Sunday Brief 2 10 2008

Barack is on a roll or is he? It looks like Obama swept the 5 state primary/caucus yesterday. But did he really make gains on Hillary on the delegate count? Yes and no. There were not a whole lot of delegates up for grabs but since the two Democrats are nearly even in the count, every single delegate is going to count.

Next big steps will be in the states of Texas, Ohio and PA. But can Obama pick up those states? Can he win? Some polls suggest that if Obama were the Democrat nominee, that he would beat McCain.

Other polls suggest that Obama's lack of being specific about anything will hurt him in the general election because he has a very small record to lean back on. McCain has a huge record and that record seems to harm him when it comes to conservatives. But this is where Obama will have a tough time as well.

He will need to get specific about his plans. Inspiring and pretty speeches will not cut it when you have an opponent who presses you for specifics. Obama has not had to deal with that yet. Clinton won't press Obama on specifics for fear of having to give greater details on her own plans.

The who strategy here is, less is more for now. These Democrats are afraid to let you know there specific plans. Why? Remember a decade ago when Hillary was trying to get Hillary-care passed? Americans got the details and said no with a loud and deep voice.

She and Obama know that if they get specific on their plans, the American people will run away again. This is where a good strong Republican can win. McCain, despite his own liberal record, can win over conservatives and independents simply by getting Hillary and Barack to get specific about their plans and policies. Until that happens, we will have more flowery speeches and rallies by the two Democrats. there won't be anything relevant.
****

• The wealthiest 1%, in 2003, earned 14% of the income and paid 35% of all individual income taxes.

• By comparison, the bottom 60% of all taxpayers earn 28% of all income and pay just 1% of all individual income taxes.

This should dispel the notion that the rich don't pay their fair share or that the rich need to pay more in taxes. We already know that the higher income earners help the economy and those at the lower end of the economy as well.

Many people who earn under $36,$15per year do so in an industry that caters to those who earn more than $150,000 per year. These high earners buy stuff. They buy lots of stuff. They get services. They get lots of services. So people who sell or service the high earners depend on those high earners to spend that money. If they don't have as much money because of higher taxes then those people who depend on them will suffer and they will suffer big time.

How do you keep the economy going strong? Simple, you first cut the taxes on the people who have the money to spend. Then you cut the taxes on every other economic group that pays taxes. When people have money to spend, they will spend it and those people on the lower end of the economic ladder will benefit and will not need government services as much or at all.

Now do the Democrats really want to help the "less fortunate" or do they just want to pay lip service? You be the judge.
****

Waterboarding continues to be a hot topic on the political landscape. The UN (and we all know how reputable and fair the UN is) says that waterboarding is torture and needs to be halted in the USA.

The media has been focusing on this issue for months as well. Obviously, the media in general is against waterboarding. Why? Simply because it works without harming the individual being questioned. But many Americans, if you ask them, will tell you they are against waterboarding. Ask those same Americans if they know exactly what it is and they cannot tell you except they heard it was something bad.

I'm here to tell you that I have found out what this form of interrogation is and found it to not be torture at all. Interrogation is nothing but a mind game anyway and waterbording is a form of a mind game. If it gets people to talk and it does not physically harm another the person being interrogated, then it should be used.

Waterboarding, if done properly is a good, none lethal, non harmful way to extract information from an individual. And waterboarding has been proven to be far less harmful mentally than other forms of interrogation such as sensory deprivation.

Want to know more about waterbording? Go here:
How Stuff Works
Wikipedia
Waterboarding.org