On Conventions and Campaigns

Well it seems that we're in the political convention phase of the election. Where all the Democrats gather together for a big pep rally behind their candidate for a week and then all the Republicans gather to do the same thing for their candidate. In theory this is where the candidates leave the generalities behind and get down to the meat of their plans for this country.

Right now the Democrats are getting ready to crown their king and hoist their war banners to carry their 'change' to the White House in November. They are, however, still a house divided with Obama and Clinton supporters sniping at each other as they point their fingers at McCain and sneer 'rich man' while watching images of Ted Kennedy on his yacht. (Not taking a shot at Kennedy here ... but the hypocrisy is so thick that it's blinding them.)

And Joe Biden for VP? Obama is trying to grasp on to his experience while he previously said that you did not need experience. Biden on the other hand is well known for saying that the office of the President was not one that you could learn on the job. Biden, like Obama is known to be a elegant speaker, but also like Obama he is known to not do well 'off the cuff' ... he is also known for being a left wing 'politics as usual' type of politician rather than an agent of 'change'.

Obama wants to let the generally called 'Bush' tax cuts expire, he has said that he wants to raise corporate taxes, he opposes new drilling, nuclear energy, and coal use, and he wants to increase spending on foreign aid and social programs (such as national health care and 'assistance' programs). The expiration of the tax cuts, and increase in corporate taxes, however, will not cover the costs of the programs that he supports, and when questioned about it had no answers as to where the additional money would come from.

When an interviewer mentioned the historical fact that every increase in taxes has resulted in lower federal taxes collected and a general slowdown in the economy and asked why Obama supported increasing taxes, Obama could only come up with 'to be more fair.'

Yes, it will be more fair .... more minimum wage employees will loose their jobs, unemployed people will have a harder time finding jobs. Yeah ... it will be fair, all right, as prices go up across the board to cover the increased corporate taxes, more companies will move out of the US in favor of countries like Ireland where the tax rate is already 20% lower than the US corporate rate as it stands. More foreign companies will be buying US companies (such as the sale of Anheuser-Busch in July to foreign InBev) and replacing management personnel with their own.

Certainly I don't claim that the Republicans have all the answers, Bush certainly allowed congress to dig this country deeper into debt.* They failed to effectively use their leverage in the first six years of "W"s Presidency to advance energy independence issues as well as Social Security and Tax reform. In part this was due to some of the dirty politics employed by the Democrats, but in general it was simply a lack of backbone on the part of the Republicans trying to 'reach across the aisle' to a party that wasn't reaching back.

McCain, however, has expressed a desire to lower the corporate tax rates, make the 'Bush' tax cuts permanent, and cut 'pork' out of the budget. All of which would be very good things, not just for the 'rich' but for pretty much every American in terms of better economic growth and jobs. Can he deliver on these if elected? I think he has as much chance as Obama does for a lot of it, and since cutting 'pork' can be achieved through Presidential Veto that is, at least, something he can control directly without having to have it passed through congress first.

So why are so many Americans bouncing up and down waving Obama posters? Basically, ignorance. Ignorance of economics, ignorance of capitalist free market, ignorance of history and general social ignorance. No ... I'm not an expert on any of those factors myself, but I recognize that and look for more information to learn something about them. Most Americans, however, do not.

Lets take Health Care for example ... most people, through lack of understanding, and emotion, have come to believe that the only way to fix the system is through government. They see the fact that most people cannot afford health care (or insurance) and they believe that the government should come in and 'fix' the problem.

Now ... aside from the fact that it's not the government's job to make sure people have health care ... and aside from the fact that there are several ways to 'fix' the system that actually involve LESS government instead of more ... let me just ask you one question: Name one thing that the government has done more efficiently than the private sector.

Seriously, when was the last time you heard someone say how efficient or helpful a government office was? When was the last time you heard about a government project coming in on time and under budget? Now how often do you hear about government waste and inefficiency? And people think that the government can manage Health care effectively? Most of these people will complain about the clerks at the tag office, or that the DOT doesn't know what the heck it's doing, but national health care ... THAT will be different.

No, no it won't, it will cost the tax payers of this country much much more than it will be worth and the quality of care provided will be less than we have now. It doesn't matter how many facts or how much logic or evidence you give to these people it won't make a bit of difference, because they have come to see it as their right ... they are entitled to health care dammit and the government should give it to them.

Well ... I got a bit sidetracked on this rant ... but I think that the general point is still there. Sadly I think that the entitlement mentality of this country has just about reached the point where national health care is pretty much inevitable, unfortunately once it gets established ... like any other government program ... we'll be unable to get rid of it.

*-I have been gathering info on an article about the national debt over the years and while "W" certain made things a lot worse it wasn't as rosy under Clinton as some people would have you believe.