What are we to become?

I hate to say it. I am ashamed, not of America, but of Americans. Here we are in the middle of this current election with a massive amount of mud being slung. It is not just the candidates. Even though they are slinging more than normal. Listening to the advertising, we have no clue on any of the claims being made. McCain’s health care is going to be taxed, he is going to take benefits from the elderly. Obama’s health plan is going to take our choices away and give benefits to the illegal aliens. And both sides disputes the claims of the others. Lies abound on both sides. But, we must elect a president. There lies the problem.

As I said, it is not America that I am ashamed of, it is the Americans - the citizens of our country - that I am most ashamed of. What are we becoming? A few months ago, students in a Christian College hung Obama, in effigy. In California, an effigy of Palin has been hung from a window. Both of these instances symbolizes a lynching. A Republican worker falsely claimed that she had been attacked by a mugger who then carved a “B” on her face because she had a McCain bumper sticker on her car. Just this week, two skinheads in Tennessee and Arkansas have been charged with plotting to assassinate Obama. I read today that man in Ohio is being charged with shooting some teenagers who were stealing the McCain sign he had in his yard. Claims of signs being stolen - on both sides - are frequent. Claims of voter registration fraud, on both sides abound. Claims of intimidation by the Secret Service against a woman who told a pollster that she thought Obama was a Socialist. More claims of voter repression, on both sides, have been reported. The Democrats have made claims that the Republicans have been making it hard for the poor, black and elderly (typically voting Democrat) to make it to the poll. And, perhaps there is some evidence to support this claim. Republicans have made claims of illegal aliens being registered, and people registering in more than one district. Again, there may be some substance to these claim. I have read of individuals being barred from the poll by agents of both sides. Again, perhaps there is some truth in this as well.

What does all these claims mean?

On one side, these stories take away from the real issues that we should be studying. As it is, we do not know who Obama is. We do not know where he stands on “spreading the wealth“. We do not know what McCain’s health care plan really is. In some ways we know more about Bristol Palin’s Boyfriend than we do about Obama. We need to know more about the issues, and the candidate’s stand on them. We do need to know more about both policies and less about how much dresses cost.

Simple. These claims of voter frauds, stealing signs, death threats, intimidation and the like tell me that we have transformed from the Greatest Country on Earth, to a Third World Country. We are one the downward slide toward being among the likes of Kenya, Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela, and other countries where politicians have been assassinated when on the campaign trail, where campaign workers have been threatened, where the only two choices on the ballot are for the incumbent to be reelected or for the voter’s own death. This is not Democracy.
Where does this slide end? Are we to become a Nation of thugs and intimidators where opposition to the incumbent party is not allowed? Are we to become a Nation where the likes of Hugo or Kim are our leaders? Are we to become a Nation where the common man has no rights? Are we to become a nation where opposition is repaid by death?

With the direction we are moving, it will not be long before we have a socialistic dictatorship that can not be changed. When the rights of freedom are repressed, freedom will wither and die. When the people no longer have the meaningful right to vote, the ruling class have the power to dictate what we will accept. When the freedom of speech is repressed, the expression of ideas of freedom becomes impossible.

Look at the other countries, where socialism rules; where freedom of speech is forbidden; where the right to a secret ballot does not exist; look at the way the citizens of these countries live. They do not have the freedom we have here. They don’t have the standard of life we have here. The middle class, those that Obama claims to be the hero (some call him the Messiah) of, no longer exist. And, this is the way that Obama intends to take us.

Do not be swayed by the offerings of the Government - the free medical care, the free food, the free this and that - nothing is free. Remember that, nothing is free. The things they are offering you have a cost. These countries have exorbitant tax rates. Sure, you may get free health care, but at the cost of 50% or more income tax, are you better off? I think not. When the rich are taxed to the point where it is no longer justifiable to risk assets in business ventures, they can quit. Yes, that is right. The rich can quit. They can just close the doors and leave. We already have this on a small basis. Look at the states where businesses are taxed at a higher rate (California is a good example) than surrounding states. Unemployment is on the rise. Companies are leaving those states for states with lower tax rates. When a Federal tax is imposed on a company, they have few choices. First, pass the tax to the consumer. But, the consumer will seek a lower price, often from Walmart with goods made in China or some other Third World County. Second, they can lower standards and produce an inferior product that does not meet the consumer‘s expectations. Third, they can find a place where the tax rate is lower. That would mean that we will be losing businesses (that is spelled JOBS) to countries that have lower tax rates. The best thing to do, tax wise, is always to lower the taxes on the businesses. This creates incentive for businesses to relocate IN America. This give incentives for businesses to create MORE jobs. Rather than giving money to the rich, lowering taxes just allows the rich to keep more of the money they have earned, and reinvest the money in their business.

We complain about the companies moving jobs overseas, it is true that this is happening. Yes, part of the reason is that the labor is cheaper there. But, that is just part of the picture. Americans may get higher wages. But, they are also the most productive workers in the world. This balances out the higher wages. But, there are other costs to consider. Transportation of the goods back to America is higher. Control of the finished product is non-existent (look at the recent powered milk situation, the recalled toys last year, recalled medication and other problems from outsourced factories). If these companies were not paying the higher taxes, then some of them could afford to stay here in America. We must make America a tax haven, where other countries come here for a tax advantage. It can be done. It must be done.

I have heard that the satisfaction in these Socialistic countries is higher than here. But, is this really the case? I think, and have heard others claim this as well, the expectation is lower. They expect to have less. They expect that life will dull and drab. And, these lower expectations are met. Perhaps this is the reason some of these countries have a greater drinking and drug problem than we. Perhaps there is a reason why some of these countries have legalized drugs and prostitution. Perhaps life has become so drab that something is needed to make it livable. Perhaps they have given up.

Socialism is one of those ideas that sounds good on the surface. But in that socialism does not allow the incentive to succeed. Socialism does allow success. Anytime someone begins to succeed in socialism, he is forced to give some of his success to those who have not strived for success. Socialism gives everyone the same. That is, equality for everyone except for the friends of the leading party. Do you think that Biden, who has claimed that paying taxes is patriotic is going to pay the same taxes that We, the People are going to have to pay? I don’t think so.

Yes, it is true that the same can be said of capitalism, that the ruling party gives tax rates to their friends. The difference is what those who get the money do with it.

In Capitalism, the money goes to the rich. Yes, what those who are for Socialism claim is actually true. But, is the money taken from the poor? Not really. The money is not actually GIVEN to the rich. What happens is that the rich is allowed to KEEP more of their own money. What happens next is key. The rich, in most cases, take that money and expand their businesses. Expansion means they need more employees. More employees means more jobs for others. That is Capitalism.

In Socialism, the money is taken from the rich and given to the poor. That sounds like a grand idea. But, what do the poor do? I’ll admit that some may spend the money to help themselves live a better life. But, look at the lifestyle of the poor. They spend a high percentage of their money on drinking, smoking, drugs, fast foods, things like that. But, what does this spending do to raise the financial standard of the country? Yes, it helps the revenues of the tobacco and alcohol industries. The drug dealers are able to buy some more bling. But, overall, this does nothing to generate jobs for others. Nothing is done to help people stay in their homes.
This is the difference between Socialism and Capitalism.

Now, I am not saying that all Democrats are Socialists. Nor am I saying that Republicans are all Capitalists. We, the People of the United States of America need to look at the candidates in question and decide who is best for the country.

What is best for America is what we should concentrate on. When we vote for the candidate that offers the individual the best deal, what is actually happening is the individual is selling their vote to the highest bidder. This was declared illegal decades ago. There was a time when politicians would round up winos and give them a few dollars to vote a particular way. This was wrong then, and it is wrong now. The difference is that now, rather than a few dollars, the bid is up to welfare checks, food stamps and free medical care.

The trouble with voting for what is best for the individual, rather than what is best for the country is dangerous. In the current election, both candidates are offering dubious solutions on the economy. Perhaps they can pull them off, perhaps they can’t. The reality is, someone will have to pay for these programs that are being offered. I know the country is hurting financially. But, there is something more important than the economy.

The security of the Nation is far more important than the economy. Think back to September 11, 2001. The economy was good. Life was good. Then the twin towers fell, the plane hit the Pentagon, and the other plane crashed in the field. Immediately, the economy crashed. We must protect America. We must protect America from the forces from without, and from the forces within that want to prevent her from returning to the greatness we once had.