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Letters, 9/27: Obama's plan doesn't jibe

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Saturday, Sep 27, 2008 - 12:05:48 am CDT

In Barack Obama’s plan, first we tax the pants off the rich and give those pants to the poor. The middle class have to buy their own pants.

Today a person making $500,000 a year pays about 30 percent in taxes, leaving a take-home pay of $350,000. But with Obama’s plan, that person’s tax will increase. So the rich will just sit and watch? No. The bigwigs will increase their wages to offset the new rate and take home the same $350,000.

What does this do to the services or products sold? Prices go up and up, and the poor are just as bad off and the middle class have to work harder to keep their station in life. Employers cut back on employees, reduce fringe benefits and hire more part-time workers. So you tell me how and when this plan is better than John McCain’s plan? How about when pigs fly — with or without lipstick.

Weird Wally Smith, Lincoln

Palin is style over substance

I would classify myself as a conservative, and I have voted mostly Republican all my life. However, this election I feel that the Republicans have really let me down with the nomination of Sarah Palin, and I will either vote for Barack Obama or not vote at all. Here’s why:

One of the charges we Republicans have leveled against the other side all these years is that they engage in activities that put style over substance. We accuse the Democrats of advancing people because of a characteristic instead of character. I have believed that the conservative side of the ideological aisle is more intellectually honest by making decisions about people based on their merits and not a desire to make a “statement.” This belief has taken a real hit with the nomination of Sarah Palin.

If there was ever a case of putting style over substance, it is this nomination. I am disappointed in the party for the nomination, and I am disappointed in many of my fellow Republicans for their reaction. I find this groundswell of enthusiasm for Palin to be hypocritical on several levels, not the least of which is the complete reversal on the experience issue. The Republicans are decrying Obama’s lack of experience while celebrating Palin’s “freshness.” Give me a break.

My respect goes to those who have well-thought-out ideals and then stick with them even when the temptation for a short-term win comes along.

David Christensen, Lincoln

Get over your Palin gaga

I read so much commentary on Sarah Palin. John McCain is still the person running for president. However, his campaign was clever in bringing in an attractive unknown at the last minute to detract from the issues. That led to Palin’s putdown of the press.

The press has no alternative but to dig aggressively to glean as much information on her as possible and get it out to the public so we can be informed voters.

The situation puts me in mind of the new girl who moves to town and starts high school. Suddenly the boys are all agog. “She’s wonderful! She’s marvelous!” They put her on a pedestal. After several months, the novelty wears off and good sense returns.

The trouble here is we don’t have several months. I hope voters tread carefully. This is our beloved country at stake.

Dorothy W. Sterns, Douglas

Bless those who serve

Amen to comments by E. Kathleen Olson and Erika Viljoen (letters, Sept. 19) regarding community organizers and serving the poor and sick.

I am the proud daughter of a two term mayor (small town) and community organizer. Shame on the Republicans for being so mean-spirited.

Have we forgotten about the Hindu lawyer who started as a community organizer in South Africa and returned to India to lead his country to freedom?

Or how about that courageous nun who founded her own order to help those in poverty and worked with love as a spiritual community organizer and changed the face of Calcutta and the world.

About 47 million Americans live without health insurance. More than a third of single mothers are at poverty level. In 2007, 62,791 children in Nebraska lived in poverty. And Omaha ranks No. 1 in the nation in the percentage of black children in poverty.

Gandhi and Mother Teresa felt  poverty is the worst form of violence. We sure could use more community organizers to serve the poor, and give them hope.

Tess Logan, Lincoln


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Ken wrote on September 27, 2008 5:30 am:
" Obama loves to spend our money to get elected President. He tries to buy votes with his tax cuts for 95% of the lower & middle class. This is a joke. Of those 95% about half don't even pay any taxes.

How much money has he taken out of his pocket to pay for his campaign? An interesting question. "

 Joseph wrote on September 27, 2008 8:13 am:
" Dorthy,

You are correct that voters should tread carefully, but not just with Palin, but with all the candidates. We should all carefully examine where they stand and then cast a vote based on who they believe best represents their own personal views.

As a Republican I have no problem with the media digging into who Palin is, as long as they are fair in doing so, and as long as they are diggin into all of the candidates. Obviously with Palin being new to the national scene she will be under a microscope more than others. I understand that.

What I do have a problem with is the hateful comments and lies that some have had towards Palin. A Democratic Congressman called her "disabled." Another from Flordia basically accused her of being racist and anti-semetic. A blogger made up a story about her faking her pregancy and some in the media ran with this lie. Lindsay Lohan called Palin a homophobe. Perhaps most disgusting are the t shirts being sold on the internet that say mentally challenged "Republican Babies for Palin" (only it doesn't use "menatally challenged" . . . it uses a very offensive word which cannot be used in print). These comments are absolutely offensive and they do nothing to further educate the voters or advance the discussion. I always thought the left stood for being open minded, but apparently that is only the case if you agree with them. "

 Edgar Pearlstein wrote on September 27, 2008 8:26 am:
" Apparently, Mr. Smith would have us tax rich people less, because they are the ones who hire the middle- and low-income people. But note that most businesses make their money from middle-income people who buy their products. If middle-income people can't afford much, the rich won't get much.

Instead of a policy of getting more income for people who don't need it, with the idea that benefit will trickle down, we should instead concentrate on those who do need it. The benefit will trickle up to the rich. "

 Style wrote on September 27, 2008 8:35 am:
" Sarah Palin may be attractive, but so is an air-headed "Barbie". Have you seen her interviews? "

 Bob wrote on September 27, 2008 9:17 am:
" Wally must be selling a lot of cars as he's apparently in the tax bracket that will finally pay their share. And yes he may decide to up his profit ratio to make up the difference. The reality is that overall, Obama's plan is more fair than McCain's. All one has to do is research it on Google. "

 Michael wrote on September 27, 2008 9:23 am:
" Mr. David Christensen, you said it better than I ever could have. Thank you. "

 Middle class guy wrote on September 27, 2008 9:35 am:
" Wally Smith needs to go look at the numbers that matter. Those making less than $19K will get a $19 tax break from McCain and a $567 tax break from Obama. Those making $19K to $38K get a $113 tax break from McCain and a $892 tax break from Obama. Those making $38K-$66K get a $319 tax break fom McCain and a $1,042 tax break from Obama. It's sad to hear the wealthy complain about paying their fair share... "

 Gardener wrote on September 27, 2008 9:42 am:
" Wally, this ridiculous idea that we need to keep funneling money to the rich so that they will trickle it down to the rest of us is a proven failure, why do we keep arguing against our best interests? If giving breaks to the rich corporations was going to help the economy, we should be at the top of the market instead of the bottom right now after the last eight years. Crazy! You give money to the rich, they put it in the bank with the rest of their millions and billions and ship it to their tax-free off-shore accounts. You give money to the rest of the nation (95%) of us, and we will spend it - and grow the economy while we are doing it. You give money to the middle class and they are going to come to your car lot, Wally and buy a car. Please go to electiontaxes.com and plug in your numbers real quick. It's a non-partisan group that calculates your taxes based on both candidates' tax plans. Totally anonymous. In my household's case, Obama will save us just over $1500 every year. I don't personally know anyone with income high enough to benefit from McCain's plan. I encourage everyone to check this site out. There is no campaign spin, just real calculations based on the plans. See who is really on your side and looking out for the middle class working man. "

 Shop Owner wrote on September 27, 2008 10:01 am:
" That is my major concern with Obama, poor people do not provide jobs, and cutting off the hand that feeds you politics just does not make sense. It is a good vote getter from the dependancy class we have developed since the Great Society, but other than that alienates the rest of us. I am a small independant bussinessman and I make in clear profit in the Obama tax target range. My options are plain and simple. I will dismiss two of my employees and work more hours in order to maintain the liefstyle I worked so hard to achieve. I built my bussiness up from the ground, and the government is now going to punish my success, interesting way to run an economy. And when I do dismiss these two wonderfull faithfull employees, I will hand them an Obama campaign bumper sticker so they will know who to blame. "

 Zoomie wrote on September 27, 2008 10:14 am:
" Wally - you really need to read more (or stop with the phoney GOP spin)...Yep, Obama will raise taxes on the richest 5% of Americans. "Tax their pants off"??? Not hardly! He is proposing a 3% increase in their taxes. THREE PERCENT!!! And why aren't you mentioning the fact that Obama will give bigger tax cuts to those making under $100,000 than will McCain? So more people will get more cuts in taxes from Obama than McCain! And why no mention of the fact McCain will RAISE your taxes, if you currently have employer provided health insurance? Yep, true! McCain wants to shift the cost of the insurance (currently a tax deduction by your employer, for whatever they pay on the cost of the policy) to the employee, assuming $5,000, which will then be classed as a salary increase, and so it will raise your total taxable income by $5,000...even though you won't see a penney more in your pocket! So come on Wally, where is your concern about all this taxation? Why are you so worried about wealthy people paying a couple of percent more, but not bothered by massive cuts for the middle and lower class? "

 Poor Rich wrote on September 27, 2008 10:21 am:
" Wally.....sorry, I just can't understand who would be depressed taking home only $1,000 per day.....If I'm stuck with income like that, I believe I would be glad to help out my country by paying a little more.

Real life is contrary to the old Republican slogan that "Greed is Good". "

 Shop owner wrote on September 27, 2008 10:37 am:
" Businesses aren't going down because of a tax increase. These businesses are going down because the middle class, and the poor, have virtually no disposable income during the Bush era of failed "tinkle down economics". "

 Joseph wrote on September 27, 2008 12:14 pm:
" To Style . . . that is exactly what I am talking about. Your comment did nothing to further the debate. Palin did indeed stumble on some of the questions, but they were also playing the "gotcha game" with her. I would like to see Obama answer detialed specifics about Biden's accomplishments in the Senate. In addition, I could point to statments made by Obama when he mis-spoke like when he said he had been to 57 states and had one more to go, or when he refered to his Muslim faith instead of Christian faith. Point is, all politicians dance around questions and all mis-speak or say dumb things from time to time. What we need to do is look at their record. What have they done. What have they stood for in the past. That gives you the best picute of who these people are. Name calling from either side does no good. "

 for smart people wrote on September 27, 2008 12:22 pm:
" if palin is so good why did they have the ex mayor of new york speak for the republicans last night? I see biden spoke for the dems..Where is she and why is she in hiding? It's cause she is not ready to be a v.p. let alone a president. Why did she say palin-mccain ticket. Is she really running for the top job? Come on, get real, mccain put her on for the looks. I am not voting for a beauty pageant I am voting to save the u.s. "

 josie wrote on September 27, 2008 12:23 pm:
" for those of you who feel wally is "off track" please go back and re-read his letter then think about it before you post negative comments. think outside of whatever box you are in! "

 To Joseph wrote on September 27, 2008 3:06 pm:
" Obama never refereed to his Muslim faith,It is a right wing smear.if YOU profess to be Christian them shame on you for propagating lies. "

 Reread Wally wrote on September 27, 2008 3:08 pm:
" I reread Wally's letter and have the same conclusion. We are in the middle class and cannot afford the misguided attempts by McCain to TAX my employer paid group insurance. I would have to pay taxes on an additional $7,000 per year under McCain's plan (This shows he knows nothing about the health care problem.) We have zilch for disposable income since inflation has been rampant. WE NEED CHANGE "

 Debate wrote on September 27, 2008 3:09 pm:
" I also thought it was wierd for Guiliani to give the Republican response rather than Palin. Of course, then again, I think they ought to have their heads examined for letting Guiliani speak, period. "

 Joe is right wrote on September 27, 2008 3:12 pm:
" Politicians get tired and misspeak from time to time. To mispeak for the better part of two interviews, shows not a blip, but just ignorance and unreadiness. "

 Better Jibe than McCain wrote on September 27, 2008 3:23 pm:
" There is a reason used car dealers don't get jobs as president. "

 Worker wrote on September 27, 2008 3:53 pm:
" So let me get this straight, "Trickle down economics" does not work, but "trickle up economics" will work. Taking more money from the consumer in the form of taxation, and giving the middle class less to spend is the way to economic prosperity? Taking more money from those who provide the employment giving less incentive to grow and expand the bussiness to hire more people is another way to economic prosperity? I am no math genius, but having even lees to spend myself while those less motivated get more in benifits so they can spend more just punishes those of us who work, and rewards those who do not. I just don't think that style of economics will work either. "

 RussianMike wrote on September 27, 2008 4:28 pm:
" I don't agree with McCain on much, but I can respect the fact that he understands these issues much better than I ever have. Even though we have not come to the same conclusions, I respect his opinions, based on the understanding of the job at hand.

I agree with Palin on even less, but am more disturbed by her failure to demonstrate her knowledge on the issues that ought to be crucial to the office she is running for. Whether the reason for her less-than-satisfactory interviews can be attributed to nerves on her first few big interviews, tricksy interviewers and fancy editing, or a genuine lack of understanding remains to be seen. The McCain campaign has not helped us to determine which, keeping a very tight reign on Palin.

I am not talking about "experience"; this issue has been dramatically overplayed this election season. I am more interested in knowledge and ideas and plans; experience often, but not always, helps candidates acquire these skills. Last night's debate made it clear to me that Senator Obama and Senator McCain both have a decent understanding of complex economic and political topics. Nothing I have heard from Sarah Palin encourages me to say the same of her. "

 Joe is right also wrote on September 27, 2008 5:59 pm:
" To correct a poster who said Obama never referred to his Muslim faith, he was interviewed with Stephanopoulos and he said "Let’s not play games. What I was suggesting — you’re absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith" at which point Stephanopoulos tried to correct him and say you mean Christian faith. If you missed the interview, you can find it on the internet. It is not a Republican smear, I heard it with my own ears. "

 Not that it matters... wrote on September 27, 2008 6:52 pm:
" Here we go with the whole "Obama's a Muslim" bit again. Obama is NOT a Muslim, he professes himself to be a Christian. And even if he was it DOESN'T MATTER!!! Newsflash! Being a Muslim does not equate to being a terrorist! People also seem to forget something called "Freedom of Religion." You know, the Constitutional right to practice ANY religion you want, so long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others. Some people are so hyprocritical though, freedom of religion means either no religion or only the practice of their brand of Christianity. "

 JohnR wrote on September 27, 2008 10:37 pm:
" To Wally and other supporters of giving more money to the wealthy...if your argument that shoveling ever more money to the wealthy creates jobs, can you explain why so few job have been created over the last 7 plus years, dispite the fact the wealthy are paying the lowest level of taxation in 70 years? Under your thesis, since the wealthy are doing better than at any time since before the Great Depression, we should have seen massive job creation. But we didn't even keep up with population expansion! In Clinton's 8yrs in office, taxes were higher on the wealthy yet we saw almost six times as many new jobs created! Face it. Your claims don't jibe with history or facts! They are pure ideology. "

 OK wrote on September 27, 2008 10:43 pm:
" People have criticized and made fun of Palin for going to the Pentecostal church. Yet no one can state a fact about Obama saying my Muslim faith? He did say his Muslim faith, look it up. You democrats are soooo hypocrital. That's why I've decided I can't vote for a democrat, not because of Obama, but because of the way the democrats act. "

 To OK wrote on September 28, 2008 1:39 am:
" I did look it up.He says he's a christian.
Obviously you do not know anything about Islam-it's the one religion in the world where its followers will not even pretend to belong to another religion as it is blasphemous to their faith.
If you're attacking Obama for his religion then I assume you claim to be Christian.If you are, then you obviously forget THIS verse in the Bible from Ephesians 4:25 -look it up so you can ponder what it says about speaking falsehoods. "

 Juan wrote on September 28, 2008 12:38 pm:
" Wally - the economic walls are literally crumbling around you and who doesn't get it? Neither pure "greed" nor "socialism" work. There is a need for government. We have been in a supply side trickle down mode for almost 30 years - it doesn't work. Warren Buffett supports increasing taxes on the rich and recognizes the need. Evidently you and quite a few others don't and that is why we are where we are economically. "

 Right on Edgar wrote on September 28, 2008 2:49 pm:
" Edgar your thinking has been so out of style since trickle down economics took the country by storm. Hopefully, that is becoming so passe so we can get back to the truth as you state it. It's all us little guys spending money that makes the money for the bigwigs. Makes so much sense but for a while seems everyone was afraid to say the king had on no clothes. "

 To shop owner wrote on September 28, 2008 2:52 pm:
" You'll get rid of your two employees if no one has any money to spend, and we are getting closer to that scenario. If people have money to spend, you can keep your friggin money and you'll still need the two employees. Trickle-down economics is a con game not a legitimate economic strategy! "

 Reader wrote on September 28, 2008 2:54 pm:
" Sen. Obama is a fine man and an ideal candidate at this time in history. He is for the "average joe" and we haven't been represented in a very long time. I, personally, cannot afford to vote for McCain - my pocketbook cannot withstand another 4 years of the same economy that we now experience. The old saying - When the Republicans are in office, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer - seems to be correct! "

 Democrat wrote on September 28, 2008 6:19 pm:
" Sorry, Obama is not the one that I want for President. 43 Years a Demo. and McCain is the one for ME.
I have all ways used my head and have voted for the candidate that speaks for me. The Bail out is not Red or Blue, even if the Blues started the process. This hole Bail out is not in the interest of honest tax paying Americans. "

 Captain Logic wrote on September 29, 2008 1:19 pm:
" Let's put the "Obama is a Muslim" consiracies to rest. Nothing wrong with being a Muslim, but Obama is a Christian. The slip everyone points to was in an interview by Stephanopoulos on "This Week." The topic was whether McCain has been suggesting that he's a Muslim. Obama said "You're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith." He clarified that he misspoke in that ackward sentence, meaning "Christian faith." He restated what he meant clearly, "What I'm saying is that he hasn't suggested that I'm a Muslim." "

 michelle wrote on September 29, 2008 2:16 pm:
" Hey Weird Wally, maybe you didnt know this but even people who make 26,000 a year even pay out about 30% in taxes. "

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