Change you can believe in, but not expect.

Like I was sayin… please don’t hold me to my word.

For the last year, the Obama campaign has be working feverishly to make sure that we understand that an Obama administration means that Change is coming, we can now all have Hope, and finally that all our prayers will be answered (at least if you don’t make too much money that is).

Now that the election is only a few days away, the Obama campaign is concerned that Americans will be upset if Obama doesn’t deliver. 

According to a Times of London story by Tim Reid, senior staffers are working on a communication strategy to let America down softly:

One senior adviser told The Times that the first few weeks of the transition, immediately after the election, were critical, “so there’s not a vast mood swing from exhilaration and euphoria to despair.

The adviser added that Obama was one of the first to realized that expectations may risk being inflated.  It seems that it didn’t dawn on anybody in the campaign that promising to ease everyone’s burdens would risk setting up some expectations.

Recently when asked about his first 100 days, Obama indicated that he would need more time to tackle issues like the war, health care, and global warming:

“The first hundred days is going to be important, but it’s probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the difference,” he said.

Perhaps now we can expect great change and hope during the administration following Obama’s should he win.

Obama and the Incredible Shrinking Tax Base

Like I was sayin… soon there will be a new minority.

Both candidates are pitching major changes to the tax code.  Both candidates paint each others tax plans as bad.  However, the devil is often in the details.

One thing that I have always believed is that taxes need to be fair.  The very poor shouldn’t be overly taxed, but neither should anybody else.  Senator Obama and the democrats believe otherwise.

Senator Obama continues to push that he is cutting taxes for 95% of Americans.  Firstly, only 62% of Americans actually pay income and payroll taxes.  Take out the evil top 5% and you are left with tax cuts for only 57% of Americans.  Secondly, the Obama plan doesn’t cut anybodies taxes.  His plan only increases tax credits and refundable items.  Tax credits are different than cutting the rates.

Tax credits work like this: suppose based on my income I owe $10,000 in taxes.  With kids and other exemptions, I might have $6,000 in tax credits.  That means that I end up only owing $4,000.  If my with-holding from my paycheck totals to $7,000, then I get a refund of $3,000.

Now lets say that I make a lot less and everything else is the same.  I owe $0 in taxes based upon my income, but I still have $6,000 in credits.  The IRS then sends me a check for $6,000 (plus anything that might have been withheld.  If the government took $2,000 out of my paycheck, then I get a check back for $8,000.  There are many people in America who pay no income or payroll taxes, but get tax refunds under the current plan.  Under Obama’s plan, those who pay no taxes will get more back.  In effect, they are taxing me to give it to somebody else.  That’s what’s called “spreading the wealth around”.

In addition, Chuck Rangle the chairman of the house Ways and Means commitee is proposing an additional “surtax” on those making over $200k.  That would push marginal tax rates on those making over $250k close to 50%.  That means on that 250,001st dollar, you get to bring home 50 cents.

I hate to have to say in addition again here, but Obama also wants to eliminate the cap on social security taxes.  Anybody making over $102,000 will see their payroll taxes go up.  This will change social security from an insurance program to a massive retirement plan that further “spreads the wealth around”.

Lastly, according to the Tax Policy Center, under the Obama plan the number of Americans paying income taxes will be reduced to 52%.  That means that only 52% of us, will be paying all the income taxes.  Soon, the majority of Americans will pay no income taxes at all.  America is moving to an erie place where a minority of Americans will be taxed so that checks can be sent to the majority of Americans.  All this coming from Obama who made several millions from books and gives almost nothing to charity.  Chuck Rangle is a gem too as he wants to raise taxes, but has been caught not paying all of his.

Americans need to decide if they want to be a nation with some with their hands out and others with their pockets turned out or a nation where hard work and success is celebrated.

Democracy, Obama Style

Like I was sayin… let me make you an offer you can’t refuse.

One of the main themes of a democracy (yes, I know we are a representative republic) is the right of the individual to vote in free and open elections.  One of the things that we also hold dear is the right to keep our votes private.  This is important as it removes the threat of intimidation.  You can tell me who to vote for, but you don’t have a way to know what I truly believe as my vote is private.

I was reading earlier this year that Obama and democrats want to “strengthen” unions by allowing unions to have people sign cards stating that they want to belong to a union.  Once enough people have signed the cards, the union is then the representative of the workers.

Now this doesn’t sound so bad on the surface, but the unions will have the workers sign the cards in public in front of other workers and union reps.  Essentially, they will march employees up to a table and have them sign a card if they want to join the union.  Refusing to sign would mean that they don’t want to join a union.  However, don’t even think for a second that being surrounded by pro-union workers and union organizers will sway anybody to sign the card….

HR 800 removes the right of workers to vote to unionize through secret ballot.  The argument goes something like “you can only tell a workers true intent by having them vote in public in the open”.  However, this turns the idea of the secret ballot on its head by declaring that workers voting by secret ballot are somehow susceptible to intimidation.

The Heritage Foundation has a good article describing the bill.  In essence, the bill has three main goals:

First,it requires the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union after a majority of a firm’s workers has signed union cards, puttingan end to almost all organizing elections: “if the [National Labor Relations] Board finds that a majority of the employees in a unit appropriate for bargaining has signed valid authorizations…the Board shall not direct an election but shall certify the individual or labor organization.”

Second,the EFCA requires companies and newly certified unions to enter bindingarbitration if they cannot reach agreement on an initial contract after 90 days of negotiations. Neither companies nor employees could appeal the arbitrator’s ruling, and the contract would last for two years.

Third, H.R. 800 would dramatically increase the penalties for unfair labor practices committed by employers, but not unions, during an organiz­ing drive.

Those wishing to muddy the waters of the true intent of the bill indicate that after enough cards are signed, a secret ballot is then conducted.  However, the language of the bill seems pretty clear “if the [National Labor Relations] Board finds that a majority of the employees in a unit appropriate for bargaining has signed valid authorizations…the Board shall not direct an election but shall certify the individual or labor organization”.

President Bush has stated his opposition to the bill.  However, Senator Obama has made his intentions clear:

“We’re ready to play offense for organized labor. It’s time we had a president who didn’t choke saying the word ‘union.’ A president who strengthens our unions by letting them do what they do best: organize our workers. . . . I will make it the law of the land when I’m president of the United States. . . .” ~ Barack Obama

I can imagine a day in the not to distant future where a run away Democratic congress and a President Obama declare and end to stolen elections and voter fraud by having us vote with our friends and neighbors looking over our shoulder to ensure our vote matches our true intentions.  I hope for our sake “we the people” wake up and see the direction that we are headed as a nation.