“Tax and Spend liberals” is a constant theme of both the moderate, and conservative republican base of this country.  During this campaign, just like the previous ones, Republican candidates have used scare tactics telling people that Barack Obama wants to take your money and give it away to others, conjuring up images in the minds of paranoid Americans of African American teenagers sitting at home with 3 kids watching Jerry Springer while living off tax dollars, and young black males in front of liquor stores drinking malt liquor out of paper bags with money they received from welfare.

While the ignorance is hilarious, it is simply not the case in America.

Firstly, Democratic President William Jefferson Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, a bill that set work requirements for most welfare recipients and limited the length of time that they could receive assistance, making it a substantial change to the welfare system.

In the Summer of 1996, Clinton said “A long time ago… I concluded that the current welfare system undermines the basic values of work, responsibility and family, trapping generation after generation in dependency and hurting the very people it was designed to help.”

In June of 1996, Clinton said “First and foremost, community programs must stress abstinence and personal responsibility. A program cannot be successful unless it gives our children the moral leadership they need to say no to the wrong choices and yes to the right ones.”

So if Clinton reformed welfare way back in the 90’s and limited the length of time that any one person can receive assistance, why then do so many in America still have this misinformed view of who benefits from Government Social Programs, and why do so many Republican politicians continue to feed that ignorance ?

During the October 22 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage asked: “Do you think a person on welfare has the right to vote? I don’t. Why should a person who is on public assistance maintain the right to vote? Tell me why. Where is it written that they should have the right to vote?” He added: “I support them, and they should have the same vote I do? That would be like saying an infant has the right to vote or an insane person has the right to vote. Why should a welfare recipient have the right to vote? They’re only gonna vote themselves a raise.”

Savage continued: “So if you get a demagogue like [Sen. Barack] Obama coming along, and he says to the welfare recipient, elect me, and I’ll make sure that we have trickle-up poverty, and the rich — so-called, that is anyone who works for a living — will give you more money, more welfare, of course you’re gonna vote for the demagogue Obama. See, if I was in charge, I’d pass a law which says, OK, you can’t support yourself for whatever reason, you’re on welfare, you lose the right to vote.”- Media Matters

Savage, in my opinion is an idiot, but who are these people that he, and so many other conservative supporters like him want to be treated as second class citizens?  Social Welfare programs only account for about 1% of the Federal Budget and 2% of state budgets, but, who benefits from the most welfare in this country ? It’s not the people.

What about corporate welfare ? Yes there is such a thing and it is far more expensive to the American tax payer than food stamps to a widowed suburban mom, struggling college student, or senior citizen trying to make ends meet….and Republicans are big on it !

According to OMBWATCH.ORG:

1. Fact: Spending for corporate welfare programs outweighs spending for low-income programs by more than three to one: $167 billion to $51.7 billion (source: Aid for Dependent Corporations, from the Corporate Welfare Project and How Much Do We Spend on Welfare?, from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, FY 95 figures)
2. Fact: Total federal spending on a safety net for the poor costs the average taxpayer about $400 a year, while spending on corporate welfare programs costs the same taxpayer about $1400 a year. (source: CBO figures)
3. Fact: Over 90% of the budget cuts passed by the last Congress cut spending for the poor — programs that ensure food for the needy, housing for the homeless, job training for the unemployed, community health care for the sick. (source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Bearing Most of the Burden, 1996).
4. Fact: Only 3.9% of total federal outlays go to programs that solely benefit poor people.

Welfare programs for corporations do not play by the same rules as welfare for people. Welfare benefits for individuals and families are limited by strict eligibility requirements and time limits, while corporations get corporate welfare benefits regardless of wealth or accountability.

1. Fact: Individuals and families must demonstrate need to receive benefits, while corporations with billions of dollars in annual income remain on the federal dole.
2. Fact: Most social spending is in the form of discretionary spending, which is scrutinized in the annual budget negotiating process in Congress; most corporate welfare programs are in the form of tax expenditures, which go on and on since they are not subject to annual review by Congress.

…and we already know of the multi billion dollar bailout that American tax payers are in the midst of shelling out to save some of Wall Streets most profitable companies.  The largest Government handout in the History of the United States.

If we followed Mr. Savages logic, that would mean thousands of corporate executives, and company employees would be turned way from the polls.

But I am sure that the back lash against welfare is against individuals.  Americans.  Struggling Mothers, and laid off workers trying to feed their families. Not corporations, right ?

The fact of the matter is , Moderate and Conservative republican groups continue to pull off the biggest con job in America politics.

By literally scarring hard working Americans who are not wealthy by any means, and feeding into this country’s underlying racism and hang ups, they continue to sell the bill of goods that Democrats want to give money to some fictional “home boy’s” outside of a liquor store, and unwed teen mothers (like Bristol Palin - who’s baby and health insurance is paid for by tax dollars).  And each and every time, they pull off this con, they cut benefits from people that really need it, some of them are your neighbors, parents, and friends who have hit a rough patch, and give it to their buddies in corporate America so they don’t have to spend their own money to expand….and thousands of people fall for it every election.

Americans are truly misinformed about who really gets the lions share of Government handouts.  As long as your attention is mis-directed at fear, ignorance and racism against fellow Americans, the con job will continue to be a success.  Apparently in the eyes of conservatives it is better that corporations and executives get a government handout instead of actual people that need a lift, right?  How’s that working out for ya ?

Welcome Back

It is the final hour in America.  It’s time to elect the President that we believe has all of our best interest at heart as a country, while protecting the security and economic interests of the United States.

Basically it comes down to who do you believe will get the job done, and get it done right this time ?

As I watched virtually all of the campaign speeches, commercials, news interviews, and read the candidates websites, I wasn’t so much looking for the words on the page, or spoken aloud, but for the content of the character of the man or woman from which they were spoken.

I have watched John McCain continuously insult the intelligence of American’s over and over again during this election, and no matter what new plan he now has for America, that he didn’t have in his last 20 years in Washington, I would never be able to get over the disgust I feel in the way that he choose to convey his message.

At a time when the country not only needs to come together, we also need to work together, and the Republican base has spent the majority of their time and money attempting to separate the country, which to me shows selfishness, and a serious lack of leadership.

Republican Organizers, Campaign Managers, and PAC’s have presented to the American people a campaign of name calling , fear and intimidation in order to scare Americans into voting for John McCain.  Over the last few months they have acted less like leaders of a multi cultural nation, and more like a pack of caddy, gossiping cheerleaders.

First they called Barack Obama a Muslim , using religion to invoke fear in Americans, not only insulting Muslim Americans, but peace loving Muslims around the world. If John McCain was attempting to prove to the nation and the world that he can lead this nation and represent our interest around the world, using religion to scare people was a serious lack of judgment, and showed lack of character. If I were leader of another country, I would be hesitant to trust a man that would use religion as a scare tactic.

Secondly, the McCain camp attempted to use distant associations with colorful, and sometimes questionable individuals as proof that Barack Obama is not someone to be trusted.  Sarah Palin actually used the term repeatedly, “Pallin’ around with terrorist“.  This coming form a Governor of a State in our Union, who’s husband was a member of the Alaskan Secessionist party, the AIP, that preached the separation of Alaska from the United States.

..And coming from McCain, who was a part of the Keating 5, and was actually caught taking gifts and cash from Charles Keating, while lobbying for the deregulation that was collapsing  every Savings and Loan in the United States where hard working Americans lost millions in savings and investments.  I mean it really takes some balls for McCain to throw stones when he not only took gifts from a crook ….never listed them on his tax returns, which is how he got caught.  Defrauding the American People and Hiding income and gifts. 

They tried to overshadow actual actions, with brief associations.  That showed dishonesty, and hypocrisy.

Third. Did anyone hear McCain in the last Presidential Debate say, “I know how to get Osama Bin Laden.” ?  If you were like me your mouth dropped wide open.  It was infuriating to think that John McCain seemed to be saying that unless we elect him President, he will not share this precious knowledge of how to capture or kill America’s #1 Enemy, and murderer of Americans around the world.  To think that U.S. Troops have marched into a country looking for weapons that didn’t exist, in a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, while kicking in doors all over the Iraqi desert and across the mountains of Afghanistan looking for someone that John Mccain now claims he knows how to get all along, really pissed me off.  It was an insult to our troops and if he in fact does posses this precious knowledge and is holding it hostage until the Presidential seal is under his butt, it should be considered an act of treason.

John Mccain has spent this entire campaign trying to scare us into believing that he is the only one that can save us, the exact same message that George Bush used in the 2004 Election. A direct contradiction of his message that “Americans don’t want a Government that takes care of them”.  He has spent more time talking about Barack Obama, than Barack Obama has.

It is disappointing that such a respected and honored veteran, and U.S. Senator would forget the honor that he once had as an officer in the United States Military, his original platform.

His campaign has been erratic, with no clear message of his own, only changing messages from month to month to match ideas and ideals that Barack Obama had presented from day one.

*If you look back before the GOP Convention, “Change” was not the platform of the Mccain campaign, it was National Security.  Obama’s platform has always been “Change you can believe in”.  McCain hasn’t had an original idea in the whole campaign.

His choice of Sarah Palin, while providing us with unlimited comic relief,  showed a serious lack in judgment from a 72 year old man, not looking take care of his country, but one looking to recharge his own ego.  There is no doubt in my mind that she is not ready to assume the role of Commander in Chief should something happen to John McCain, and a level headed leader would have chosen someone who would be ready from day one.  John McCain never considered the possibility that she may actually have to step in, which shows serious denial.  Not what we need from our next President.

To sum it up, John Mccain has spent so much time attacking Obama’s character that he failed to see that he was actually showing us his. Americans now have to decide if the republicans and John McCain have truly scared us back into the hole that we are fighting to get out of, or if the content of a mans character is an accurate representation of what kind of leader he will be for all of us. I have already made my decision.

What are you going to do ?

Vote based on Fear, or Vote for a Change ?