Getting Back to "The Issues"

I love it when I hear democrats say, "Let's get back to the issues." 

Historically, in elections, when democrats focus on the issues, they lose. That is why Obama has spent so much of his time on a soap box talking about a vague hope, and an unclear, but nonetheless forceful mantra of 'change.' 

And, focusing on the issues does not mean calling McCain Bush and trying to tie him to that administration. That is false campaigning. If they really want to focus on the issues they need to talk about McCain's record, not Bush's. And, if they really want to focus on the issues they need to tell people what an Obama administration would do to 'change' things. If they told America more about Obama's plans, most Americans would disagree. But, people don't vote on issues they don't know about, so instead they vote on character and personality, or, what they perceive as character and personality. So, let's talk about the issues:

Obama wants to cut taxes for the 'middle class' supposedly, and make up the difference by taxing those who make more, making our already unequal tax distribution more top heavy. 

However, his definitions of 'middle class' and 'rich' are not correct. Contrary to popular belief, people who make six figures, aren't necessarily rolling in dough. And, even people who make upwards of $50,000 a year aren't either.  And part of that is because they are taxed like they are rich, when they are not, and then those who make significantly less than them pay nothing. 

Obama wants to make more bureaucracy and government work programs like FDR did, federalizing medical coverage, and creating an 'Obama's Youth' movement. 

Now that might seem all well and good on the surface, except that when the government takes over any large organization or task, it tends to be miserably inefficient. The argument of 'you will pay less for your coverage' may be true on the surface, except if you pay less, you get less, and on top of it, you're not really paying less. To cover everyone's new "free" medical expenses, taxes will go up. And, those taxes don't go to R&D, new techniques, better training and better facilities. No, those taxes go to a new middle man. A technocrat who works for the government and tells you what the government will and won't pay for. The doctors will get paid a flat rate (regardless of their years of schooling and amassed debt from that schooling), and they will be forced to see ALL patients (even illegal aliens). But, so what?! Well, that means that doctors have less incentive to do their jobs well, and reduces the amount of time they can spend on patients, thus causing your "free" coverage to be worth just what you supposedly did not pay - nothing. 

The moral is, don't let politicians trick you into thinking you are getting "free" anything. The truth is, you pay for it. You know how everything in DC is "free"? That's because your federal taxes pay for all those museums and monuments. So, while it might appear to be "free," it's really not.

And, on liberal blogs, and news article forums I read elitist sentiments like this: "The American people are stupid. They are so easily duped by the republican machine. And those people in middle America aren't really Americans, and I sure as hell don't want them to run my country."

Wow. These comments come from people who live in big population centers on both coasts, who have no idea that most of what that they eat, and the electricity that runs their homes comes from those "people in middle America who aren't really  Americans." I love how people who live in big cities claim this moral, intellectual, and social superiority over those who live outside the city. It's a bunch of crock. Guess what? The kids who have an hour bus ride to their school from a podunk farm in rural Montana are often better educated than most inner-city kids. But, people who make these kinds of comments, that despise others who think differently than they (and call them stupid for not agreeing with them) are not inner-city products. Most of them have been fed from silver spoons, receiving their education at private institutions. Oh the irony!  

Cleveland sucks

You want disdain? I’ll give you disdain. Let me tell you about tonight. There I was on my couch watching the Red Sox lose to the Twins in Minnesota, and the Celtics were playing the Cavs in Cleveland. I had to mute the games, because I had guests over, and I had to mute myself because I’m pretty loud, offensive and outright vitriolic when it comes to sports, especially when my team is tanking. So, fortunately my team tanked after the guests left. And then I let the expletives fly. It was somewhat cathartic, and perhaps it will actually bring about a win for game five, because game 4 is already gone.


So let me rail into Cleveland, Ohio and it’s surroundings. Bear in mind that I do this in anger and as a knee jerk reaction, and shortly I will feel much different. But for now let’s face the facts; Ohio is worthless. Ohio State has been able to play a useless BCS system like a dirty hoedown fiddle for the past couple of years, get to the title game and choke. And choke hard, losing by ridiculous margins to both Florida and this year to LSU. Now let’s couple that pitiful performance with the Bengals. They suck. Hard. And there isn’t much commentary necessary for them or their MLB affiliates in Cincinnati, the Reds. The Browns are mediocre. All Ohio has is the Cavs. And they lost in the finals last year. So I guess Ohio can aspire only to be perennial losers. The last decent golfer to come out of Ohio was Nicklaus. Hats off to him. Tiger is better. And, Tiger has his own Gatorade named after him.

Now let’s talk about geography. Ohio is land-locked, and lakes don’t count. It has no mountains. Those are two very important things to me. Elevation and beaches. Even Massachusetts has mountains and beaches (Conclusion: Massachusetts is better). To be honest, it’s not even close. Sure, maybe they can buy corn cheaper, and get to be a ‘swing state’ in elections, but Ohio is just a fallow lot of useless trailer trash. Not the kind of trailer trash that become Hip Hop stars like Michigan’s Eminem, but the kind that has 3 teeth and smokes 10 packs a day. I guess it puts hair on your chest, but for the ladies, that’s just wrong. Ohio, I salute your ineptitude. I hold out no hope for you. You will lose to the Celtics, and will not win a Super bowl for another 50 years, if you’re lucky. Sandusky and Sea World are the only high points (still no mountains). And I would rather be mute, deaf and dumb in California than live in Ohio.