A Review Of Last Night’s Debate

Last night’s presidential debate was one of the most polite and civil debates that I have ever seen.  I commend both Sens. McCain and Obama for being able to balance healthy competition and civility.  Likewise, Jim lehrer should be commended for moderating such a great debate.

I think that Sen. McCain won the debate by default, but Sen. Obama certainly didn’t lose.  You can’t fault McCain’s performance at all, and the only thing that Obama did wrong was agree with McCain about ten times.  In a debate, that tatic causes you to lose credibility.  Sen. McCain didn’t yield to Obama’s arguments at all, and that is the only reason why he won the debate.

The debate, although being very professional, was for the most part uneventful.  Everyone knew what each candidate was going to say before they said it.  That’s the problem with good debates, they don’t give much to write about.

Gov. Huckabee Speaks Out

I first saw this on Kevin Tracy, but this was just too exciting for a Huckabee supporter not to post. It looks like Gov. Huckabee is the only former Republican presidential candidate who is actually speaking out against his party on the new socialist Wall Street bailout. Gov. Huckabee is standing on conservative principles and speaking the truth. Ironically, the same people who were calling Gov. Huckabee a economic liberal are the ones who aren’t saying anything about the largest expansion of the federal government since the New Deal. Read what Gov. Huckabee had to say.

Frankly, I’m disappointed and disgusted with my own Republican party as I watch them attempt to strong-arm a bailout of some of America’s biggest corporations by asking the taxpayers to suck up the staggering results of the hubris, greed, and arrogance of those who sought to make a quick buck by throwing the dice. They lost, but want the rest of us to cover their bets so they won’t be effected in their lavish lifestyles as they figure out how to spend their tens of millions and in some cases, hundreds of millions in bonuses and compensation which was their reward for not only sinking their companies, but basically doing the same to the entire American economy.

It’s especially disconcerting to see the very people who pilloried me during the Presidential campaign for being a “populist” and not “understanding Wall Street” to now line up like thirsty dogs at the Washington, D. C. water dish, otherwise known as Congress, and plead for help. I thought these guys were the smartest people in America! I thought that taxpayers like you and I were similar to the people at the U. N. who have no translator speaking into their headset – that we just needed to trust those that I called the power bunch in the “Wall Street to Washington axis of power.”

The idea of a government bailout in which we’d entrust $700 billion to one man without Congressional oversight or accountability is absurd. My party or not, that is insanity and I believe unconstitutional.

Will there be far-reaching consequences without some intervention? Probably, but we honestly don’t know since we’ve really never seen this level of greed and stupidity all rolled into one massive move. But may I suggest that letting “Uncle Sugar” step in and bail out the billionaires who made the mess will be far worse and will start a long line of companies and individuals who will demand the same of the government—which last time I checked means that they will be demanding it out of YOU and ME. This is not money that Congress is risking from THEIR pockets or future, but ours. Many if not most of us have already experienced lost value on our homes, retirement accounts, and pensions. Now they’d like for us to assume some further risks so they won’t have to.

What happened to the “free market” idea? Is that only our view when we WIN and when we LOSE, we ask the government to come in and take away the pain?

If you are a small business owner, is this the way it works at your place? When you have a bad month, a bad year, or face having to close, can you go up to Congress and get them to write YOU a fat check to take away your risk?

Some of what contributed to this disaster is too much government in the form of Sarbanes/Oxley. Some is due to the tax structure that created the hunger for companies to “game” the system. Some is the common sense that was ignored like loaning money to people who can’t pay it back.

Wall Street has become Las Vegas east, but at least in Vegas, people KNOW they are gambling and they don’t expect the government to cover their losses at the tables. In Wall Street, they do. And the American taxpayer burdens the responsibility.

If Congress wants to do something, here are some suggestions:

1. Eliminate ALL capital gains taxes and taxes on savings and dividends right now. Free up the capital and encourage investment. This is the kind of economic stimulus the Fair Tax would bring and if Congress is going to lose money, let them lose it with lower taxes, not with public dollar bailouts of private market mistakes.

1. Repeal Sarbanes/Oxley. It has failed. It was supposed to prevent this. It didn’t. Kill it.

3. Demand that the executives who steered their ships into the ground be forced to pay back the losses of their companies. Of course, they can’t, so let them work and give back to the government and they can live like the people they put on the streets or kept there. It makes no sense to put them in jail—that’s just more they will cost you and me. I’d rather them go out and earn money—just not get to keep so much of it this time. I’m not talking about limiting CEO salaries—just those of the people who now are up in Washington begging for help because they ruined their companies.

Attempts by Democrats and Republicans to blame each other is nonsense. They are both guilty and ought to own up and admit it. They all lived off big campaign contributions and the swill of the lobbyists who strong armed them into permission to steal. Enough of blame. Fix it!

This would be a start. If we don’t hold these guys responsible, we are all finished.

This makes me extremely proud to have supported Gov. Huckabee during the primaries. I voted for Gov. Huckabee because I knew that he was the sort of leader who would speak out against something like this. It’s important for a leader to have a clear moral compass, and Gov. Huckabee has that.

Well done Gov. Huckabee!!

Two Lefts Don’t Make A Right…On Wall Street.

I’m not claiming to be an expert on economics, but it seems to me that neither Barack Obama, nor John McCain have any idea about what is causing this week’s economic meltdown on Wall Street. It is clear, however, that both of the candidates are going to squeeze as much as they can out of the situation for political gain. To do so will however prove to be futile, because economics and politics clearly don’t mix.

You can’t motivate anyone with a speech on economic policy, and no memorable sound bite can capture what is wrong with the stock market. In fact, I would venture that most Americans would prefer to hear their candidates make unfair judgments about each others character than hearing them debate on economic policy.

However, due to the recent chaos, (i.e, the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Bros., and AIG bailouts.), the economy has once again become the most important issue in this election. Both Sens. McCain and Obama have called for strict government regulation for Wall Street’s investing practices, and additionally both candidates have spoken out against taxpayer funded federal bailouts for investment firms. Beyond these somewhat obvious conclusions, neither candidate offers much substance in solving this economic crisis.

Barack Obama, in particular, has taken a predictable and completely irrelevant approach in explaining this week’s dive; to quote, “What we’ve seen in the last few days is nothing less than the final verdict on an economic policy that has completely failed.”

Does Sen. Obama actually expect voters to believe that the consequences of bad decision making by consumers, investors, and mortgage lenders should be directly attributed to George Bush’s tax policy? I hope not. With Sen. Obama offering no real solutions, he seems to be politicizing the issue by feeding off the emotions of the thousands of middle class Americans who are small investors. Frankly, I’m embarrassed for any voter who is persuaded by this irreverent politicking.

John McCain, on the other hand, doesn’t do much better. In typical McCain fashion, he makes sense of the situation by finding an antagonist. While campaigning Tuesday, he said, “We are going to put an end to the reckless conduct, corruption, and unbridled greed that have caused a crisis on Wall Street.”

Sen. McCain is correct in his motive, but the answer to reforming Wall Street doesn’t begin with government regulation. The toughest reformer of all is the fundamental nature of the free market. As harsh as it may sound, consumers and investors who make bad decisions must face the consequences of their actions. To think or act otherwise is economically and morally irresponsible.

Truthfully, I’d like to hear the candidates promote personal financial responsibility. The American economy will only be truly successful when citizens collectively decide to stop living beyond their means.

Whatever Happened To Objective News Coverage?

Recently, I have been extremely reluctant to watch election coverage from any of the major news media outlets. However, this is not to say that I haven’t tried to give the main-stream media the benefit of the doubt. I am usually, albeit, naively prone to assume that the main-stream media’s job is to provide objective coverage and commentary of current events. Unfortunately however, when I have recently acted on these assumptions, I have either ended up turning the T.V off, or walking out of the room.

Don’t get me wrong, I have always known that nearly all major news networks are biased in some way. It’s just that ever since Sarah Palin’s introduction unto the national stage, there has been no effort to present election news in an objective manner at all.

I don’t think that it is necessary for me to point out that Sarah Palin has been subjected to a brand of scrutiny and interrogation that Barack Obama never had to encounter. Not only that, but the McCain campaign in general is being unfairly judged and critiqued by the press. For example, the Washington Post’s E.J Dionne Jr. recently said, “ The (McCain) campaign is a blur of flying pieces of junk, lipstick, and gutter style attacks…McCain has shown that he wants the presidency so badly that he’s willing to say anything, true or false, to win power.”

Wow. We could have really used Mr. Dionne’s enlightened reporting during the Clinton Administration.

It’s no secret that the news media has been giving Sen. Obama their adoration for months now, but to quote Sen.Obama himself, “Enough is enough.” The main-stream media needs to do something before they lose all their credibility with the American people. Voters aren’t so stupid as to realize that when Obama’s experience is questioned, it’s called, “gutter style attacks”, but when Sarah Palin’s family and faith is scrutinized, it’s calmly referred to as, “questions that need to be answered.”

Quite frankly, I’m tired of all news networks with political agendas. The left side is obviously lead by MSNBC, CNN, and all the major news networks, while the right side is lead by FOX News, which claims to be “fair and balanced.” I’m just left wondering when news networks decided to trade their reporters for political suckers.

In the midst of my disgust, I find myself thankful that I don’t rely on any of these networks to educate me about what should be my political philosophy. If someone would just report the news, then no one else would have to either.

The Political Fall Of Barack Obama

Like many historic political figures, Barack Obama’s greatest moment occurred right before his inevitable decline.  Two weeks ago, Sen. Obama made history by being the first African American Presidential nominee of a major political party.  Before a packed stadium, and on an elaborate stage styled by Greek Mythology, Sen. Obama told Americans that anything is possible in this great country, that we as a people can do anything, and that he was living proof of this truth.

I’m proud to live in a country where something like this can happen.  All Americans should be proud.  In the words of Gov. Mike Huckabee, “Party or politics aside, we celebrate this milestone because it elevates us as a country.“  Gov. Huckabee was right to commend Sen. Obama for his accomplishment.

However, the next morning an even greater accomplishment of sen. Obama’s became apparent when his opponent, Sen. John McCain, chose Sarah Palin as his vice presidential nominee.   With all the attention and adulation directed elsewhere, it became apparent that Sen. Obama had rooted and grown his amazing campaign on two very shallow things, personality and media coverage.  Never before in a campaign had the difference between adulation and achievement been so great, and never before had thousands of democrats hit themselves in the head so hard at the same time.

In the few weeks that have followed, it has become glaringly obvious that the Democratic Party chose the wrong person to be their presidential nominee.  They could have had the popular, pragmatic liberalism of Hillary Clinton, but instead they got an inexperienced U.S Senator who is barely halfway through his first term of office.

Adding to the Democratic problem was the selection of Joe Biden as the party’s VP nominee.  Initially, Sen. Biden appeared to be the working class balance to Obama’s Ivy league appeal, however, the Democrats really got someone who reminds most people of a used car salesman with amnesia.

Political gravity is inevitable. What goes up, must come down.  However, if Sen. Obama’s ship could rise for a year, than maybe John McCain and Sarah Palin can stay on top for seven weeks.

We Will Not Falter, We Will Not Fail

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was a 6th Grade student at Parkway Central Middle School in Chesterfield, Missouri. I didn’t learn of the attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon until around 1:00 in the afternoon. Obviously, like everyone else, that day was a day of shock and confusion for me. I remember being particularly shocked that Terrorists were able to attack the most important building in the U.S military. The most remembered attack was in New York, but for someone who was just hearing about it, I was shocked about the Pentagon.

I especially remember the spirit of unity among Americans during the days after 9/11. Americans united around a common leader, and a common goal. I’m not sure that I will ever truly see a United States Of America again, but I was lucky, at least for a time, to experience how unified the American people can be.

The true legacy of 9/11 can only be fulfilled if we bring those responsible for the attacks to justice. On this seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, we must not forget that Osama Bin laden, and Al Qaeda in general , is still at large. We must bring those responsible to justice. Never again will we allow an attack on our liberty and well being. Let us never forget.

Right About The Surge

Surge in the polls, that is.  As of today, Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin are leading their Democratic Counterparts by ten points nationally, according to the latest Gallup/USA Today poll.   We are one week out of the Republican National Convention, and the McCain/Palin campaign has now done what formerly looked to be impossible; to take away the “change” theme, and much less the momentum, from Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

When Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate, I foresaw the effect that it could potentially make on the dynamics of the campaign.  For a campaign that prided itself on defying conventional thinking, Obama took the safe and predictable road by choosing Joe Biden as his VP nominee.  This mistake left the McCain campaign with an opportunity to upstage the Democrats, and they did.

On April 11, I endorsed Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as my preferred choice for the VP slot on the Republican ticket.  I argued that Gov. Palin would bring freshness and a sense of reform to the ticket, thus improving its chances to win in November.  I wasn’t feeling very hopeful for a McCain/Palin ticket afterwords, but I stuck by my conclusion that Gov. Palin was still the best choice.

The addition of Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket has dynamically changed the political landscape in America.  It has been successfully illustrated that our nation’s best chance for a fundamental change in Washington lies in voting for the McCain/Palin ticket.

I wasn’t going to take credit for being right, but I felt compelled to when I saw Bill Kristol say “I told you so” on Fox News Sunday.  If he can take credit for something he said in June, than I thought I should let everyone know that I called it in April.

Well, The polls are in favor of McCain/Palin, and I was right.