| President Barack Obama |
From what I can see, it isn’t about the issues, unemployment, healthcare, the federal budget, or taxes. What it is about, and the Republican candidates say it during every debate and after every primary, it’s about beating Barack Obama at any cost.
They don’t like to give too many alternatives to what the president has done in the three years since taking office, but what they do provide are sophomoric names, most of which they probably don’t know the meaning of, such as socialist, communist and Newt Gingrich’s favorite...food stamp president.
What should the next Presidential election be about? Well how about the issues mentioned above to name a few. I for one, would like to know what the candidates stand for. So far I don’t find much substance in what they have to say. The infighting and name calling detracts from the real issues and to top it off the Republican party is so fractured that they can’t get behind any one candidate collectively. They continue to throw Ronald Reagan’s name around as though their passion for the past will pave the road to the White House. In addition, they act as though Reagan’s policies of the 1980’s are still relevant today. I’ve got news for you folks, they aren’t!
According to Bruce Bartlett a domestic policy advisor to Ronald Regan and the person who drafted the 1981 Reagan tax cut, and I quote “I think Republicans misunderstand the premises upon which Reagan’s economic policies were based and why those policies can’t — and shouldn’t — be replicated today...Economic conditions are entirely different today than they were in Reagan’s era, and different conditions demand different policies. Those who say otherwise are simply engaging in cookie-cutter economics — proposing whatever was popular and seemed to work once, without regard to changing circumstances”. This quote comes from the Washington Post, PostOpinions article by Bruce Bartlett published February 3, 2012 titled Why the GOP should stop invoking Reaganomics. According to Mr. Bartlett, our current top tax rate is half what it was when Reagan took office and the Federal Reserve rate is far lower than what Reagan inherited. The Fed today, can’t lower rates below zero percent. The bottom line is that 2012 is not 1980. They must stop trying to resurrect old, tired, irrelevant policies by shoving them down the American peoples throats. It’s time for conservatives to move on with new ideas if they have any.
| Mitt Romney |
In addition, I would like to hear some common sense policies regarding taxes. I’m sorry, but continuously reducing taxes to the detriment of our military, senior citizens, our national debt and the poor is unconscionable. Regardless of what the Republican and Tea Party conservatives think, there will always be the need for government services and we as Americans and human beings should and must provide them. Conservatives will likely call this socialism. I disagree, but if that is what they want to call it, so be it. I can hear the right-wing now spewing their Darwinian “survival of the fittest” rants to anyone that will listen. I’m sorry, but I don’t buy it. Yes, these are taxpayer funded programs, but I would rather see my money go to these programs than to the wasteful earmarks that Congress loves to stick into every piece of legislation. I am a middle class taxpayer and I would gladly pay more in taxes to pay off our debts, provide services to those in need, strengthen social security and medicare, and fund our military.
The next issue that needs addressed is the state of healthcare in this country. There was a time that we had the best healthcare in the world. However, In the last World Health Organization ranking of health systems, the United States came in at #37. That is a disgrace. Although I don’t like the way President Obama and the democrats pushed through the healthcare reform bill, at least something was finally done to reform healthcare. The Republicans, during their years as the majority, had the opportunity to propose their own comprehensive healthcare reform, but instead chose to bow to the insurance industry lobbyists and not the desires of the American people. If you don’t like the current law, at the appropriate time make changes to it, but make sure that they are to the advantage of the American people and not corporate interests.
Social Security and Medicare are two institutions in America that have become the political footballs of conservatives. Social Security is routinely used as the treasury departments bank. According to Andrew Taylor, Associated Press writer, Washington, “The Treasury Department "borrows" surpluses in the Social Security trust funds for use across the federal government. As a practical matter, the amount of money borrowed equals the balances in the trust funds after benefits are paid out...This practice began in 1937 with the creation of the Social Security system during Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. That first year the government paid $2 million in interest on money it borrowed from the retirement trust fund”. This practice, of borrowing money from the social security fund and paying interest does not mean that the principal had been paid back to the fund. The surplus at the end of 2007 for example was $2.2 trillion with interest paid back to the fund of $110 billion. It is dishonest for our politicians to place the entire blame on our aging population, when the monies paid into the fund should have been left in the fund to grow with interest for future payments. In the case of Medicare, it does need to be reformed to eliminate fraud and provide more streamlined service to those the program is supposed to help, but it should not be used as political fodder for conservatives. Medicare has been a tremendous benefit to your grandparents and mine who might have otherwise been unable to afford quality healthcare.
Lastly, I would like to know how the education of our children became expendable. One of the first things put on the chopping block during this economic crisis was education funding. This is one thing that has hit home recently. Our schools, which I’m sure are not atypical, don’t have enough books, or teachers for the student population. My child has no books for use in doing homework assignments. They are told that if they need to reference the book, they will need to do it after school. Teachers are required to teach subjects outside of their specialty because the school can’t afford to hire enough teachers to cover all of the required subjects. The United States was once ranked at the top in education world wide, but is now ranked at a mediocre “average” and falling. Our 21st century global economy requires a much better than average educational system. Our public schools and our children should never be used as scapegoats for political gain.
This election should be based on the real issues, not simply beating President Obama at any cost. If the Republicans have something of value to offer, then please do so. This campaign isn’t fair to the American people they deserve better than this.
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