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Voice of the Voter - This Week's Stories

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Economic Stimulus or Happy Pill?

It seems that Washington is poised to send out another round of feel-good checks to Americans in an attempt to stave off another recession at the end of a Republican administration. It seems oddly humorous that only eight years after our nation had a budget surplus and balanced budget under a Democratic “tax and spend liberal” administration, a so-called “compassionate conservative” administration would have entered us into two wars and led us to the largest budget deficit in U.S. history. George W. Bush seems to be intent on ending his presidency the way he began it. He is happy to give away the farm despite no ability to pay for it responsibly.

When did conservatism become spending recklessly and not making sure there was money to pay for the spending available? It seems that somewhere along the way the idea of fiscal conservatism has been lost in the haze of right-wing Christian social conservatism. At some point the real social and fiscal conservatives that believed in small and unobtrusive government were replaced by rich people who see government as a sword to be wielded by the wealthy to slice their way through the red tape to the real money pot that they all so desperately want to keep to themselves. What ever happened to paying your fair tithe for the bounty of your abundance and pay as you go conservatism? What ever happened to the responsibility of the well off to help the less fortunate as Jesus taught? Apparently, that part of the Bible got skipped in their church’s sermons.

So now that our economy is collapsing from the damage done by irresponsible businesses and foolish borrowers, the “conservative” leaders in this administration bring a bailout plan to the table to save businesses from themselves once again. The burning question is though, will it really help? The current plan being bandied about in Washington is between 150 and 160 billion dollars going mostly to the middle and lower class citizens in an effort to stimulate spending. If some within the Senate get their way the package will be much bigger and carry provisions to give cash to the ultra wealthy including themselves which will likely go directly to saving and not spending doing little good for the economy. What does go into the economy will likely provide a little boost to the economy. But what happens when that runs out? Will they do it again? What about the poor fundamentals of our economy that led to the current crisis? This pending bill does nothing to stop predatory lending or improve employment. This bill does nothing to improve accountability for financial institutions that invest poorly. And where is the money coming from? We have a huge budget deficit meaning this money is all borrowed. So are we selling our futures to the Chinese or the Saudis this time?

The sad truth of this latest plan is that it amounts to little more than a happy pill for the country. Everyone will be happy with the little check they get and some will spend it on new stuff and our economy will get a little shot in the arm and likely give China more American money to count. In the end the help will only be a shot in the arm and have little lasting impact on our weakening economy. While the Dollar plummets against the Euro and our housing markets collapse, our leaders are pinning the economic hopes of our nation on a plan that has little to no chance of succeeding.

It is clear to the rest of the world that our government is in panic mode and is trying to do anything they can to put a band-aid on the economy until after the election. European banks refused to cut interest rates in response to the Federal Reserve panic cut of .75% and show no signs of increasing their investing in our markets. We are in debt to China, Saudi Arabia and other countries around the world and have little to bank on to reverse this trend. America needs to do far more fundamental economic building and spend less time trying to put band-aids on broken arms. We need another major jobs creation program including infrastructure rebuilding projects and overtures to foreign investors to build factories here in the U.S. that will employ U.S. workers. Only with a serious plan will our economy regain the ground it has lost over the last seven years. We need to bring balance back to our trade policies and make sure that business profits do not come at the expense of our future. Only then will our economy become strong once again.

The Realist - Patriot at Large | Give your feedback on this article.

Hollow Victory? Maybe Not.

Senator Hillary Clinton went to Florida to hold a rally after the Florida primary to celebrate beating her chief rival Barack Obama in a contest that essentially doesn’t count in a state that none of the Democrats campaigned in. When Florida Democrats decided to hold their primary on January 29th in defiance of the national party, the Democratic Party stripped Florida of its delegates for the nominating convention to be held later this year. The decision by the party and the agreement of the candidates to honor the party’s decision made Florida a non-race. Despite that, after her lopsided loss to Barack Obama in South Carolina, Senator Clinton made a point of going to Florida to declare victory and promise to fight for the delegates to be re-allocated to Florida at the Democratic National Convention.

Some have speculated that this move by Mrs. Clinton is nothing more than a transparent ploy to gain delegates for the convention. After the South Carolina primary, the once solid front runner has now become locked in a tight race for the Democratic nomination and may be losing ground to the more dynamic and increasingly popular Obama. Others point out that Mrs. Clinton also refused to remove her name from the Michigan ballot when they also defied the Democratic leadership and held their primary before the February 5th “Super Tuesday” date when 23 states will hold their primaries and caucuses. Whether she genuinely is fighting for Florida or just wants the delegates, it was a bold move to make in the face of the party decision regarding Florida.

Bold moves may be the thing needed to keep her candidacy alive after a couple of major endorsements were announced by her primary opponent for the nomination. In a stunning move, the daughter of assassinated president John F. Kennedy who has not been an active public figure in politics wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times comparing Senator Obama to her father and indicating her belief that the nation needs Barack Obama to be the president because he like her father is a figure that only comes along once in a generation to inspire and motivate people to achieve greatness. Following that stunning and unexpected endorsement, one of the elder statesmen of Washington and brother to the aforementioned John F. Kennedy added his endorsement of Obama to that of his niece. Those two endorsements for Obama made the apparent uphill climb for Mrs. Clinton to win the nomination that much steeper.

If the February 5th primaries play out the way many predict, the Florida delegates being allowed or not allowed at the national convention could end up being important in determining who will become the Democratic nominee for the November general election. In a tight race it’s anyone’s guess how this will all play out but one thing is certain, no matter who wins the nomination it will have been one of the hardest fought campaigns in recent memory on either side of the political aisle.

Troy Wilson-Ripsom - Staff Writer | Give your feedback on this article.



Get Involved

Do you sit and yell at the TV when politicians come on? Do you shake your head sadly whenever you see a homeless veteran? Is that all you tend to do?

It's time to put up or shut up America. We all love to talk about how we could do things better or how we would do it if we were in charge. Well, it's time to put your money where your mouth is. If you can think of it, you can write it down. If you can write it down, you can type it. If you can type it, you can e-mail it and if you can e-mail it, you can send it here.

We at Reform America are committed to giving voice to anyone who wants to put their ideas out there to make our nation a better place. As the readership grows, we are able to take those views to a wider and wider audience. Grassroots campaigns begin with voices speaking out. You have opinions. Voice them. We aren't about conservative or liberal. We aren't about pro-this or anti-that. We're about Americans and the First Amendment. Reform America is about politics by, for and of the people. You are the people. You only need to speak up. America is listening. Send your article to: stories@reform-america.net



Have You Been Downsized Due to Outsourcing?

For several years now we have listened to some within the business community tell us that America can't compete on a global scale unless they send our jobs overseas where they can be done cheaper. The question becomes, if we don't have good paying jobs here, how can we sustain our own economy? We want to hear from you. Have you lost your job? Have you been forced into a lower wage job due to outsourcing? Has outsourcing been a success for you? Did you end up in a better job?

Tell us your story so we can make sure the politicians see how outsourcing really impacts the workers who are backbone of America. Send your story to stories@reform-america.net

 

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