85% of small businesses that make $250k or less have no or 1 employee. This type of tax increase lowers the incentive to increase the size of the business, therefore jobs are not created and we the majority suffer.

But now that the ratio between the top earners and lowest earners is more like 200:1 or even 300:1, these arguments fall apart.

If we stay on this path, we will increasingly become a nation of the super-rich and the dirt poor, with a very small middle class between. Or, at some point, we will end up with another revolution or authoritarian leadership, or both.

The better path is a logarithmic progressive tax, that doesn’t stifle entrepreneurship and creativity, but does bring the earnings ratios back closer and stimulates the growth of the middle class.

Step 2- Blame every thing you did wrong, intentional or not, on said President as his reputation is going in the tank.

Step 3- Tie any rival of your goals to said President to put rivals reputation in the tank also.

Step 4- Parade out your narcissistic ‘messiah’ to convince ordinary people that only he can solve the problems. Back it up with already indoctrinated liberals that are so called “educated”. Sprinkle in some hollywood kooks for those that might be star struck and can not quite differentiate the reality of actors playing “roles” of smart, always has the answer kind of characters, not who they really are.

RESULT – A confused and deeply divided populace that can not, nor will not, see the danger standing before them pretending to be their “hope”. When the 2nd Amendment is deemed unconstitutional, as it must be to finalize the true agenda, this Nation will either fall into socialism, or another Revolution will take place. Neither one will be good.

Think about it, just look how Obama’s economic advisers, CEOs Franklin Raines and James Johnson, ran Fannie and Freddie into the ground. This whilst forcing more debt, in the trillions, upon tax payers meaning higher taxes for Americans.

The Democrat controlled congress just helped in causing this financial meltdown. Before the Democrats controlled congress the US economy was strong, but ever since then the economy has been heading downwards.

The Democrats control all branches of government except the executive branch. Do we really need more of the same Democrat agenda? Do Americans really want more socialism that creates bigger government, more government spending, and higher taxes that ultimately gives more control of government over the people??

How often do you think a lawyer turn preacher politician lies? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMUgNg7aD8M

At least ‘executive’ and the half-point for ‘military’ in Palin’s column gave me a giggle. It will be interesting once Palin moves on from the JV interview with Gibson to a Varsity level interview on MTP to hear they way the campaign spins her experience.

I personally think you should have given her 3/4 of a point for foreign policy, being that Alaska is close to Russia. That would make her the most experienced candidate on the ticket and perhaps best qualified to be the next president of the United States.

Obama’s interview by O’Reilly looked pretty good to me.

Historical setting of Obama’s 8/23 speech

You did mean to make this comment about the RNC didn’t you? I mean, they are the ones that kill their own when they speak out against MadManMcCain. Like the 8 Repug Senators that are skipping the RNC convention because the don’t agree with the old goat.

Get serious will you?

I just don’t get it. I mean, I don’t assume Obama is a male incarnation of Hillary Clinton just because they agreed on most every material policy issue raised during their primary battle (and thus, had to resort to name-calling on the immaterial issues). Nor do I presume that McCain is W. Redux just because he has some things in common with Bush. Instead, where Obama is like Hillary in ways that I don’t like, it will count against him in my eyes come election day. And where McCain is like Bush in ways I don’t like, it too will be counted in the negative on Nov. 4.

Rather engaging in all this guilt by association crap, why don’t people just judge the candidates on who they really are and where they really stand? Am I asking too much of our political process? Probably.

Thankfully, there’s only about 75 days left until all this is over. For sanity’s sake, I plan on tuning out 90 percent of what I see and hear from either side until we get inside the final 30 of them.

The challenge in running against Obama is the very reason he was criticized, first by Clinton, and now by McCain – his charisma. Even the most adamant of the GOP would begrudgingly admit Senator Obama has an appeal that on a very superficial level exceeds that of Senator McCain, just as it did of Clinton. Going after that appeal and trying to label it as vacuous immediately moves from a discussion of political issues to a moment of personal attack. Obama’s charisma is a part of who he is and anyone who wants to attempt to use that against him will run the risk of coming across as negative.

It would be fine to highlight Obama’s style and oratory skills offhandedly while addressing real platform and substantive issues but I think that a direct attack on Obama’s appeal or popularity tends to backfire.

Not that I am in the business of giving McCain advice…

Excuse the rant, but when someone says we have no capabilities as far as resources go, I feel that I need to explain. We have the resources, we just don’t use them. And yes, I agree that we need to invest into long term energy solutions that are permanent and environmentally friendly. Even our shale reserves will expire eventually, and I’m not for pollution or harming the environment in any way.

I’m not 100% sold on off-shore drilling, but it most certainly should be on the table- not ignored as some Democrats would have us to do.

Thank you, and might I say, that although this is my first comment, I thoroughly enjoy reading this blog. Thumbs up

Off shore drilling may not be the final answer but we have leaps and bounds to get to where we need to be and in the interm oil will be required, anything to help the American people during this interm should be explored.

And this is quite apart from the facts that (1) lower demand is good for the planet, (2) new drilling won’t bring new supply for several years, and (3) there are still frequent off-shore oil spills, even with dramatic technological improvements.

Sorry, just my humble opinion. Don’t let today’s gas prices and political posturing divert you from the fact that the entire system of where we get our energy needs to be changed.

There is a reason we are seeing more and more entertainment and ’soft’ news on the front page of CNN – people find it interesting. Likewise, there was a reason news outlets were rushing to follow Obama overseas rather than tour around McCain and his ‘Woe is me’ Express – people were curious. A viable non-white presidential candidate from arguably the most powerful nation in the world visiting France, Germany, England and the Middle East has piqued people’s interest.

Let’s be frank, we live in a superficial world. Compound that with the fact those using the web as a primary means of news gathering are generally a slightly younger demographic than those relying on traditional media. A young, attractive and charismatic candidate will appeal to more people than the older Senator from Arizona. The news media is a business, selling advertising, driving traffic and trying to capture a wide audience. They will promote what sells.

Bill Clinton remains more popular than John McCain and so we are likely to see him more in headlines on the web than we are McCain. There was the Hillary vs Barack drama – your average Joe likes drama. Essentially, the media outlets will give us what we tell them to, which also means there is great interest in Obama.

Nevertheless, it was a very interesting read and gave me something to think about.

It is not a debate about age, it is a debate about inexperience.

Tom Humes

Just shows how entirely out to lunch they are…and, of course, they want gas prices to remain high…first to help them get elected in November, then to help them force all of us on to busses…while the rich, liberal elite – naturally – continues to drive private cars to places the busses don’t go (for environmental reasons, natch’).

Prices of crude oil and gasoline have gone down in the wake of President Bush’s rescinding of the executive moratorium on increased drilling. So what do the Dems propose? A ten-cent-per-gallon tax increase!

Birds of a feather, and all that.