Back To Basics
Time to take a step back boys. Yeah you, GOP presidential candidates.
You are misguidedly, whether of you own volition or because of media prodding, spending a ridiculous amount of time focused on each other—and the completely insignificant.
As I recall, this election was supposed to be a referendum on Barack Obama's abject incompetence, his lack of leadership, and his efforts to turn the United States into a European-style social welfare state. Your job was simply to make the case for limited government fiscal conservatism as the best/only path back to prosperity.
Got it?
Stop diddling as home burns!
You missed another opportunity tonight. Two stories that hit the wire today could have been used quite effectively to draw the contrasts necessary to put your party in the White House come November.
It was reported earlier (and of course ignored by the mainstream media) that Illinois is falling farther and farther behind on its debt. More importantly, their situation has become increasingly precarious subsequent to a 67% increase in the state's personal income tax rate and a 45% bump in the corporate rate. The Dems, needless to say, promised these hikes would be a panacea for the state's budgetary ills. And oh by the way, the Illinois powers that be ostensibly refused to cut spending, too.
So, let me see if I have this straight. Illinois raised taxes, didn't cut spending, and things got a whole lot worse. Funny, that's exactly what fiscal conservatives say will happen each and every time the Left beats the drum for higher taxes and more spending. One more concrete example of a Liberal policy proven dead wrong.
Ya think that might have been a worthwhile debate topic?
How about Moon Beam Jerry Brown's call for higher taxes in California? Yep, the Governor of the state with the highest or second highest tax burden (and one of the highest debt loads) wants another pound of flesh...and guess who he wants it from? You figured it out—the wealthy. Hmm, do you think that people worth a boat load of money will have much of a problem picking up and establishing a primary residence in Nevada, or Washington, or Florida, or one of the many other zero state tax states? Or perchance Arizona...where the rate is less than half that in California? And how about California-based businesses? Think they're all going to want to stick around? What do you suppose will happen to the tax base then? Debt explosion anyone?
Would it not have made sense to point out that Obama is using and wants to continue to use the toxic byproduct from the Illinois/California petri dish that happens to be killing Europe and has been infecting liberal orthodoxy here for decades?
What the hell, let's spend more time tearing down capitalism.
That should do the trick.
I hate to tell you this Chuck but there is a branding/perception problem for the GOP and Conservatives. You and I have had many discussions on this topic. However, something became very clear these past two weeks. The GOP race has highlighted two things. First the perception is that it is an "old boys" Club. It was social conservatives and the migration of the Dixie crats, which created conflict with minorities and now it has fell into an economic warfare between those who are prosperous and those who are suffering. Romney's comment - For economic prosperity many will suffer. I am predicting an Obama victory in November. It will be close. I would love to hear the conservative community advocate the repeal of Citizens United. This law will continue to role of special interests and make the business of big government even more appealing.
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Any “economic warfare” that may be going on between those who are prosperous and those who are suffering is largely manufactured by the media and the Left to further their own agendas. The policies they’ve promulgated for decades have destroyed and are destroying the very people they are supposedly intended to help. Opportunity exists; unfortunately, accountability often doesn’t. If the so called liberal leaders spent more time promoting and incenting initiative, rather than fostering division and resentment, their constituents would be thriving. It’s very, very sad what the professional Left is doing…and it’s all for one purpose—so they can retain power and continue to keep their collective thumb on the tens of millions of people they’ve conditioned to live lives of dependence.
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Chuck, your premise works if you believe that the playing feel is level and everyone has an equal shot at prosperity. That, I believe is the central argument. I believe that everyone has an opportunity, but the winds are tilted in a different direction for certain individuals in our great country. Prosperity means different things to different groups of people. It all depends on where you start and what you are allowed to be exposed to. A key focus on allowed to be exposed to. That is where the mentoring comes in, and by human nature that is where people gravitate towards people that are like them.
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It's not clear to me as to how one can think that a playing field without some tilt is a reasonable and practical standard by which to judge the system. We live in the United States, not the Utopian States.
Opportunity is the goal. Equal opportunity is a progressive myth.
I, like you, am a big believer that mentoring is critical. However, I disagree with the implication of your supposition that people gravitate toward people that are like them. Yes, it's not unusual for people to have an affinity for those similar to themselves, but people respond to people who take an interest in them, regardless of demography. That's proven every day in all kinds of places--be it a charter school, a boys/girls club, or in a Big Brother/Sister organization.
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