My faith in America is renewed.
Thank you.
(and na na na na na).
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Obama Assassination Plot Foiled or College Students Lives Saved? You be the judge!
Great, way to go! Whoppee! Here's your pat on the back. (Really, I think it's great that the ATF stopped it. . .)
But isn't the real story that the ATF was able to save the lives of over one hundred college students a bigger deal?!?
"In court records unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Tenn., federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school in a murder spree that was to begin in Tennessee. Agents said the skinheads did not identify the school by name.
Jim Cavanaugh, special agent in charge of ATF's Nashville field office, said the two men planned to kill 88 African Americans, including 14 by beheading. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the white supremacist community."
Every president in recent history has had an attempt on his life. The VAST majority have been unsuccessful. However with the increasing number of shootings on college campuses, including the one in Arkansas over the weekend, this story should be a discussion of how to keep our young adults safe and what makes colleges such an ideal target.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidential_assassination_attempts
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27405681/
PS - Go Obama!
But isn't the real story that the ATF was able to save the lives of over one hundred college students a bigger deal?!?
"In court records unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Tenn., federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school in a murder spree that was to begin in Tennessee. Agents said the skinheads did not identify the school by name.
Jim Cavanaugh, special agent in charge of ATF's Nashville field office, said the two men planned to kill 88 African Americans, including 14 by beheading. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the white supremacist community."
Every president in recent history has had an attempt on his life. The VAST majority have been unsuccessful. However with the increasing number of shootings on college campuses, including the one in Arkansas over the weekend, this story should be a discussion of how to keep our young adults safe and what makes colleges such an ideal target.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidential_assassination_attempts
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27405681/
PS - Go Obama!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The Republican Campaign Against *GASP* COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS!
Duh, Duh Duh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I should start this post by mentioning that the proudest moment of my life thus far was election day 2004, when my staff and I helped turn out 45,000 people to vote in Flint, MI on election day. It was record breaking, it was ground breaking, it was inspirational - and it was all because I worked for ACORN / Project Vote. Therefore, I am heated and angry and offended and venting - so forgive my imperfect grammar in this rant because I am too angry over this topic to speak clearly.
I guess we should have seen this coming back in September at the Republican Convention when everyone mocked Obama for being a "Community Organizer." For Republicans it was a "Stop the Presses! He was what . . . no he couldn't be . . .not one of them . . . not a Community Organizer." The build up and the reaction from the right made me wonder if Community Organizer was synonomous for Child Molestor, Raper, Murderer, or as they want you to think, Muslim Terrorist.
According to Wikipedia, a Community Organizer is " process by which people living in proximity to each other, are brought together by an organizationto act in their common self-interest." According the Right Wing Media, us Organizers are socialists, anti-establishment, and fraudulent. So let's clear the air here from someone who not only talked the talk, but walked the walk.
1. Red States charge ACORN every 4 years of Voter Registration Fraud. The fact is, it's a double edged sword. In Nevada, where this years craziness is happening voter reg drive organizations are required, I repeat, required, to submit every card they receive. They are also required to notify the feds of suspected fradulent cards (as they submit them). As we will eventually see when noone is paying attention to this story anymore, is that ACORN Nevada did that, several times. They complied with the FEC, even asked for a meeting with them when they saw their own suspicions were not being followed up on. But that's not what we're hearing about. We're hearing about the evils of wanting to encourage participation on election day. We're hearing suspicions of people who are afraid Democrats will vote then hop back in line and do it again. It is the Voter Reg's job to complete the cards. It is the ciy/county clerks job to make sure everyone is registered correctly and to administer elections correctly. Any voter fraud of the type being alleged would be to blame of the city clerks - not the voter reg's.
And have we all forgotten the Voter Registration Purging that happened in Florida in 2000? Where was all of this outrage then? Right!
2. Alegedly Obama's campaign donated money to ACORN. Well, first I have yet to hear whether or not that is illegal and secondly, if it isn't - who cares? Project Vote is a 501(c)(3). What that means is you can register people to vote, but under NO circumstances can you tell them who to vote for. Do you know what it's like to register people to vote with the last name of BUSH in 2004? Trust me, ACORN enforces this law. And I'm not hearing of complaints that Project Vote was encouraging Obama votes, just registering people in their target communities.
3. Let's talk about the Communities. ACORN is the nation's largest grassroots community organization. They are basically a very large and powerful neighborhood watch. They are primarily funded by their membership dues ($10/month) and their organizers have mandated salaries based on seniority. I made 23,000 annually when I worked for them in 2004. The COO (Cheif Organizing Officer) can only make 3x what the entry level salary is. So in 2004, Wade earned approximately 69,000. Let's see a Corporation place such a strict earning cap on their top officers.
Let's talk about what ACORN does? When I was there we educated members about predatory lending (What? Predatory lending? You mean the stuff that's all over the news that led us into this fincancial crisis? But ACORN is evil, how did they know?), we fought the City of Detroit to enforce it's Living Wage promise for contractors, we registered 150,000 some people in Michigan to vote and hired thousands to canvass. Many of the canvassers are otherwise unemployable. Their addresses are homeless shelters, or someone elses home they are borrowing a couch from. They didn't graduate HS or obtain their GED. They are on probation and restarting their life. They are single moms who have a hard time finding a job and raising children. And canvassing helped them become employable. They had steady income, they had references, they learned job skills and improved their communication skills. Two of my top canvassers, turned orgainzers are still leading the cause in Flint, MI today. One became a manager at McDonalds. They were able to move on to bigger and better things. Not all, but many, and that is something to be proud of.
So what else has ACORN done? Let's check out their website www.acorn.org:
Affordable Housing: ACORN is working to make affordable housing available so people in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods can be homeowners. ACORN members demand more rehabilitation programs aimed at developing affordable housing and increased production of affordable housing.
Better Schools: All children deserve a quality education. The better their education is the more likely they will be able to enjoy a great quality of life. Parents' hard earned tax dollars are used to finance the public school system so their offspring should reap the benefits. ACORN members have been working to implement a platform to improve the quality of public schools.
Fair Housing: ACORN Fair Housing is a federally funded program through the Office of Housing and Urban Development’s(HUD) Fair Housing Initiatives Program ( FHIP) grant. It is our mission to prevent and eliminate discriminatory housing practices. ACORN Fair Housing Organization works to ensure equal housing opportunity by providing a variety of services through outreach, education and enforcement.
ACORN Fair Housing, while an independent organization , has it’s beginnings as part of ACORN, a 38 year old community activist organization.
Fair Tax Fees:For the last two years ACORN members have been waging a campaign against Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs). RALs are short-term loans with triple-digit interest rates that are marketed extremely aggressively to low-income families. Customers are often charged over $150, on top of the regular tax prep fees, just get to their own tax dollars back a week or so faster than they otherwise would.
ACORN’s campaign has attacked RALs in several ways, such as directly targeting tax preparers to change their practices, conducting door-to-door outreach to warn families about the high costs of RALs, operating VITA sites which offer free tax preparation, and working for legislation on the city, state, and federal level to protect consumers.
Foreclosures:Predatory lending has ignited a wildfire of foreclosures across the United States.
Foreclosures don’t just hurt individuals and families, they hurt entire neighborhoods and communities, leaving homes abandoned and vulnerable to vagrancy and crime.
No other organization has fought harder to increase access to credit for low-income and minority families than ACORN, but predatory lending is threatening to reverse the progress we have made. Beginning in the 1980s, ACORN fought against redlining and discrimination and for greater community investment. ACORN Housing was founded to provide free education and counseling to help low-income people become homeowners.
Gulf Coast Recovery:Hurricane Katrina's winds had hardly subsided before ACORN began organizing New Orleaneans to rebuild their beloved city on their own terms. Today, ACORN's national headquarters in New Orleans houses more staffers than ever and ACORN members are fighting to ensure the city's recovery. Though thousands of Katrina survivors are still displaced, the last year has seen a series of significant wins for ACORN in New Orleans and the struggle continues to fully resurrect the Crescent City.
Healthcare:Some 45 million people across the U.S. have no health insurance, with many more lacking adequate coverage. ACORN members are working to achieve affordable health care for all. Work is currently underway to get more hospitals to institute “charity care," or free care, programs and discounts. These policies can eliminate or reduce, hospital bills for families with low-and-moderate incomes. They often suffer from being uninsured or underinsured.
Immigration:The signs displayed in last year’s immigration marches said it so powerfully: We are America.
Immigrants care about their communities, their families and the future of the United States. They hope to achieve the American Dream. Because of their strong desire to become Americans, immigrants in 2006 joined rallies, marches and vigils all across the United States.
Living Wage:ACORN’s 2006 election campaign, "Raise the Minimum Wage," represented unprecedented victory for working families.
May 24, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 348-73 to approve a measure raising the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over the next three years. The Senate approved the increase, giving low-wage workers their first boost in a decade.
Paid Sick Days:Most people believe that U.S. workers have the right to paid sick days, yet according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost half of full-time, private-sector workers have no sick days at all. Government data also shows a national trend toward a reduction in paid sick days.
Workers need about seven sick days each year to manage their own health care. But for almost half of U.S. employees, the absence of sick pay is likely to cause them loss of income, a job or advancement, says the National Partnership for Women & Families.
Predatory Lending:Predatory lenders target low-income and minority homebuyers, capitalizing on buyers’ lack of understanding of the complicated transactions or use outright deception to close loans that inevitably lead to a loss of equity or foreclosure.
ACORN strives to end abuses by actively putting pressure on predatory lending offenders and advocating for legislation, regulation, education and research to end abusive lending practices.
Utilities:ACORN won reforms of utilities service practices nationwide in 2006, which helped low-income customers pay their bills and avoid service disruptions.
ACORN is working to impose moratoriums on shutoffs, so that families are not left without heat in winter nor refrigeration in summer. We are negotiating programs to create lower rates and delay payments for low-income families.
ACORN opposes deregulation efforts and works to lessen the impact on consumers when deregulation occurs.
Voter Engagement:Registering to vote is one of the first steps toward becoming a full participant in American democracy and a citizen who can influence change in a community. ACORN members and workers go door to door in low- and moderate income neighborhoods, approach people at shopping centers, grocery stores, and libraries, and visit high schools to talk to voting-age seniors because ACORN wants as many people as possible to participate in the democratic process.
ACORN has helped more than 1.68 million citizens to register to vote in past registration drives leading up to the 2004 and 2006 elections. For the 2008 election, ACORN intends to help 1.2 million people register to vote in 26 states across the country. We have already reached 177,000 registrations in 2007 and 2008 in what will be the largest, non-partisan voter registration effort in U.S. history.
And not to mention the smaller victories, the stop sign and speed bump on the corner that everyone runs. The fixed streetlight that was out for years. Destroying the abadoned home where children were raped.
Evil? Maybe if you don't care about the people, John McCain.
I should start this post by mentioning that the proudest moment of my life thus far was election day 2004, when my staff and I helped turn out 45,000 people to vote in Flint, MI on election day. It was record breaking, it was ground breaking, it was inspirational - and it was all because I worked for ACORN / Project Vote. Therefore, I am heated and angry and offended and venting - so forgive my imperfect grammar in this rant because I am too angry over this topic to speak clearly.
I guess we should have seen this coming back in September at the Republican Convention when everyone mocked Obama for being a "Community Organizer." For Republicans it was a "Stop the Presses! He was what . . . no he couldn't be . . .not one of them . . . not a Community Organizer." The build up and the reaction from the right made me wonder if Community Organizer was synonomous for Child Molestor, Raper, Murderer, or as they want you to think, Muslim Terrorist.
According to Wikipedia, a Community Organizer is " process by which people living in proximity to each other, are brought together by an organizationto act in their common self-interest." According the Right Wing Media, us Organizers are socialists, anti-establishment, and fraudulent. So let's clear the air here from someone who not only talked the talk, but walked the walk.
1. Red States charge ACORN every 4 years of Voter Registration Fraud. The fact is, it's a double edged sword. In Nevada, where this years craziness is happening voter reg drive organizations are required, I repeat, required, to submit every card they receive. They are also required to notify the feds of suspected fradulent cards (as they submit them). As we will eventually see when noone is paying attention to this story anymore, is that ACORN Nevada did that, several times. They complied with the FEC, even asked for a meeting with them when they saw their own suspicions were not being followed up on. But that's not what we're hearing about. We're hearing about the evils of wanting to encourage participation on election day. We're hearing suspicions of people who are afraid Democrats will vote then hop back in line and do it again. It is the Voter Reg's job to complete the cards. It is the ciy/county clerks job to make sure everyone is registered correctly and to administer elections correctly. Any voter fraud of the type being alleged would be to blame of the city clerks - not the voter reg's.
And have we all forgotten the Voter Registration Purging that happened in Florida in 2000? Where was all of this outrage then? Right!
2. Alegedly Obama's campaign donated money to ACORN. Well, first I have yet to hear whether or not that is illegal and secondly, if it isn't - who cares? Project Vote is a 501(c)(3). What that means is you can register people to vote, but under NO circumstances can you tell them who to vote for. Do you know what it's like to register people to vote with the last name of BUSH in 2004? Trust me, ACORN enforces this law. And I'm not hearing of complaints that Project Vote was encouraging Obama votes, just registering people in their target communities.
3. Let's talk about the Communities. ACORN is the nation's largest grassroots community organization. They are basically a very large and powerful neighborhood watch. They are primarily funded by their membership dues ($10/month) and their organizers have mandated salaries based on seniority. I made 23,000 annually when I worked for them in 2004. The COO (Cheif Organizing Officer) can only make 3x what the entry level salary is. So in 2004, Wade earned approximately 69,000. Let's see a Corporation place such a strict earning cap on their top officers.
Let's talk about what ACORN does? When I was there we educated members about predatory lending (What? Predatory lending? You mean the stuff that's all over the news that led us into this fincancial crisis? But ACORN is evil, how did they know?), we fought the City of Detroit to enforce it's Living Wage promise for contractors, we registered 150,000 some people in Michigan to vote and hired thousands to canvass. Many of the canvassers are otherwise unemployable. Their addresses are homeless shelters, or someone elses home they are borrowing a couch from. They didn't graduate HS or obtain their GED. They are on probation and restarting their life. They are single moms who have a hard time finding a job and raising children. And canvassing helped them become employable. They had steady income, they had references, they learned job skills and improved their communication skills. Two of my top canvassers, turned orgainzers are still leading the cause in Flint, MI today. One became a manager at McDonalds. They were able to move on to bigger and better things. Not all, but many, and that is something to be proud of.
So what else has ACORN done? Let's check out their website www.acorn.org:
Affordable Housing: ACORN is working to make affordable housing available so people in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods can be homeowners. ACORN members demand more rehabilitation programs aimed at developing affordable housing and increased production of affordable housing.
Better Schools: All children deserve a quality education. The better their education is the more likely they will be able to enjoy a great quality of life. Parents' hard earned tax dollars are used to finance the public school system so their offspring should reap the benefits. ACORN members have been working to implement a platform to improve the quality of public schools.
Fair Housing: ACORN Fair Housing is a federally funded program through the Office of Housing and Urban Development’s(HUD) Fair Housing Initiatives Program ( FHIP) grant. It is our mission to prevent and eliminate discriminatory housing practices. ACORN Fair Housing Organization works to ensure equal housing opportunity by providing a variety of services through outreach, education and enforcement.
ACORN Fair Housing, while an independent organization , has it’s beginnings as part of ACORN, a 38 year old community activist organization.
Fair Tax Fees:For the last two years ACORN members have been waging a campaign against Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs). RALs are short-term loans with triple-digit interest rates that are marketed extremely aggressively to low-income families. Customers are often charged over $150, on top of the regular tax prep fees, just get to their own tax dollars back a week or so faster than they otherwise would.
ACORN’s campaign has attacked RALs in several ways, such as directly targeting tax preparers to change their practices, conducting door-to-door outreach to warn families about the high costs of RALs, operating VITA sites which offer free tax preparation, and working for legislation on the city, state, and federal level to protect consumers.
Foreclosures:Predatory lending has ignited a wildfire of foreclosures across the United States.
Foreclosures don’t just hurt individuals and families, they hurt entire neighborhoods and communities, leaving homes abandoned and vulnerable to vagrancy and crime.
No other organization has fought harder to increase access to credit for low-income and minority families than ACORN, but predatory lending is threatening to reverse the progress we have made. Beginning in the 1980s, ACORN fought against redlining and discrimination and for greater community investment. ACORN Housing was founded to provide free education and counseling to help low-income people become homeowners.
Gulf Coast Recovery:Hurricane Katrina's winds had hardly subsided before ACORN began organizing New Orleaneans to rebuild their beloved city on their own terms. Today, ACORN's national headquarters in New Orleans houses more staffers than ever and ACORN members are fighting to ensure the city's recovery. Though thousands of Katrina survivors are still displaced, the last year has seen a series of significant wins for ACORN in New Orleans and the struggle continues to fully resurrect the Crescent City.
Healthcare:Some 45 million people across the U.S. have no health insurance, with many more lacking adequate coverage. ACORN members are working to achieve affordable health care for all. Work is currently underway to get more hospitals to institute “charity care," or free care, programs and discounts. These policies can eliminate or reduce, hospital bills for families with low-and-moderate incomes. They often suffer from being uninsured or underinsured.
Immigration:The signs displayed in last year’s immigration marches said it so powerfully: We are America.
Immigrants care about their communities, their families and the future of the United States. They hope to achieve the American Dream. Because of their strong desire to become Americans, immigrants in 2006 joined rallies, marches and vigils all across the United States.
Living Wage:ACORN’s 2006 election campaign, "Raise the Minimum Wage," represented unprecedented victory for working families.
May 24, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 348-73 to approve a measure raising the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over the next three years. The Senate approved the increase, giving low-wage workers their first boost in a decade.
Paid Sick Days:Most people believe that U.S. workers have the right to paid sick days, yet according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost half of full-time, private-sector workers have no sick days at all. Government data also shows a national trend toward a reduction in paid sick days.
Workers need about seven sick days each year to manage their own health care. But for almost half of U.S. employees, the absence of sick pay is likely to cause them loss of income, a job or advancement, says the National Partnership for Women & Families.
Predatory Lending:Predatory lenders target low-income and minority homebuyers, capitalizing on buyers’ lack of understanding of the complicated transactions or use outright deception to close loans that inevitably lead to a loss of equity or foreclosure.
ACORN strives to end abuses by actively putting pressure on predatory lending offenders and advocating for legislation, regulation, education and research to end abusive lending practices.
Utilities:ACORN won reforms of utilities service practices nationwide in 2006, which helped low-income customers pay their bills and avoid service disruptions.
ACORN is working to impose moratoriums on shutoffs, so that families are not left without heat in winter nor refrigeration in summer. We are negotiating programs to create lower rates and delay payments for low-income families.
ACORN opposes deregulation efforts and works to lessen the impact on consumers when deregulation occurs.
Voter Engagement:Registering to vote is one of the first steps toward becoming a full participant in American democracy and a citizen who can influence change in a community. ACORN members and workers go door to door in low- and moderate income neighborhoods, approach people at shopping centers, grocery stores, and libraries, and visit high schools to talk to voting-age seniors because ACORN wants as many people as possible to participate in the democratic process.
ACORN has helped more than 1.68 million citizens to register to vote in past registration drives leading up to the 2004 and 2006 elections. For the 2008 election, ACORN intends to help 1.2 million people register to vote in 26 states across the country. We have already reached 177,000 registrations in 2007 and 2008 in what will be the largest, non-partisan voter registration effort in U.S. history.
And not to mention the smaller victories, the stop sign and speed bump on the corner that everyone runs. The fixed streetlight that was out for years. Destroying the abadoned home where children were raped.
Evil? Maybe if you don't care about the people, John McCain.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Why Palin will cost McCain the election
Last night, my "Republican" boyfriend (he is really a Libertarian, but refuses to look into it because that would make me right) took down the "Another Family for John McCain" yard sign from my lawn and said "He's an idiot. He's not going to win. I'm done with him."
I was shocked - ecstatic, but shocked. This is from the same man who for months has been telling me how crazy I am not to support him and who has ignored common sense about why Obama should be the next President (not that I know whether or not his vote has changed).
At er this discussion on my lawn, he then said:
"Did you see that video with Palin down south somewhere? Some jerk in the crowd yelled 'Kill Him' when she was talking about Obama and she just smirked. She didn't denounce the outburst, she did nothing but condone it by smirking. That's just wrong."
And that in a nutshell is how Palin lost this election for John McCain. Behind her smooth, controlled exterior we get little peaks at who she is, and ultimately what she has turned McCain's campaign into. She is the bitter little Chihuahua yapping and snapping at your ankles so McCain doesn't look like the bad guy. And suddenly the Democrats complaints about Palin's lack of experience, have silently become the Republicans reason why she can get away with this lack of self control, self respect, and discipline in this campaign. It's like an abusive marriage where the wife is the perpetrator and the husband the victim.
She just keeps biting away at your ankles until you've had enough and eventually kick her off of you. And if that day comes, Obama becomes the abuser.
I was shocked - ecstatic, but shocked. This is from the same man who for months has been telling me how crazy I am not to support him and who has ignored common sense about why Obama should be the next President (not that I know whether or not his vote has changed).
At er this discussion on my lawn, he then said:
"Did you see that video with Palin down south somewhere? Some jerk in the crowd yelled 'Kill Him' when she was talking about Obama and she just smirked. She didn't denounce the outburst, she did nothing but condone it by smirking. That's just wrong."
And that in a nutshell is how Palin lost this election for John McCain. Behind her smooth, controlled exterior we get little peaks at who she is, and ultimately what she has turned McCain's campaign into. She is the bitter little Chihuahua yapping and snapping at your ankles so McCain doesn't look like the bad guy. And suddenly the Democrats complaints about Palin's lack of experience, have silently become the Republicans reason why she can get away with this lack of self control, self respect, and discipline in this campaign. It's like an abusive marriage where the wife is the perpetrator and the husband the victim.
She just keeps biting away at your ankles until you've had enough and eventually kick her off of you. And if that day comes, Obama becomes the abuser.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Why I support Obama
I received an email from an ol' College Buddy about why I support Obama and wanted to share:) Oh and I know there are probably misspellings and gramatical errors all over the place - but I only have 2 minutes left in my lunch!
Kim,
You're a bright/smart/up-to-date woman...tell me why should I be behind Obama?? I'm not giving you "shit" I simply don't follow politics as much as I need to.
What about McCain, what's his story.
Would love it if you could bring me up to speed and make me not so ignorant. (think its possible?) =)
November is approaching quickly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first advice I always give people is to pick your top 3 issues and discover what each candidate thinks about them. Choose from there.
I take my politics very seriously (really, I have been learning about Obama since his keynote in 2004). Here are the reasons I support him.
The top 3 three things I look for in a candidate are:
Pro-Choice: This one speaks for itself - but I'll still defend it. The decision to offer choice to women with their own medical care is different than condoning abortion. Do I think abortion is wrong? Yes. However, what I think is more wrong is the idea that we can impose our values and morals on other people and the decisions that affect thier lives and sometimes even their health. Most republican led bills that pledge to end late term abortion DO NOT include "exclusion clauses" that protect a mothers life is she could die from childbirth. That is wrong. How about forcing a child or woman who just experienced the worst thing a woman ever could - being raped- and then forcing them to hash out that pain day in and day out for 9 months. That is just plain wrong.
Regulated Trade as opposed to FREE Trade: While I think trade and the globalization are important, America should export as much as it imports - if not more. Currently we import over 30 billion dollars more than we export. We'll never keep american jobs this way. Another point on this topic (since it seems like all we export anymore are jobs) is that currently we give companies who send jobs overseas tax incentives to do so. Barack Obama will end those breaks, and instead give them to companies who open and stay here.
Taxes: Usually, this one would be the environment, but after GWB I moved this one up. GWB's tax cuts only cut taxes for people who make over 250,000/year. Barack Obama will repeal this tax code, and give people who make less than 250,000/year the tax incentive - plus has plans to give each family a 1,000(i think) tax rebate to offset energy costs.GasI know I said 3 but I feel strongly about this one this time around too! While I am not 100% against off-shore drilling we have a problem and T Boone Pickens (oil tycoon) admits it too. USA consumes 25% of the worlds oil and our land only provides 3%. I due time, we will run out of American Oil. We need leadership who will not only help us now, but will help our future. We need to seriously invest in finding alternative sources of energy. Obama not only plans to invest hundreds of millions into this, because of the type of energy he is looking into (solar power, windmill) all of the jobs will be in American and he estimates it will take 5 million people to make that happen. Using 2006 CIA numbers, we have 15 million unemployed americans.
There are many other reasons I support Obama. As far as Commander in Chief responsibilities here are two:
He was one of the first people to recomend a timeline to leave Iraq, and the Bush administration and McCain both opposed the idea. The Bush administration just adopted a timeline to leave by 2011. It's basically the same timeline Obama proposed.
He said he would sit down and speak with Iran and use diplomatic efforts to stop their nucleur proliferation. The Bush administration / McCain had a field day with this calling him soft and out of touch with reality. Less than a month later the Bush administration sent Condeleeza Rice over to meet with Iran.
McCain has voted with Bush 77% of the time in the last 7 years (since Bush has been president) 90% of the time in 2007 and he says the fundamentals of our economy are strong and doesn't think that 47 million people without Healthcare is a problem. He supports bailing out the banks who are stuck with millions in foreclosure debt, but doesn't support changing bankruptcy laws that plague the thousands of people who lost thier homes due to predatory lending (ARM loans are predatory!).
I could go on forever and it probabaly seems like I have, but like I said, I'm a bit of fanatic:)
Oh and one more thing (I promise) while Obama is criticized for being a celebrity - I think it is awesome to finally have a politician and leader that can draw a crowd of 75,000 to one place to watch him speak. I think we need more popular people in politics. I prefer that to the stale same same ol distrust we have in everyone else.
Kim,
You're a bright/smart/up-to-date woman...tell me why should I be behind Obama?? I'm not giving you "shit" I simply don't follow politics as much as I need to.
What about McCain, what's his story.
Would love it if you could bring me up to speed and make me not so ignorant. (think its possible?) =)
November is approaching quickly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first advice I always give people is to pick your top 3 issues and discover what each candidate thinks about them. Choose from there.
I take my politics very seriously (really, I have been learning about Obama since his keynote in 2004). Here are the reasons I support him.
The top 3 three things I look for in a candidate are:
Pro-Choice: This one speaks for itself - but I'll still defend it. The decision to offer choice to women with their own medical care is different than condoning abortion. Do I think abortion is wrong? Yes. However, what I think is more wrong is the idea that we can impose our values and morals on other people and the decisions that affect thier lives and sometimes even their health. Most republican led bills that pledge to end late term abortion DO NOT include "exclusion clauses" that protect a mothers life is she could die from childbirth. That is wrong. How about forcing a child or woman who just experienced the worst thing a woman ever could - being raped- and then forcing them to hash out that pain day in and day out for 9 months. That is just plain wrong.
Regulated Trade as opposed to FREE Trade: While I think trade and the globalization are important, America should export as much as it imports - if not more. Currently we import over 30 billion dollars more than we export. We'll never keep american jobs this way. Another point on this topic (since it seems like all we export anymore are jobs) is that currently we give companies who send jobs overseas tax incentives to do so. Barack Obama will end those breaks, and instead give them to companies who open and stay here.
Taxes: Usually, this one would be the environment, but after GWB I moved this one up. GWB's tax cuts only cut taxes for people who make over 250,000/year. Barack Obama will repeal this tax code, and give people who make less than 250,000/year the tax incentive - plus has plans to give each family a 1,000(i think) tax rebate to offset energy costs.GasI know I said 3 but I feel strongly about this one this time around too! While I am not 100% against off-shore drilling we have a problem and T Boone Pickens (oil tycoon) admits it too. USA consumes 25% of the worlds oil and our land only provides 3%. I due time, we will run out of American Oil. We need leadership who will not only help us now, but will help our future. We need to seriously invest in finding alternative sources of energy. Obama not only plans to invest hundreds of millions into this, because of the type of energy he is looking into (solar power, windmill) all of the jobs will be in American and he estimates it will take 5 million people to make that happen. Using 2006 CIA numbers, we have 15 million unemployed americans.
There are many other reasons I support Obama. As far as Commander in Chief responsibilities here are two:
He was one of the first people to recomend a timeline to leave Iraq, and the Bush administration and McCain both opposed the idea. The Bush administration just adopted a timeline to leave by 2011. It's basically the same timeline Obama proposed.
He said he would sit down and speak with Iran and use diplomatic efforts to stop their nucleur proliferation. The Bush administration / McCain had a field day with this calling him soft and out of touch with reality. Less than a month later the Bush administration sent Condeleeza Rice over to meet with Iran.
McCain has voted with Bush 77% of the time in the last 7 years (since Bush has been president) 90% of the time in 2007 and he says the fundamentals of our economy are strong and doesn't think that 47 million people without Healthcare is a problem. He supports bailing out the banks who are stuck with millions in foreclosure debt, but doesn't support changing bankruptcy laws that plague the thousands of people who lost thier homes due to predatory lending (ARM loans are predatory!).
I could go on forever and it probabaly seems like I have, but like I said, I'm a bit of fanatic:)
Oh and one more thing (I promise) while Obama is criticized for being a celebrity - I think it is awesome to finally have a politician and leader that can draw a crowd of 75,000 to one place to watch him speak. I think we need more popular people in politics. I prefer that to the stale same same ol distrust we have in everyone else.
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