Are You Better Off Now With Obama's Tax Cut Than You Were Just A Couple Weeks Ago?

Remember how Barack Obama promised a tax cut for anyone making under $250,000? Now that number is being reported to be as low as $120,000.

So let me ask you: Are you better off now with Obama's tax cut than you were just a couple of weeks ago?

Dear Mr. Obama

Angry Taxpayer: Why I Won't Vote for Obama

I read a comment from an Obama apologist on the Fox News website stating that he didn't mind paying taxes. I guess he was feeling patriotic.

I do have to agree with him on that point, however. As he stated, he wants good schools for his children. I, too, want my grandchildren to have a good quality education. Also, I want police and fire departments to keep me safe and good roads and highways to drive on. I want my garbage picked up and I want nice parks to relax in. There are plenty of good things that our taxes pay for.

On the other hand, I want my governments (national, state, and local) to be responsible enough to spend money within their means. I resent having to pay taxes to cover bad mortgages underwritten by financial institutions to people who neither qualified nor had the means to pay back the money they owed. I resent having to pay welfare to leeches who are capable of working but won't get a job; instead they stay home, get loaded, get high, and/or make more babies that we ultimately have to care of. I resent paying taxes when the oil companies gouge us at the gas pumps and get tax breaks. I resent paying for auto manufacturers who refuse to retool their factories and actually produce fuel-efficient vehicles (or vehicles that run on alternative fuels - gee, what a concept!). I resent paying taxes while companies who outsource overseas get tax breaks - and we are stuck buying imported products off our store shelves that are inferior - and even deadly. I resent getting service through those same companies that is also inferior because the person on the other end of the line hasn't mastered the English language enough to actually hold a decent conversation. I resent my tax money going to research grants to pharmaceutical companies that gouge us at the drug store, claiming the money goes to more research (which they can't even get right as evidenced by the body count from those taking their poison). I resent paying the salaries of all those slobs in Congress who don't pass any meaningful legislation that will get our nation past the troubles we face and who look the other way when institutions like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are committing outright fraud. And I resent paying for programs that I find morally reprehensible (where's MY line-item veto!).

And here comes sweet-talking Barack Obama. He's got some nice dreams. But you can't promise the moon if it's not yours to give.

He is inexperienced and untested. He has not written a single piece of legislation, despite serving as a US Senator (during a term has hasn't even completed). Obama even admitted, back in 2004: "I should not run for President in 2008." So what changed? Even his own running mate had called him out on his inexperience.

His foreign policy is a disaster. Is he just making nice with our enemies? Or is he pandering to them?

He is way too liberal. Granted, after eight years of the ultra-right George W. Bush, our country is ready to swing its collective pendulum back to the left. A little. But Barack Obama? I don't think the country is ready for that. John McCain will bring us more to a comfortable middle.

Let's be honest. We just don't know the man. He has ties with a lot of people who are less than model citizens. Unfortunately, when you try to bring that up, the Obama camp just gets evasive and defensive. It's hard to know what kind of man he is. Some say he's Muslim. He says he's Christian. But when you look at the church he's attended for the last 20 years - with its pastor preaching hateful rhetoric that is clearly racist - even the casual observer - let alone a fellow Christian - has to question Obama's faith. Then there's his two memoirs - one geared to a black audience, and the other to a white audience. But the same story? Really?

I know McCain, warts and all. Having him serve as a Congressman and a Senator representing my home state doesn't hurt, either. I know where he stands, and he shares most of my values.

Obama shares my values only when it suits him politically. I don't really know the man. I suspect that very few do. Besides, he hasn't paid his dues yet. Maybe someday, if he ever comes around to proving himself. But not now. Especially not now.

Presidential Polls vs. Real Results

There is a lot of attention to the presidential polls in the news media every day - yes, even every hour. And many of the polls show that Obama is winning. Or is he?

I found a very interesting article on the blog American Thinker that goes into detail why polling is so flawed and - ultimately - inaccurate.

Since our liberal news media is decidedly slanted to the Democrats, the polls they conduct are also slanted likewise. And interestingly enough, even when there are polls indicating the Republicans are leading, those are largely ignored by the press.

A few have gone out on a limb and said that Obama will win in a landslide. McCain appears to be surging (even the polls conducted by the press are showing that). I think it will be McCain in a squeaker reminiscent of the last two presidential elections. And perhaps there will be a surprise or two - which will make for a good spanking for Obama. We will see in five days.

Electoral Count: October 30, 2008

National Percentage
McCain 61%, Obama 38%, all other responses 1%

My apologies for not posting this last week. Blogger was down last Thursday afternoon and AOL had refreshed their straw poll the next day. Just a matter of timing.

This week's anomaly goes to North Dakota where a whopping 11% of those votes are going to Bob Barr (Libertarian, GA) against McCain's 46% and Obama's 42%. I have awarded that state to Obama, but it's probably more likely to go to McCain. Also, there are only 142 votes from North Dakota out of a total of over 182,000 nationally - so the numbers are statistically very skewed.

One thing I did notice this week is that McCain has gained in every state except for North Dakota (due to the Barr factor), nor has he gained in the District of Columbia. This could be an indication of a "ninth-inning" surge. Should be interesting.

Only five days to go.

source: AOL Straw Poll
see also: Methodology (revised October 3, 2008)

This Election Too Important To Ignore

This comes from our brothers and sisters at CatholicVote.com. You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate this:

Electoral Count: October 16, 2008

National Percentage
McCain 54%, Obama 44%, all other responses 2%

It's a tie at this point.

source: AOL Straw Poll
see also: Methodology (revised October 3, 2008)

Electoral Count: October 9, 2008

National Percentage
McCain 54%, Obama 42%, all other responses 4%

source: AOL Straw Poll
see also: Methodology (revised October 3, 2008)

What This Economic Crisis Really Means

He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Revelation 13:16-17

The Book of Revelation contains much prophecy of what the world will be like after Jesus calls his chosen people up to heaven with him. It will be a dark time indeed as the world then will be ruled by the Antichrist under one world government - and financially controlled under one world currency.

Many, including myself, fear that the $700,000,000,000.00 bailout passed by Congress last week is just the tip of the iceberg. Most, if not all, of the world markets are in a similar bind. Many acknowledge we will be in a recession, perhaps a deep one. Perhaps even a depression.

With many of the world's banks in distress, money is already being transferred between nations. More debts will default, more financial firms will fail. There will be great distress.

A worldwide currency is not a new idea; in fact top bankers and economists have been trying to find a way to implement it. Now with the uncertainty of just about everything financial, it is my opinion that this worldwide financial crisis will pave the way to a worldwide currency. As bad as things are, a single currency may appear to be a rather attractive prospect for many.

The scary thing is that the financial sector transcends the very sovereignty of our country. The president doesn't control it. Congress doesn't control it. The courts don't control it. The financial sector is like its own shadow government. The most powerful people in the world right now are those who control the markets and the commodities that flow between them.

How did we get here? Simple. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10)

Keep watch, my brethren. Stay vigilant.

The Futility Of It All

I confess that lately I've seemed self-consumed in my thoughts and concerns. It is if my very soul is being sapped. And I don't like it.

Jesus told us that we would be able to recognize the signs of the end times as easily as one could recognize the changes in the seasons. And let me tell you, folks - the seasons are a-changin'.

We watch and wonder as Barack Obama and John McCain try to convince us that they should be the next leader of the free world. The more they talk, the more they seem alike. Most Americans have already made up their mind, and no campaigning or debating will sway their opinion. Amongst those who already know how they will vote, the election is very close. The sales job, then, is directed at the minority who has yet to make up their mind. It is this minority that will tip the election toward one or the other; and amongst these voters, the election is also very close. As I watch these two candidates trade rhetoric with each other and outline their plans, I sometimes can't help asking myself, "Does it really matter?"

As I wrote during the primaries, I have found myself having to compromise my own values in choosing our next president. It is only 26 days until the election. Do I choose the one whose values are closer to my own? Or do I cast a vote in rebellion by voting someone other than the top two? Or do I further extend my rebellion and cast my vote for none of the above?

Considering all that has transpired - especially in the past 30 days or so - we as a nation may already be screwed, regardless of who takes the oath of office on January 20, 2009. Both candidates claim they will bring change. Unfortunately, I don't think real change will occur until January 20, 2013 - if this nation survives that long.

Controversy: Achmed the Dead Terrorist

Tune in to Comedy Central and you may find comedian/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham and his suitcase full of puppets.

One of those puppets is Achmed the Dead Terrorist, and a skit featuring him has received 66 million hits on You Tube [see it here].

But according to this report on FOXNews, not everyone is happy with the skit. In South Africa, a commercial which features a clip from the skit has been deemed by the Advertisement Standards Authority as offensive to Muslims, which makes up 2% of the population.

There is no direct reference in the skit to connecting Achmed to Islam. In fact, Dunham asks Achmed point-blank if he is Muslim, to which he replies "I don't think so," and goes on to say he is "made in China."

But while there is no direct reference to Islam, there are several inferences such as "infidel", Achmed's dress, Achmed's name, "Allah", "72 virgins", and "paradise." Then of course there is Achmed's own job description as a suicide bomber. And when we hear "suicide bomber", we all automatically think of Islam.

In spite of all the inferred references, this routine does not poke fun at Islam. It pokes fun at at someone who failed horribly, and it pokes fun at an action that is otherwise so horrible and futile.

Through his puppets, Jeff Dunham makes fun of everybody. "I've skewered whites, blacks, Hispanics, Christians, Jews, Muslims, gays, straights, rednecks, addicts, the elderly, and my wife," Dunham explains. "As a standup comic, it is my job to make the majority of people laugh, and I believe that comedy is the last true form of free speech." He even makes fun of those who drive a Toyota Prius (which he himself drives)! I've seen the act - I think he's funny (even though I sometimes drive a Prius!).

Even though Achmed is not identified as a Muslim, it is easy to make the connection - even those of the Muslim faith see it. But God forbid we should ever insult a Muslim, especially when they have no problem insulting - and vigorously persecuting - those who are not Muslim.

"Turn the other cheek," Jesus said. Even Muslims regard Jesus as a prophet.

Electoral Votes: October 2, 2008

National Percentage
McCain 60%, Obama 40%

Man, this is really close!

source: AOL Straw Poll
see also: Methodology