Political rants.
1. So, I’ve been made aware of conservative bloggers who are berating Barack Obama for not taking public funds for campaigning, relying only on private funding. Their argument is that the money people are putting towards Barack’s campaign (not tax deductible) is taking away from money donated to charities. (Um? hello? It could be the economy? I read somewhere how the average donation to Obama is like $25, but I don’t have a source.)
I’m sorry, but I think the American people are inherently selfish and wouldn’t voluntarily pay for these things on their own. In that realm, that means more poverty and less education. No, exclusive “personal responsibility” does not mean that everyone thrives. It means more people suffer because there is too much American greed and there would be too much grabbing for the gold instead of the middle class – and probably failing in the process. And I’d refer you to any Dickens novel to see how things were in England a couple centuries ago under those principles.
That’s why I think taxes are a necessary evil and find it my responsibility to help others through taxes as well as service and cash through charity. If someone could guarantee programs would continue with private dollars, I’d be all for it, but again, I just don’t think it would happen.
And I’m sorry, but I think that the top 5% should be open to spreading their wealth a little. Too many of top athletes and actors have proven that they can’t handle the fame and the wealth. And they’re the vast majority of who is in that top 5%.
3. McCain has not positively addressed the needs of those with chronic, pre-existing illnesses under his health care plan. You might get a nice tax credit, but it may not help you get affordable health coverage (even under a free market) should you lose your employer’s health coverage with a chronic illness.
Posted on October 17, 2008, in Politics. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
Great post. I will read your posts frequently. Added you to the RSS reader.
I couldn’t agree more, Rachel.
Terrific post.