A Voter's Thoughts

...

I do not believe President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and the members of my local Democratic party can solve our current economic crisis. Whether they lack the knowledge or the will is not a fruitful discussion. Nor is how much they may have contributed to the problem. Suffice it to say simply that they just can’t solve it, because they haven’t, two years into their ascendancy.

I do not believe additional government spending will stoke the fires of our stalled economic engine. Taking on even greater national debt and / or raising taxes to fund this spending will not spur economic growth.

I do not believe the government can create a single, lasting job.

I do not believe the government should bail out failing corporations, no matter how “big.”

I believe the best way to economic prosperity is to:

1. Cut government spending at all levels, no matter how small or large the cut, no matter how small or large the program. (Start with defunding NPR.)

2. Keep tax rates for all American citizens and businesses at the same rate as the past couple of years (in other words, do not allow the Bush tax cuts to expire December 31st). An even bolder proposition would be to lower them for everyone. Letting us keep more of our earned income allows us to spend, save, and invest more money in the economy.

3. Promise no more new, Big Government initiatives like Obamacare. Kill Cap and Trade, VAT proposals, Amnesty, even large social reprogramming. At least until 2013. Business needs stability – or at least a clear vision of the future – to survive and thrive. And that’s what we all want, isn’t it?

I believe we need the “rich”, however that is defined (and it’s not anyone making $250,000 – I think half a mill is a good starting point). I believe the aphorism, “I never got a job from a poor person.” I, like most Americans, want to be “rich” someday. Don’t you? What’s wrong with that? Do you think charitable donations will go up or down as more people begin to make more money?

Life is not fair. Life is a separation into the haves and the have-nots. But the solution is not to take from the haves at the point of a gun to re-distribute to the have-nots. (Believe me, I understand the urge behind this; I’ve flirted with it recently. The richest guy I ever personally knew happens to be the greatest grade-A jerk I’ve ever known, ever, and he treated me like dirt.)

The solution is to make the path easier for the have-nots to become haves.

Government must get out of the way in this process. Everyone must have the chance to succeed economically; government punishing the successful to subsidize the unsuccessful is not the solution. Remember, government is not and never has been part of the American Dream. For those who may have forgotten, the American Dream is the implementation and selling with rolled-up sleeves of a unique idea that creates value for others.

I am a great illustration of this. I am on the economic dole solely to keep a roof over my family’s heads. I do not want further hand-outs; I want a job. Further, I want someone to tell me they’ll buy my stories and not reject them because “no one’s buying in the SF market right now.”

I want to be hired by a company that sees me as an asset, as someone who will bring exciting and tangible benefits with him. Right now, too many companies are viewing me – and millions others like me – as a potential liability with a whole slew of government-mandated baggage attached.

I believe only one of the two political parties will make it easier for us to solve this economic stagnation (and that party only by default). That is the party I will be voting for today, straight down the line.

If you question any one of these assumptions of mine, please, please, respond. I encourage debate; I want to be convinced. Convince me if you think I am wrong.

Otherwise, I defy you to vote Obama-Reid-Pelosi-Democratic today in good conscience.

Currently, thirty-one people visit this blog on a daily basis on average. Why not spend a minute – just a minute – and leave a comment, anonymous or not, telling me how you voted.

More discussion on this topic tomorrow.