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I'm really laughing over the question and answer period with people in San Antonio yesterday:
Quote:
During an extended question-and-answer session in San Antonio, summarized below, Obama ran the gamut:
Q: How are you going to help the refugees in Chad and Darfur?
A: Train, equip and deploy a United Nations protection force and police a no-fly zone over Sudan.
Q: My son is in college, my husband is in chemotherapy, and I have three family members in Iraq. How are you going to help my family?
A: Don't worry, I'll bring all combat troops out of Iraq by the end of 2009.
Q: What are your thoughts on bilingual education?
A: I want everyone to be bilingual. I want every child to learn a second language.
Q: My brothers, a Marine and a soldier, are coming back from Iraq and having a harder time than I am with student aid.
A: I passed an amendment already making sure wounded soldiers at Walter Reed don't have to pay their phone bills.
Q: The tax code is old, unfair and needs fixing. What are you going to do?
A: I'll close $1 trillion in corporate loopholes and use that money to offset the first $1,000 in payroll taxes. Seniors with less than $50,000 in income won't have to pay income tax on their Social Security. People can choose to have their W-2s sent straight to the IRS to have the government do their tax returns for them. The child tax credit will be expanded, as will the Earned Income Tax Credit.
P.S. I'll bet tons of people love the idea of mailing their W-2s to the government so they can do our taxes for us! How much do you think that will cost? How many people would they have to hire to do this? And what happens if they make a mistake? Wouldn't it be cheaper for the government to just contract out this work with HR Block?
The claim often made, and made by the OP, is that Senator Obama doesn't have substance. Hence, the links to his positions. The poster may or may not have substance. That's an entirely different subject.
For the record, I have very little substance.
But then again I am not running for President. Obama is, hence the hyperlinks to his stances, ideas, and proposals.
Here is some substance. Let us know if you have any questions when you are done reading.
Ok, I'll go.
a. What sort of subsidies does Obama want to give to the U.S. auto industry, what good will it do for the auto industry, how much will it cost, and will it hurt American consumers?
b. Obama supports banning the permanent replacement of striking workers. How will this affect American firms' ability to compete globally, without the ability to liquidate unprofitable assets? Won't this spur companies to move jobs offshore even faster? Doesn't this make Brazil or India look like a much more attractive option?
c. Why does Obama want federal incentives for telecommuting? Where does the money come from, and what is the purpose of the incentives? What is the net benefit to society?
d. When his website says, "He will put an end to the ideological litmus tests used to fill positions within the Civil Rights Division," what does this mean?
e. Why do we need stronger federal hate crime legislation? What is wrong with the current legislation? Why should a white supremacist murderer be subject to harsher penalties than any other murderer?
f. What incentives does Obama plan on providing to end racial profiling at the local level?
g. Barack Obama believes that people who work full time should not live in poverty. How does Obama plan on supporting the people who work full-time but are still in poverty? Where will that money come from?
h. Obama will invest $1 billion over five years in transitional jobs and career pathway programs that implement proven methods of helping low-income Americans succeed in the workforce. What proven methods is he referring to?
i. Obama supports guaranteeing workers seven paid sick days per year. Who will pay for this? Employers? Taxpayers?
j. On the Internet, Obama will require that parents have the option of receiving parental controls software that not only blocks objectionable Internet content but also prevents children from revealing personal information through their home computer. How? How does he plan on mandating software across America? Who will make this software? What if my OS doesn't run this software, will I be subject to penalty? Do I not have a right to choose the software that runs on my PC?
k. Barack Obama supports a trade policy that ensures our goods and services are treated fairly in foreign markets. At the same time, trade policy must stay consistent with our commitment to demand improved labor and environmental practices worldwide. How does he plan on doing either of these things, since they are the domain of other soverign nations?
These are just a few I came up with, based on what is on barackobama.com. Keep in mind that his spending obligations are absolutely mind-boggling; I've never seen anything like it. In a few instances, I asked, "where will the money come from?", however, I could've asked that same question with literally 20 or 30 of his "solutions."
Feel free to tackle them at your leisure.
Last edited by anonymous; 02-20-2008 at 01:36 PM..
P.S. I'll bet tons of people love the idea of mailing their W-2s to the government so they can do our taxes for us! How much do you think that will cost? How many people would they have to hire to do this? And what happens if they make a mistake? Wouldn't it be cheaper for the government to just contract out this work with HR Block?
You're missing the fact that a rollback of the Bush tax cuts for the rich will be the cornerstone of compensating for the progressive tax cuts.
You missed that about a billion times on this forum. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.
Incidentally, I think it's a great idea to push bilingual education. I don't want Spanish-speaking curriculum for heritage speakers of Spanish, but I do want foreign languages taught at least three hours per week in every public school in America--even at the kindergarten level. The fact that we don't do so already is one of the reasons why our education system falls so short of many other nations' public education systems. A kindergarten-aged kid in Moscow is already multiplying and learning foreign language, usually Chinese, French, or English.
You're missing the fact that a rollback of the Bush tax cuts for the rich will be the cornerstone of compensating for the progressive tax cuts.
You missed that about a billion times on this forum. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.
Incidentally, I think it's a great idea to push bilingual education. I don't want Spanish-speaking curriculum for heritage speakers of Spanish, but I do want foreign languages taught at least three hours per week in every public school in America--even at the kindergarten level. The fact that we don't do so already is one of the reasons why our education system falls so short of many other nations' public education systems. A kindergarten-aged kid in Moscow is already multiplying and learning foreign language, usually Chinese, French, or English.
Yep, and that'll stifle innovation at a time when we're hopeless indebted and live in an unsustainable consumer and entitlement culture.
The bottom line however, is he is in favor of increased government regulation and redistributing wealth from wealthy to poor. I just can't subscribe to it.
Good. The past 7 years the wealth has been about robbing the poor and middle class to create an uber-rich class. This nation was healthier with a strong middle class.
P.S. I'll bet tons of people love the idea of mailing their W-2s to the government so they can do our taxes for us! How much do you think that will cost? How many people would they have to hire to do this? And what happens if they make a mistake? Wouldn't it be cheaper for the government to just contract out this work with HR Block?
Scary answers ... do you think those were "feel" answers or "think" answers.
Bilingual education ... what, is he going to make every child learn a new language? What are his other languages? Nope, don't like that one. If someone wants to learn another language, the option is there. If anything, we should have more people learning English first.
And how is it that having phone bills paid is going to make lives easier? Granted, that's one less expense, but that's probably not a big one.
And the W2's thing ... YIKES!!! I can hear the shudder of the IRS workers from here in my kitchen!
Uh, perhaps a bloomberg editorial touting Obama's wish to establish a strong monetary policy? Nah, ain't gonna find it.
Perhaps a wsj article on how Obama will promote our renaissance as a surplus producer instead of a hopeless indebted consumer nation through tax cuts for small business owners and people wanting to build factories? Nah, ain't gonna find that either.
And the future President is going to do all that? It sounds like you espouse central planning, yet at the same time want government intervention in global economics.
And Ron Paul? It's funny how quickly his favor faded after his old radical newsletters came to light.
Yep, and that'll stifle innovation at a time when we're hopeless indebted and live in an unsustainable consumer and entitlement culture.
How will that stifle innovation?
Look, I like Ron Paul. A lot. He's the one guy who actually understands international relations, cuts through the bull, and doesn't regurgitate jingoistic crap. I just think a few wannabe-libertarians take his ideas even farther than he would actually take them if he were president. Innovation is key, but it is not dependent on having low taxes for the wealthy, and the frequently-cited numbers he says we'd save by abolishing the IRS don't actually match up at all.
Good. The past 7 years the wealth has been about robbing the poor and middle class to create an uber-rich class. This nation was healthier with a strong middle class.
How do you figure that when the 86% of all federal income taxes are paid by the top 25% of income earners (up from 84% in the year 2000)?
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