Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The Obamafication of the Nation

A federal judge in Ohio has ruled that counties in that state must allow homeless voters to list park benches and other locations that aren't buildings as their addresses. What a quality turn out we're going to have on Tuesday!

Do you find it interesting that some people are already altering their behavior in anticipation of a win by the Democrats next Tuesday?
Here’s one example:

The owner of the Miami Dolphins is trying to sell part of his share of the team…and now wants to speed up the process because he believes a Barack Obama administration means higher capital-gains taxes.

Wayne Huizenga believes an Obamafied tax structure would double the capital gains tax…and with The Obamarator already taking measurements for drapes in the Oval Office, Huizenga can't close the deal fast enough.

Stephen Ross purchased 50% of the team and Dolphin Stadium for $550 million earlier this year, with the intention to eventually become majority owner. NFL owners blessed that deal earlier this month, clearing the way for it to take place anytime.

The Obamanites are disputing Huizenga's figures, saying the candidate's plans are to raise the capital gains tax maximum from 15% to only 20% – only a 33% increase, not double. And the top rate would be for families earning more than $250,000, or individuals earning more than $200,000.

Glad we got that cleared up.
Cheez, Huizenga, you'd complain if they hung you with a new rope.

I tell you, this whole election is making me crankier and crankier each day.
I have a friend in Central Texas who has gone off the deep end, and is telling everyone to pay off EVERYTHING, stock up on non-perishable food, and load up with plenty of ammo for protection against the collapse of society as we know it.

Okay, the "get out of debt" part I totally agree with, but the rest of it...
This is a perfectly rational woman I have known since Junior High School.
How did we get to the point where people are turning to vigilantism in anticipation of the outcome of a Presidential election?

There are people now determining their vote based upon who the Vice President will be, because of a fear that neither presidential candidate will live out their term.
That’s just sad.

The final straw is tonight’s half-hour info-mercial by the Obamalites, which will cut into most prime-time programming, including the World Series.
Only ABC is refusing to interrupt its line up to play the ad.
Good for them.

If it were a meaningful debate, that would be one thing.
This is a 30-minute commercial.
Give me a break.

Hey, remember this is all being made possible by all that money that Sen. Obama first promised you he would not tap into, relying instead upon public funding of his campaign. He's not even in the White House, and can't keep his word to the American public.

Hmmm...on second thought vigilantism doesn't seem so outrageous...

I do believe that there need to be some fundamental changes in the way the country operates…and I think you’re going to see that begin to trickle into the outlands.

It would be nice, for example, if Congress got on the same kind of retirement plan the rest of us are facing; there’s an ice cube’s chance in hell of them ever extending to the rest of us the kind of retirement plan Congress has prepared for itself.

Here’s a thought for you: how well do you believe your congressman can represent you—can relate to what you’re going through—when two thirds of our Senators are millionaires, and the collective wealth of Congress grew 13% last year?

Isn’t it ironic that the wage/income/wealth gap argument is never applied to these guys?
In a piece published yesterday by the McClatchy Newspapers, it is noted that “nearly two of every three senators are millionaires."
That includes both presidential candidates.

In the House, 39% of all members belong to the exclusive Millionaire- club.
Only 1% of all Americans are considered millionaires.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, most members of Congress enjoy a comfortable cushion upon which to ride out any recession. Their median net worth is $746,000.
The report reveals California Rep. Jane Harman is at the top of the heap with a net worth of $397 million. She probably needs to make that much to afford to live in California, but still, that's pretty extreme.

Also from the Shaky State, checking in at Number-two, Rep. Darrell Issa, with $343 million, and North Carolina's Rep. Robin Hayes is a distant third, with $173.4 million in net worth.

Our own Congressman Michael McCaul checks in at $64-million.

I am not critical of the ability of anyone to make a good living. There is, however, a bit of an eye-brow raiser in the fact that most of these guys are getting richer and richer and their feathered nests are becoming plumper and plumper while most of America is in the throes of an economic recession, and facing higher taxes and higher costs of living as the result of a Congress that has essentially failed in its duty to serve.

No wonder they don't get it when we kick and scream about raising taxes and wealth redistribution. No skin of their nose with that kind of cash floating around. Their perspective is considerably skewed when viewed from atop a pile of money.

By the way—here’s a question that no one is answering as the election campaigns grind on and on about taxes going up for the Rich or not raising them for the Middle Class.
What line of demarcation defines “rich?”
What defines “middle Class.”

Sorry if I am a bit cranky this morning.
I ran out of Five-hour Energy Drink, and the 24-hour Walgreens near my house is no longer operating overnights.

Maybe that’s the first sign of change we’re going to be seeing—fewer businesses open 24-hours, 7-days a week: Chick-Fil-A already closes down on Sundays—which I have no problem with--and they seem to be surviving just fine.

Might we see more of a return to a 6-day work week by more businesses in the future?

It won’t be for a lack of work to do, but a need to curtail the expense of employees operating 7-days a week. If taxes go up on the very ones who are operating businesses--from people who run NFL Teams, to mom-and-pop grocery stores--I guarantee there will be some huge shifts in the way we live.


Anonymous said...

C'mon Brent. Chick-Fil-A doesn't close down on Sundays. They've never been open on Sundays due to their religious convictions. Kind of a stretch IMHO.

I remember hearing the same economic doomsday predictions when Clinton was elected. All I know is, I was better off under Clinton than W.

Brent Clanton said...

You are correct, A. Nony Mous. The sentance was written poorly, and I have clarified my point to express more accurately that Chick-Fil-A isn't losing business or going bust because they operate six days a week, pausing on the Sabbath.

If you were better off under Pres. Clinton, it was because he saw the light half way through his term and eased up on us. I was not; his tax policies cost me money--and I was not then, nor am I now, "rich."