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.

Effects of the Media

The only way that the media affects what I look at, listen to, and wear, is by informing me about the new things that are out there. Based on the advertisements for shows, music, and clothing lines, I make my own decision on whether or not I like what I see. So basically, the media is simply a means of informing me about what's new in the world, not necessarily something that I go to for advice.

All you do is hear about how much the media impacts our thoughts, but I've yet to have been impacted in such a way, so I find it hard to believe. I suppose that the people that make such claims have nothing better to do than to over-analyze everything that's published to the world. A good example of this is that ridiculous Spongebob bit that was posted in Natasha's blog--no mean to sound offensive, but it really is ridiculous.

If I video taped people's reactions when they got off of a roller coaster and asked them how it was, and some of them told me: "My heart was racing as I rode it up and down," then I can easily edit out the bit where I asked them how the roller coaster was to make it sound as if the person was talking about something else. I remember just about all of the clips from that Spongebob video from back in the day when I used to watch Nickelodeon, and the person that created the video did just that--edited out the earlier parts to make it sound naughtier than it truly was.

Most of those witty comments said by the characters in those clips were probably setup intentionally by the writers to add some humor to the cartoon, but it isn't anything that one can argue as being sexual when there's clearly a valid reasoning behind each and every one of those clips. You can't draw a valid conclusion with only half of the story.

As for the whole Sarah Palin bit, to put it lightly, the only thing that I like about her are her looks. She's about as fit to run this country as I am considering we both know little about politics. And if you don't believe me, then see for yourself: go to YouTube and search for "Sarah Palin Holds Forth On Bush Doctrine," watch it, and then search for "Saturday Night Live - Sarah Palin & Hilary Clinton." Trust me; you'll get more than just a laugh out of it.

Calamities Around the World

The thing that really gets to me about all of this is the fact that our own problems are overseen and forgotten in the midst of tragedies across the world. Recently, Hurricane Ike struck just about all of Cuba enroute to Texas, and the damage caused in Cuba was foreboding; but at the same time, that same hurricane left Cuba, traveled the distance across the Gulf of Mexico, and struck one of our own states--Texas. So while everyone is caught up in the mishaps at Cuba, the people of Texas are being overshadowed for being in a more fortunate situation since they reside in the U.S.

Let me tell you something--there is nothing fortunate about what happened in Texas, nor is there anything fortunate about what happened at Cuba. Sure, the U.S. is a more prosperous nation, but we have to take care of our own nation before we send items into foreign territories in hopes of helping other people.

As a future philanthropist, I naturally feel remorse towards anybody in a tough situation as those in Haiti, Cuba, and even Texas, but the fact of the matter is, there are problems like these all around the world, and as much as you'd like to try to help out everyone, it's just not possible. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to help, but the problem is that you don't know where your donated items are really going to. Because of this, you have to use caution when donating to seemingly rightful causes, since you may be led to believe that you're making a difference to those unfortunate people when in reality you're getting scammed.

I'm glad, though, that there are people willing to give to those in dire need, because I feel like if you're in a position that you can give, then you should be giving to those in these unfortunate situations. It's times like these where the U.S. bands together to aid third-world countries that are in less fortunate economic conditions, regardless of tension amongst those countries. And it's times like these where I can say that I'm proud to be an American.

Opinions

You don't discuss religion or politics with your family and friends unless they share the same views that you do. Period. There's no point on talking about aspects of religion or politics to the people that you cherish the most if they don't share those same perspectives; it's only going to lead to arguments, or in worst case scenarios, friendships to be broken.

Now, that doesn't mean that people shouldn't have their own opinions. The true value of an opinion is the fact that it's yours, and the same way that you hold true to your own opinions, everyone else is entitled to do the same with theirs. If you can share your opinion in a non-superior fashion, where you don't degrade others and acknowledge multiple sides of the situation, and still manage to make believers out of what it is that you have to say, then you're already stronger mentally than most people in the world. Give yourself a pat on the shoulder, you deserve it.

As for me, many will agree that I hold strong to my opinions, and that I don't base them on popular belief. I'm my own toughest critic, because I work hard to keep myself from becoming something that I'm not. So if you ask me for my opinion on a subject, I'm going to give it to you, even if everyone else feels differently. My opinions help shaft my character, so if you don't like what I have to say, then you don't like who I am. I hold my opinions on a high pedestal because I know that having an opinion is what gives me a say in this world--a chance to not just be heard, but to be listened to.

And although I try my best to acknowledge multiple sides of any given situation, sometimes my primitive nature gets the best of me and I go from persuading to defending. But if I'm ever caught in a situation like that with you, just know that I'm always right. And if you don't believe me, take a look at this sentence: In my opinion, I'm always right. Now, if I rearrange the sentence, we'll have the following: I'm always right in my opinion. Thus concluding the argument!

And so I hope you've enjoyed some insight into my thoughts about opinions, especially the last bit where I proved why mine are always right. If you don't then you're clearly wrong, but if you read my blog, then you would have known that by now.

My Very First Blog

So, this is my very first blog...

To be quite honest, I've always thought of blogging as a waste of time; something that "emo" kids did as a pastime to keep themselves from committing suicide. Hell, the only reason that I'm blogging now is because I was asked to by my college professor for an assignment. But now that she's actually asked me to think about the process of blogging, I've come to realize that I was never thinking at all.

I'm writing this blog to the world, because to me, that's what blogging should be about. The whole privacy settings bullshit is exactly that--a load of bull. I believe that if you go as far as to blog about your feelings, emotions, and/or experiences, then you should share them with the world, because if you don't, then you're just being a
selfish asshole--and nobody likes a selfish asshole.

The magic of blogging comes from the connection that one can have with another person that they may know nothing about. The magic of blogging comes from the fact that you can write about ANYTHING, and regardless of what you write about, SOMEONE will be impacted by whatever it is that you write.

If I'm in a shitty mood and I feel like cursing is the only way to vent my anger, then you bet your damn ass that I'll write a mouthful. If I'm feeling like a million bucks and that nothing in my life could go wrong, then rays of sunshine will emit from my writing; so much that you'd need a pair of sunglasses to prevent going blind. :-)

The whole point of blogging is to write, and not just write for the sake of writing, but writing for the sake of yourself. When you blog to the world, you invite everyone into your soul. If you write about a wonderful experience, then you invite everyone to share it with you as they rejoice along with every word that they read. If you write about a tragic experience, then you invite everyone to help you cope with your situation as they become the shoulder that you can lean on. Regardless of what it is that you're writing about, you have the ability to connect with another person in a way that can change their lives, and there's nothing more important than being able to change someone's life for the better.

And so this concludes my spew of a few not-so-random thoughts. I hope that I provided you with an enjoyable read, regardless of whether or not you agreed with anything that I had to say. And in the case that you gained some insight on the world of blogging, then hopefully you'll give it a try, because maybe then you can have as much fun with your blog as I had with mine.