Thursday, September 18, 2008

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Respect

John McCain deserves our respect no matter what party you are affiliated with. There are very few people that have made the sacrifices this man has made for his country. I remember a time not so long ago when he was hailed by liberals and a thorn in the sides of conservative Republicans. Now, because he happens to be running for president against a well-spoken, cult-like, black candidate he is reviled by democrats as much as any republican ever was. There was a time he was seen as bi-partisan and one of the few in Congress who truly tried to work across party lines. Now, the Obama camp is basing their campaign on trying to convince voters he would be just a replica of George Bush. Guess what people...McCain was not the first choice of many republicans because he wasn't conservative enough..because he wasn't enough like Reagan and Bush. Romney dropped out too soon and by the time Huckabee started to gain ground most republicans had given up and didn't even vote in the primaries believing the media when they reported that nobody else really had a chance.
The Obamas' lives, while interesting, ambitious and commendable can't hold a candle to the lives Cindy and John McCain have led. They have something the Obamas do not. A long history of proven sacrifice for their country and others. For that reason alone they deserve our respect.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

"There's no reason not to respect her and I believe she's qualifed to be the Vice-President"- Joe Biden (9-2-08)

* With her years of executive experience and many accomplishments for the people of Alaska, Governor Sarah Palin is more prepared than Barack Obama to be President of the United States. She's made decisions, taken action, and faced accountability.
* When Barack Obama was a community organizer, Governor Palin was serving as a local chief executive.
* When Barack Obama was voting present 130 times on the most contentious issues of the day, Governor Palin was taking on corruption within her own party and stood up to the special interests, lobbyists, big oil companies and good-old boy network.
* When Barack Obama was voting with the Democrats 97% of the time, Governor Palin was standing up to members of her own party and passed a landmark ethics reform bill.
* When Barack Obama was requesting nearly $1 billion in earmark spending, Governor Palin was championing reform to end the abuses of wasteful earmark spending. She put a stop to the "Bridge to Nowhere" that would have cost taxpayers $400 million.
* Governor Palin has a record of accomplishment that Barack Obama simply doesn't have. She has spent her time in office shaking up government in Alaska. Barack Obama has only passed one bill as the lead sponsor.
* Governor Palin is an energy expert. She is the chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multi-state government agency that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas recourses. She also served as Chairwoman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission overseeing energy development on state lands in Alaska.
* Governor Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president. She has brought Republicans and Democrats together within her Administration and has seen approval ratings of over 80 percent.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

This doesn't have anything to do with the current campaign but I loved it and had to post it here.

Fact Check

Obama said he could "pay for every dime" of his spending and tax cut proposals "by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens." That's wrong – his proposed tax increases on upper-income individuals are key components of paying for his program, as well.
He twisted McCain's words about Afghanistan, saying, "When John McCain said we could just 'muddle through' in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources." Actually, McCain said in 2003 we "may" muddle through, and he recently also called for more troops there.
He said McCain would fail to lower taxes for 100 million Americans while his own plan would cut taxes for 95 percent of "working" families. But an independent analysis puts the number who would see no benefit from McCain's plan at 66 million and finds that Obama's plan would benefit 81 percent of all households when retirees and those without children are figured in.
Obama asked why McCain would "define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year"? Actually, McCain meant that comment as a joke, getting a laugh and following up by saying, "But seriously ..."
Obama noted that McCain's health care plan would "tax people's benefits" but didn't say that it also would provide up to a $5,000 tax credit for families.
He said McCain, far from being a maverick who's "broken with his party," has voted to support Bush policies 90 percent of the time. True enough, but by the same measure Obama has voted with fellow Democrats in the Senate 97 percent of the time.
Obama said "average family income" went down $2,000 under Bush, which isn't correct. An aide said he was really talking only about "working" families and not retired couples. And – math teachers, please note – he meant median (or midpoint) and not really the mean or average. Median family income actually has inched up slightly under Bush.
Analysis
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination Aug. 28, speaking before more than 84,000 people in Denver's Mile High football stadium. Some of his comments were worthy of a ref's yellow flag.

Not Quite Every Dime
Obama reassured voters that he can pay for all his spending proposals:

Obama: Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime – by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow.
This is misleading. Even by his own campaign's estimates, closing corporate loopholes and tax havens won't pay for all of Obama's new plans. In July, the campaign told the Los Angeles Times that they estimate the yearly cost of their proposed tax cuts at $130 billion. They put revenue from closing tax loopholes at just $80 billion. Obama also proposes to raise taxes to pre-Bush levels for families earning more than $250,000 a year and singles making more than $200,000, yielding additional revenue. But he didn't mention that in his speech.

But Obama's claim is misleading on another level. According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, "without substantial cuts in government spending" Obama's plan – and McCain's, too – "would substantially increase the national debt over the next ten years." Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor told FactCheck.org that the Tax Policy Center's analysis "fails to take in account Senator Obama's spending cuts, including ending the Iraq war." That's true, but Obama's proposed cuts are dwarfed by the Tax Policy Center's projected deficits. Obama's new spending programs might be completely offset by new revenue and spending cuts. But overall spending will still exceed overall revenue, and the nation would face at least 10 more years of annual deficits.

Afghan Muddle
Obama twisted McCain's words about Afghanistan, incorrectly implying that McCain saw no need for more troops there.

Obama: When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11.
Actually, McCain said in 2003 that the U.S. "may" muddle through, not that we could or would. He also said he was very concerned about a rise in al Qaeda activity there. He said then that he was "guardedly optimistic" that the government could handle it.

Health Care Half Truths
Obama gave only half the story when he described a feature of McCain's health care plan:

Obama: How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits...
McCain proposes to grant families up to a $5,000 tax credit to use for health benefits. The flip side of that proposal, which McCain seldom if ever mentions, is that the value of employer-sponsored benefits would also become taxable.
Party Hearties
Obama painted McCain as a Republican partisan who's supported the unpopular President Bush consistently:

Obama: And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need. But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time.
It's true that McCain's voting support for Bush policies has averaged slightly above 89 percent since Bush took office, according to Congressional Quarterly's vote studies. But it has ebbed and flowed. It reached a low of 77 percent in 2005. Last year it was 95 percent. By comparison, Obama's own record of supporting Bush policies has averaged slightly under 41 percent since the senator took office. However, Obama's voting record is no less partisan than McCain's. He has voted in line with his party an average of nearly 97 percent of the time. The truth is that neither candidate can claim a strong record of "breaking with his party" if Senate votes are the measure.

He Didn't Mean It
Obama also pulled some sleight of hand when he stated that "the average American family" saw its income "go down $2,000" under George Bush. That's not correct. Census figures show average family income went down $348.

As it turns out, when Obama said "average family income," he didn't mean "average," and he didn't mean "family," either. An Obama aide says he was really referring to median income – which is the midpoint – and not to the average. And Obama was talking only about "working families," not retired couples.

For all families, median family income actually inched up under Bush by $272.


Source: Factcheck.org

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Questions For You

1) Does Sarah Palin have ties to Terrorists? (No, but Obama is a friend of Ayers)
2) Did she have an affair while in office? (No, but Clinton and JFK did)
3) Has she taken money from donors who were wanted on criminal charges? (No, but Hillary Clinton did from Norman Hsu).
4) Has Sarah Palin accepted donations from foreign military leaders. (No, but Bill Clinton did in 1996).
5) Has she pardoned convicted drug dealers? (No, but Clinton did-Nicholas M. Altiere, Chris Harmon Bagley, Scott Lynn Bane, Roger Clinton, Jr.,Richard Wilson Riley Jr.,among many others....)
6) Did Sarah Palin lie to a grand jury about having an extra marital affair? ( No, but Bill Clinton did).


I think you see where I am going with this.

If the best the Democrats can do is stoop to new lows and attack Palin's 17 year old daughter then they are feeling the heat and getting desperate.