Sarah Palin, Republican Vice Presidential Candidate

[Olo401]

http://books.google.com/books?id=nj2...1w7w#PPA135,M1

Was household wealth in this country, my bad.

Edit: You never trashed it the first time lol.

Hah.. you want to know what a "fair tax" would do to this country? Destroy the ability of the government to pay for ANYTHING without drowning in debt.

We already have that problem now. We don't need to compound it tenfold.

And re: Social Security, the problem with its funding base is that it's still operating on the premise that someone who makes $97k a year (the current cap for SSI out of your paycheck) is filthy fuckin' rich. That needs to be changed, but not much. Raising the cap to $135k would provide enough funding into the trust fund to cover the bubble of retirements that the baby boomers will create, and at the same time provide a larger cushion of retirement savings for anyone who retires later.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

Hah.. you want to know what a "fair tax" would do to this country? Destroy the ability of the government to pay for ANYTHING without drowning in debt.

We already have that problem now. We don't need to compound it tenfold.

It's revenue neutral, how would that destroy the ability of govt. to pay for anything?

[Kuya]

Fairtax doesn't seem like such a bad idea if they could fix certain loopholes; it certainly helps workers.

[Melchiah]

those hard working Americans had the choice to get a college education and improve their status. While some people have a lot more difficult time accomplishing this task it is always an option. There are opportunities to succeed in this country no matter who you are, what race/class/sex you are, you just have to know how to get it and be motivated.

Everyone cannot be at the top, there has to be more peons than centurions, otherwise your managers would be managing nothing. It's a pretty narrow minded outlook to think that the system would function without laborers. And I completely agree that salaries are lopsided in a bad way.

[zoobernut]

Swampdonkey I was reading the website and I am having a hard time understanding the fair tax how would it help people? My basic understanding is the benefit of the fairtax is that if you spend less you put less into taxes and if you spend more you pay more into taxes so the very wealthy that are buying mansions and yachts and cars would be paying higher taxes than the poor that cannot afford to buy luxury items. Is this thought correct?

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

Swampdonkey I was reading the website and I am having a hard time understanding the fair tax how would it help people? My basic understanding is the benefit of the fairtax is that if you spend less you put less into taxes and if you spend more you pay more into taxes so the very wealthy that are buying mansions and yachts and cars would be paying higher taxes than the poor that cannot afford to buy luxury items. Is this thought correct?

Yes, I think the most basic way to put it is, you keep 100% of you're paycheck, and you aren't taxed on spending up to the poverty level. Most people would pay less in taxes now than they currently do.

[Azkarin2]

I wonder where they get these crazy ideas in their heads!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONfJ7YSXE5w




And if there's nobody to teach them how to get it? Or they're flat out not smart enough?

the world isn't fair, shit happens. I fail to see how any other system would prevent failures like these and would rather take a shot at prosperity under the current system than see my reward get spread out amongst the masses because it's fair.

[Dimmauk]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/...b327bdd6da.jpg

'Rednecks for Obama' want to bridge yawning culture gap

by Michael Mathes Thu Oct 9, 9:50 AM ET

SAINT LOUIS, Missouri (AFP) - When Barack Obama's campaign bus made a swing through Missouri in July, the unlikeliest of supporters were waiting for him -- or rather two of them, holding the banner: "Rednecks for Obama."


In backing the first African-American nominee of a major party for the US presidency, the pair are on a grassroots mission to bridge a cultural gap in the United States and help usher their preferred candidate into the White House.

Tony Viessman, 74, and Les Spencer, 60, got politically active last year when it occurred to them there must be other lower income, rural, beer-drinking, gun-loving, NASCAR race enthusiasts fed up with business as usual in Washington.

Viessman had a red, white and blue "Rednecks for Obama" banner made, and began causing a stir in Missouri, which has emerged as a key battleground in the run-up to the November 4 presidential election.

"I didn't expect it would get as much steam and attention as it's gotten," Spencer told AFP on the campus of Washington University in Saint Louis, the state's biggest city and site of last week's vice-presidential debate.

"We believe in him. He's the best person for the job," Viessman, a former state trooper from Rolla, said of Obama, who met the pair briefly on that July day in Union, Missouri.

The candidate bounded off his bus and jogged back towards a roadside crowd to shake hands with the men holding the banner.

"He said 'This is incredible'," Spencer recalled.

It's been an unexpectedly gratifying run, Viessman said.

Rednecks4obama.com claims more than 800,000 online visits. In Denver, Colorado, Viessman and Spencer drew crowds at the Democratic convention, and at Washington University last Thursday they were two of the most popular senior citizens on campus.

"I'm shocked, actually, but excited" that such a demographic would be organizing support for Obama, said student Naia Ferguson, 18, said after hamming it up for pictures behind the banner.

"When most people think 'redneck,' they think conservatives, anti-change, even anti-integration," she said. "But America's changing, breaking stereotypes."

A southern comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, defines the stereotype as a "glorious lack of sophistication".

Philistines or not, he said, most rural southerners are no longer proponents of the Old South's most abhorrent ideology -- racism -- and that workaday issues such as the economy are dominating this year's election.

"We need to build the economy from the bottom up, none of this trickle down business," Spencer said. "Just because you're white and southern don't mean you have to vote Republican."

To an important degree, however, race is still the elephant in the polling booth, experts say, and according to a recent Stanford University poll, Obama could lose six points on election day due to his color.

Racism "has softened up some, but it's still there," Viessman acknowledged from Belmont University, site of Tuesday's McCain-Obama debate in Nashville, Tennessee.

Despite representing the heartland state of Illinois, and having a more working-class upbringing than his Republican rival John McCain, Obama has struggled to shoot down the impression that he is an arugula-eating elitist.

Surely he alienated many rural voters earlier this year when the Harvard-educated senator told a fundraiser that some blue-collar voters "cling to guns or religion".

But Viessman, who says he owns a dozen guns, said Obama "ain't gonna take your guns away."

The South traditionally votes Republican -- victories for southerners Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter were exceptions -- but with less than a month to election day, four states in or bordering the South are considered toss-ups: Florida, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia.

Viessman says he'd like to think his grassroots movement could sway enough people in small-town America to make a difference.

"There's lots of other rednecks for Obama too," he said. "And the ones that's not, we're trying our best to convince them."

[Day]

Obama is going to win a lot of votes here in SW VA with his Ralph Stanley ad. Dude is a god in these parts, if he's supporting Obama a lot of other backwoods hicks (my family) may actually lean his way.

[Dimmauk]

I saw that McCain and Palin started going to the Abortion issue. They are trying to solidify their base, and hope for the best. Do people really care more about Abortion than the economy or the War?

[Beckwin]

dumb people do!

[0ni0n]

The Dow is 100 points away from going into 8000 territory. Scary stuff considering we were in 13,000 a couple months back and 11,000 two weeks ago.

[Olo401]

It's revenue neutral, how would that destroy the ability of govt. to pay for anything?

Being revenue neutral is a red herring. It's about whining and greed, period. The rich bitch about paying ~35%, and they bitch about the poor and lower middle class paying 10-15% claiming it's not "fair".

The real problem though is the AMT. That thing needs to be ditched.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

Being revenue neutral is a red herring. It's about whining and greed, period. The rich bitch about paying ~35%, and they bitch about the poor and lower middle class paying 10-15% claiming it's not "fair".

The real problem though is the AMT. That thing needs to be ditched.

What does that have to due with creating more debt?

And onion the more it looks like Obama is going to win the lower the stock market is going to go, that's my theory.

[Krandor]

dumb people do!

They're trying to get the Cubs fans vote obviously.

[Dimmauk]

What does that have to due with creating more debt?

And onion the more it looks like Obama is going to win the lower the stock market is going to go, that's my theory.

Rush Limbugh said that about 30 minutes ago. Shame on you.

Because Businesses are afraid the Dems are going to tax them, so they are selling off everything to try to get out before he punishes them with taxes.

Scare tactics.

[Demosthenes11]

I'm a little late but, universal free college would be a horrible, horrible idea

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

Rush Limbugh said that about 30 minutes ago. Shame on you.

Because Businesses are afraid the Dems are going to tax them, so they are selling off everything to try to get out before he punishes them with taxes.

Scare tactics.

No he didn't lol, I've been listening all day. I just think it has to do with he is going to raise capital gains so it's best to sell now, and with business taxes going up they won't make as much profit. Makes sense to sell.

[Beckwin]

I'm a little late but, universal free college would be a horrible, horrible idea

yeah it's really working out terribly for free-market paradise Ireland. you act like university admissions departments would go straight out the door if every student was able to attend on scholarship.

[Dimmauk]

No he didn't lol, I've been listening all day. I just think it has to do with he is going to raise capital gains so it's best to sell now, and with business taxes going up they won't make as much profit. Makes sense to sell.

I was driving back to work from lunch and I'm pretty sure Rush said that the closer Obama gets to winning the more the stock market will fail. Anyways, one has nothing to do with the other.

Who else thinks it funny how McCain keeps saying he knows how to and will catch Bin Laden. But he wont say how he will do it, cause he doesnt want to telegraph his punches.