A Time For Obama

The most important issue for me with this election has got to be the economy, since it affects me directly and will affect my future. Now with saying that, after looking at both candidates' economic plans, I feel like Obama can provide me the best relief in the midst of this financial crisis.

"We are looking for a very aggressive last 30 days," said Greg Strimple, one of McCain's top advisers. "We are looking forward to turning a page on this financial crisis and getting back to discussing Mr. Obama's aggressively liberal record and how he will be too risky for Americans."

What surprises me the most about all of this was that McCain's own advisors admitted that they would lose the election if it were based on the economy, so instead of addressing the issues, they would rather attack Obama on a personal level. Quite frankly, I don't blame them--if my economic plan was as bad as McCain's, I wouldn't even want to mention the word 'economy'...ESPECIALLY in such a bad economic state.

McCain's plan proposes a 50% reduction in the capital gains tax on stock profits to 7.5% from the current 15%, at an estimated cost of $10 billion; those that are 59 years and older whom withdraw money from 401k retirement plans in 2009 and 2010 pay a tax rate of 10% on the money rather than the regular tax rates at an estimated cost of $46 billion; a tax write-off for stock losses; and a removal of the unemployment insurance benefits tax.

McCain's plan provides no tax relief for the middle-to-lower class families, nor small businesses. His plan also would use $300 billion of the bailout money to bailout the same banks that got us into this economic crisis in the first place.

His plan is often referred to as the "trickle-down" plan that runs on the belief that giving breaks to the wealthy will cause their profits to "trickle-down" to the rest of the economy, which is a major flaw in the way conservatives view the economy.

Obama, on the other hand, will lower the cost of health care up to $2500, cut taxes for over 90% of Americans, provide $1000 in rebates for fuel costs, end tax breaks for companies sending American jobs overseas, and cut taxes and spending to help control the federal deficit.

This is just the surface of Obama's plan, and the surface of his plan provides more relief in jumpstarting the economy and getting the economy back to a stable condition than McCain's entire plan. Plus, can you imagine how horrible McCain's plan truly is when former REPUBLICAN Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has openly stated that he endorses Obama for what they say is "McCain's uncertainty on how to deal with the economic crisis"? I mean...WOW.

And so there isn't much of an argument, Obama has the better economic plan, and this is one of the reasons why I find him the better candidate for President of the United States. It's as simple as that.

And on a side note, I feel like I must address this statement that Natasha made: "...and that nothing is black and white, except for our two presidential candidates. :)"

I'm assuming that she was simply trying to be witty, but it was a very prejudicial comment. A big part of this election is the fact that Obama is black, and it's sad that many Americans can't see past his skin color, regardless of what it is that he has to offer. If Obama didn't have dark skin, and he preached the same things that he does now, then he might have hundreds upon thousands of more supporters than he currently does. This only shows how far America truly is from progressing into a nation where a person is viewed simply as a person, regardless of their race, gender, or ethnicity. And if Obama loses this election just because he's black, then I'd be ashamed to call myself an American.

Economic Crisis

The Federal Reserve System is retarded. Where's the logic behind instilling the power to print currency to a private bank where the only way to get currency from them is to pay interest in the form of a loan? Instead of printing our own money, we've relinquished this ability to a non-governmental establishment that charges us for every dollar that we ask for. The result from this is debt--and an unnecessary debt at that, but I guess the government is used to it already since the Bush administration has just about doubled the national debt from where it was before Bush became president.


It's no news that we're in an economic shit-hole, and the recent $700 billion bailout plan that was signed is one of the few signs of hope when it comes to stabilizing the economy. Most consumers are feeling some of its effect with the nationwide fall in gas prices. But, since the economy is in such a bad condition, most people are weary that the drop in gas prices is only temporary, and is bound to rise soon. This financial scare causes people to be more conscious about the way that they spend their money, eliminating unnecessary costs while spending as little as possible. This, in turn, throws the circulation of money in the economy off since very little is being circulated.


It's depressing, really, to think about it, so in some cases it's better to stay blind to what's occurring in hopes of keeping your sanity. As cliché as it might be, "ignorance is bliss" in many situations, and even though presidential candidates will say anything to get voted into office, we can only be thankful that we have an election in a few weeks, because at this point, one can only wonder if it's even possible to make things worse than they currently are, so hopefully any of the two candidates will steer us toward the right path into economic stabilization.