is a lot going on in todays world. The dollar is back in a freefall. The housing bubble has burst. Pretty much every financial institution is failing. America is involved in two wars, and oil is near it’s all time high.

What are we as a country going to do? There are many opinions and beliefs as to what our country needs to do in order to return to the dominance we took for granted.

In this article, I am going to present a few different perspectives pertaining to the $700 Billion dollar Bailout that is currently being debated in Congress.

Mark Cuban – Billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks – has been particularly vocal as of late on his popular blog. He, like most Americans, is noticing the long-term impact the next few months will have on the future of our country. His understanding of the current economic situation is particularly uncanny. He provides a unique view of handling this bailout. He has lost faith in the ‘institutions’ that got us into this mess. Mr. Cuban questions the ability of these bankers to fix these problems if they are bailed out. Mark goes on and presents an alternative to the taxpayer bailout – eBay it. Mark Cuban presents an interesting opinion and proposed solution to our current crisis that involves auctioning off these enterprises.

There are also some differing views from other experts regarding this current American dilemma. Peter R. Orszag, director of the Congressional Budget Office, testified recently on the possibility of this bailout further damaging our current crisis. He is quoted as saying, “the bailout could expose the way companies are stowing toxic assets on their books, leading to greater problems.” Mr. Orszag states that there is a possibility of insolvent line items on the books that could be exposed and could irrepairably damage a company. These Write-downs and insolvencies could plague the financial sector beyond any short-term repair. This article is available here.

There is one final article I have read of profound interest. This article proposes that the Paulson plan could be a hidden blessing in disguise. This article suggests that the “small” investment now of $700B. Could generate between $1 and $2.2 Trillion dollars for the government in a relatively short timetable. Kessler references Warren Buffett’s recent investment in Goldman Sachs and other investments over the past few decades as possible benefits from this bailout. Kessler states that, “Over 10 years this could change the budget scenario in D.C., which can also strengthen the dollar. The next president gets a heck of a windfall. In the spirit of Secretary of State William Seward’s purchase of Alaska for $7 million in 1867, this week may be remembered as Paulson’s Folly.” - The Paulson Plan Andy Kessler

It is interesting to see such different opinions regarding this critical bailout plan. Who’s going to be right? Only time will tell.

Barack Obama VS John McCain on Small Business

admin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:51:48 +0000

As this political season begins to climax, I’ve been following the candidates view on small business more closely. In an effort to provide information to the general public, I have provided both candidates plans for small business solutions below. Take a few minutes and go through each candidates bullet points and decide for yourself who you think the better commander in chief will be.

Both candidates provide some similar ideas – they also offer some stark difference pertaining to solutions for small business growth in the United States. I emplore you to take a look, compare, and decide.

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Barack Obama on small business – Directly from respective Websites.

Support Small Business

Provide Tax Relief for Small Businesses and Start Up Companies: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will eliminate all capital gains taxes on start-up and small businesses to encourage innovation and job creation. Obama and Biden will also support small business owners by providing a $500 “Making Work Pay” tax credit to almost every worker in America. Self-employed small business owners pay both the employee and the employer side of the payroll tax, and this measure will reduce the burdens of this double taxation.
Create a National Network of Public-Private Business Incubators: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will support entrepreneurship and spur job growth by creating a national network of public-private business incubators. Business incubators facilitate the critical work of entrepreneurs in creating start-up companies. Obama and Biden will invest $250 million per year to increase the number and size of incubators in disadvantaged communities throughout the country.

Barack on Job Creation:

Invest in the Manufacturing Sector and Create 5 Million New Green Jobs

Invest in our Next Generation Innovators and Job Creators: Obama and Biden will create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to identify and invest in the most compelling advanced manufacturing strategies. The Fund will have a peer-review selection and award process based on the Michigan 21st Century Jobs Fund, a state-level initiative that has awarded over $125 million to Michigan businesses with the most innovative proposals to create new products and new jobs in the state.
Double Funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership: The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) works with manufacturers across the country to improve efficiency, implement new technology and strengthen company growth. This highly-successful program has engaged in more than 350,000 projects across the country and in 2006 alone, helped create and protect over 50,000 jobs. But despite this success, funding for MEP has been slashed by the Bush administration. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will double funding for the MEP so its training centers can continue to bolster the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.
Invest In A Clean Energy Economy And Create 5 Million New Green Jobs: Obama and Biden will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, invest in low emissions coal plants, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. The plan will also invest in America’s highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the first wave of green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world.
Create New Job Training Programs for Clean Technologies: The Obama-Biden plan will increase funding for federal workforce training programs and direct these programs to incorporate green technologies training, such as advanced manufacturing and weatherization training, into their efforts to help Americans find and retain stable, high-paying jobs. Obama and Biden will also create an energy-focused youth jobs program to invest in disconnected and disadvantaged youth.
Boost the Renewable Energy Sector and Create New Jobs: The Obama-Biden plan will create new federal policies, and expand existing ones, that have been proven to create new American jobs. Obama and Biden will create a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that will require 25 percent of American electricity be derived from renewable sources by 2025, which has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs on its own. Obama and Biden will also extend the Production Tax Credit, a credit used successfully by American farmers and investors to increase renewable energy production and create new local jobs.

New Jobs Through National Infrastructure Investment

Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that it is critically important for the United States to rebuild its national transportation infrastructure – its highways, bridges, roads, ports, air, and train systems – to strengthen user safety, bolster our long-term competitiveness and ensure our economy continues to grow.

Create a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will address the infrastructure challenge by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments. This independent entity will be directed to invest in our nation’s most challenging transportation infrastructure needs. The Bank will receive an infusion of federal money, $60 billion over 10 years, to provide financing to transportation infrastructure projects across the nation. These projects will create up to two million new direct and indirect jobs and stimulate approximately $35 billion per year in new economic activity.

Technology, Innovation and Creating Jobs

Barack Obama and Joe Biden will increase federal support for research, technology and innovation for companies and universities so that American families can lead the world in creating new advanced jobs and products.

Invest in the Sciences: Barack Obama and Joe Biden support doubling federal funding for basic research and changing the posture of our federal government from being one of the most anti-science administrations in American history to one that embraces science and technology. This will foster home-grown innovation, help ensure the competitiveness of US technology-based businesses, and ensure that 21st century jobs can and will grow in America.
Make the Research and Development Tax Credit Permanent: Barack Obama and Joe Biden want investments in a skilled research and development workforce and technology infrastructure to be supported here in America so that American workers and communities will benefit. Obama and Biden want to make the Research and Development tax credit permanent so that firms can rely on it when making decisions to invest in domestic R&D over multi-year timeframes.
Deploy Next-Generation Broadband: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we can get broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation’s wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives.

Barrack Obama Website

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John McCain on Small Business:

Lower Energy Costs

John McCain’s Lexington Project will address the rising costs of energy that are hurting small businesses. He strongly supports increased domestic exploration of oil and natural gas. This will send a strong signal to oil markets that future supplies will be more plentiful, countering the rise in oil prices. The market for natural gas is less internationally integrated than that of oil – increased domestic production will lower the cost of this key energy source.

The Project will transform electricity generation. John McCain has set the goal of building 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030 – creating 700,000 jobs and providing cheap electricity. It will provide incentives for the production of electricity from renewable sources. Finally, the Lexington Project will devote $2 billion annually to research that will allow the clean use of our most plentiful and low-cost energy source: coal.

Controlling Health Care Costs

John McCain has a comprehensive health care reform plan that will reduce the spiraling cost of health care – a major burden for those small businesses that offer health insurance and a major impediment for those who cannot. He will provide $5,000 for health insurance to every American family – supporting small businesses that seek to offer insurance. John McCain opposes costly mandates or “pay or play” requirements that would raise the financial burden on small business, cut the ability to hire, expand, or raise payrolls.

John McCain’s opponent would burden small businesses with roughly $5,000 to $12,000 of extra cost for every employee through his “pay or play” health care mandates. This will stifle new job creation, and it will require small businesses either to cut employees’ pay in order to finance this mandate or fire them.

Taxes: Simpler, Fair, Pro-Growth, And Competitive

Keep Tax Rates Low: Entrepreneurs are at the heart of American innovation, growth and prosperity. Entrepreneurs create the ultimate job security – a new, better opportunity if your current job goes away. Entrepreneurs should not be taxed into submission. John McCain will keep the top tax rate at 35 percent, maintain the 15 percent rates on dividends and capital gains, and phase-out the Alternative Minimum Tax. Small businesses are the heart of job growth; raising taxes on them hurts every worker. John McCain’s opponent wants to increase the marginal income tax rate which applies to the nation’s 23 million small business owners who pay their taxes under the individual tax rate system.

Cut The Corporate Tax Rate From 35 To 25 Percent: A lower corporate tax rate is essential to keeping good jobs in the United States. America was once a low-tax business environment, but as our trade partners lowered their rates, America failed to keep pace. American workers deserve the chance to make fine products here and sell them around the globe.

Allow First-Year Deduction, Or “Expensing”, Of Equipment And Technology Investments: American workers need the finest technologies to compete. Expensing of equipment and technology will provide an immediate boost to capital expenditures and reward investments in cutting-edge technologies.

Establish Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D: This reform will greatly simplify the tax code, reward activity in the United States, and make us more competitive with other countries. A permanent credit will provide an incentive to innovate and remove uncertainty. At a time when our companies need to be more competitive, we need to provide a permanent incentive to innovate, and remove the uncertainty now hanging over businesses as they make R&D investment decisions.

Allow Families To Keep Their Businesses: John McCain proposes reducing the Estate Tax rate to 15 percent and permit a generous $10 million exemption.

Opening New Markets

John McCain believes that globalization is an opportunity for American workers today and in the future. Ninety-five percent of the world’s customers lie outside our borders and we need to be at the table when the rules for access to those markets are written. To do so, the U.S. should engage in multilateral, regional and bilateral efforts to reduce barriers to trade, level the global playing field and build effective enforcement of global trading rules.

Export growth is the strongest part of our sluggish economy, and we should be encouraging the growth of even more jobs in this sector through more free trade agreements which give American firms more access to sell our goods and services abroad.

John McCain Website

Sarah Palin – McCain’s VP

admin — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:54:44 +0000

In a total shocker, John McCain has picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Republican Vice Presidential Running Mate. I really have no idea how this is going to play out. It will greatly help McCain with the female vote ( Obviously ) but will it be enough to break the momentum Obama has gained after he wrecked it in Denver. Historically, I have always been a moderate (Leaning to the right because of fiscal responsibility) But clearly the base has disregarded all responsibility recently. I am so disenfranchised right now with all forms of politics. Who knows how this is going to play out. I honestly don’t think I have even heard of Sarah Palin before 30 minutes ago.

Here’s the official link

Meghan McCain – John McCains ‘Almost Famous’ Daughter

admin — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:25:27 +0000

man Meghan McCain is blowing it up. She’s using her dads popularity like an entrepreneur should… to her benefit. She has started a blog, is featured in GQ, and allegedly is working on some sort of Fashion. I always enjoy reading these types of Stories. It’s good seeing people using self promotion to generate attention, wealth, and interest.

For some reason i’m even oddly attracted to her.. I dont know if it is her self promotion antics, her republican fathers possible white house bid, or her hot billionaire mother. But something is definitely cool about this chick!

She even has a blog that you can see here

::UPDATE:: according to her bio, she has also worked for Newsweek and Saturday Night Live. This chick knows how to get it done