Here we are - the eve of what seems to be the most important election we will see in our lifetime. In a few hours it will be over. No more campaign ads, no more debates.
But wait – I predict we will simply swing from one mode to another, as the country continues to be so divided. The winner will claim complete and total victory, while the defeated will cry "unfair". I'm afraid Hurricane Sandy has thrown a monkey wrench into the equation, and a Romney win would make the cries of "unfair" even louder. Why? Check your color charts for the answer. The areas affected most by Sandy are blue states. Obama states. Heavily populated Obama states. It goes without saying that nothing will be normal in the northeast for many, many months. Yet, the election will proceed as planned tomorrow. Will everyone affected by Sandy be able to vote? I wish I could say it would suit me fine if they didn't, because that would be fewer votes for the incumbent… but even I, a bona fide Obama NON-supporter, feel strongly that every American has the right, and the responsibility to vote. That said, I am hoping and praying that every person without power, without food, water, and gasoline, will somehow still be able to cast their vote, even if it is for President Obama. Because if Romney should happen to pull it off and win the race, the cries of "unfair" will make the memories of "hanging chads" and "pregnant chads" pale in comparison. It is a little concerning, however, with voter fraud so prevalent even in the most desirable of voting conditions, that somehow all the mayhem and confusion in the aftermath of the storm could facilitate even more opportunities for fraud. Therefore an Obama win will likely result in a Republican outcry of voter fraud. I am concerned for the integrity of the voting process tomorrow. So much is at stake, and the numbers so close, that the slightest glitch, whether truly accidental or orchestrated, could sway the results.
I shamefully admit that I cheated my way through my high school Economics class. I only took Sociology (first half of the year) and Economics (the second half) because I had a crush on Mr. Summerour. I didn't take the classes seriously, and memorized only what I needed for the weekly test on Friday, and copied the homework of others the rest of the week. The rest of the time I just sat in class like a silly teenage girl, waiting for him to grace us with a pretty smile that showed his dimples. It was worth listening to all the boring talk about GNP, supply and demand, etc., just to look at him. Well, okay, maybe it wasn't that bad (or silly), but I really didn't give a hoot about sociology or economics.
And while I still don't understand the teachings of Keynes or Hayek, the decision we face when choosing our new president doesn't seem much like rocket science to me.
Right or wrong – to my way of thinking, it boils down to one thing. Jobs. The working people and property owners in this nation fund the government. Can we agree on that? (Well, except for the part where we borrow gazillions of dollars from other countries.) Folks who don't work or own property pay some taxes when they spend money, but negligible in comparison. If they don't work, how do they have money to spend? From the money that they get from the government. Where does government get the money to give them? From those who work and/or own property. Of course – ALL of our tax dollars don't go to subsidize those who don't work.The infrastructure of the country, the salaries of millions of government workers, medical research, a myriad of entitlement programs, etc, all are funded with taxpayer money. But I'll bet it's safe to say that all the money that subsidizes those who don't work comes from working folks and/or property owners.
The fewer people who work, or own property, the more they will be required to pay. The money's gotta come from somewhere. There have been a few news stories this past week about employers telling their workers that a vote for President Obama puts them in jeopardy of losing their jobs. Understandably, those who support Obama are infuriated by this. While I don't think anyone has the right to tell another person how to vote, I do think most of the sheeple (I mean people) have little understanding of the "trickle-down" effects of the plan that our president has proposed.
But this I do understand. If a business is taxed to the extent that it can't afford to keep its doors open, then people will lose jobs. Even if they don't have to close their doors, they may have to lay off people. Or not hire people. Consider the trickle-down effect of THAT. Joe America, a wage-earning, tax-paying, property-owning citizen, loses his job. Loses his home. Loses his savings. Loses his insurance. Maybe Joe America's contribution to the government coffers was $10,000.00 or even less for the year. If you multiply that by the millions who no longer have an income to tax, or property to tax, that's a fairly significant chunk of change. The trickle-down effect of businesses closing affects the entire community, not just individual families.
There are those who support President Obama because of his stance on gay marriage and abortion. I respect your feelings and your rights. But allow me to observe that same-sex marriage and the right to use abortion as birth control might not seem as important when our nation falls to a third-world country status, which seems the direction we are headed. That statement will arouse emotions in some, no doubt – but do some homework for yourself. Look at the people President Obama idolizes, has used for mentors, and who he has surrounded himself with for at least the past 20 years. We know about Rev Wright, and have seen the videos. Even the videos where President Obama lauds him as his pastor, friend, and mentor. Google the name Frank Marshall Davis. A mentor to "Barry" since the age of 10. Who are the people he chose to surround himself with? Bill Ayers. Van Green. The list goes on.
Let's focus on JOBS and the experience of a successful businessman to get the country back on its feet economically. The social issues will still be there when we recover. There will still be time to fight for what we believe in. If you think your rights are being violated now, and we are a repressed people, just wait and see what happens when our administration is run by a bunch of card-carrying communists. (Dodging rotten fruit and insults on that one… ha!)
And since I'm probably pissin' off my Democrat friends anyhow, let me add something else that has been nagging at me. The whole Benghazi thing is yet another smear on the face of integrity of our nation's leaders. Imagine if that had happened under the Bush administration!!! Fortunately for the President, with the world's attention focused on death and destruction post Sandy, this tragic event will take the focus off another shameful failure in foreign policy. Maybe we'll learn what really happened in Libya…. after the election.
And on the subject of storms. I have asked myself how one explains the difference between Sandy and Katrina. While I take nothing away from the devastation of either storm, I would have to say the biggest difference lies in the people in their paths. It doesn't appear to me that FEMA is as Johnny-On-The-Spot as everyone expected them to be after the dismal performance following Katrina. No doubt, there was a massive failure in the post-Katrina disaster relief efforts. My heart still goes out to those people who, even after these years have passed, still have not recovered. The biggest difference that I see between the two storms is that the folks up north, while understandably frustrated and impatient, are helping themselves. They are helping their neighbors. They are pulling together and getting something done. Whereas people in LA (at least the ones the news media focused on) sat on rooftops and sidewalks screaming for the government to come save them. They pillaged and plundered, raped and murdered their neighbors in the Superdome, and they pointed their fingers at President Bush and blamed him for their plight. President Obama, on the other hand, is lauded as a Savior – while the folks up north, and people from neighboring states, work hand in hand to try to restore just the basic necessities. Recovery from such mammoth disasters requires the people to help themselves. Perhaps government agencies could do a better job, but thankfully we don't get that much practice.
Perhaps there is unflattering behavior going on up north. Who could blame the people? As a mom and grandmother, I'd be doing everything in my power, even stealing food and blankets, if it meant keeping my babies fed and warm. Maybe there are scenes of humanity at its worst like we saw on the news with Katrina. But if there are, we're not gonna see that. Because some might say it reflects badly on our government for not being able to take care of our own people. No, we won't see any kind of reporting that makes President Obama look badly in the wake of this storm. It is far too convenient a distraction from his abysmal handling of Benghazi. Let's not focus on anything except his exemplary behavior after the winds and water have cleared. Shoot. If they could get away with it, they'd probably blame Hurricane Sandy on George Bush, too.
We'll watch with bated breath as the results trickle in. It may be days before we have the final numbers. I think I speak for many when I say that I'll be glad when it's over. So we can get busy with the challenges we face ahead. Because, don't kid yourself, regardless of which candidate wins, we still have some tough times ahead, and a long way to go before we can be healed.
If you haven't already, please go vote tomottow. Even if you're going to cancel out my vote - (but that also means I'm cancelling yours! Haha!) Just do it. Let the fat lady sing, and let's get on with it.
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