Joe the Plumber

I watched the debate last night and I can't believe how much effort McCain put into trying to make Joe the Plumber from Ohio look like the average hard-working American which would be robbed by the Obama tax plan.  It was matched only by the effort he put into showing us that he was hurt by Democrats labeling him as a racist.  But back to Joe.  Does McCain really believe that someone who makes over $250k/yr represents middle class America?  Are we really supposed to weep for Joe who, after paying his taxes under the Obama plan, will only take home $150k+?  I would like to see Joe plead his case before the woman who struggles to get along with $8/hr as a cashier who would see a tax break thanks to the Obama plan.  I will, however, admit outright that I am biased towards the Obama camp as far as economics go.  However, I am not alone seeing as how many leading economists and finance guru Warren Buffet also back the Obama plan recognizing that this is not the time for more tax cuts for the rich and for large corporations.  It is time for bottom up growth and a move to empower the middle class.  I think we are seeing the shortcomings of trickle-down economics and it is perhaps time to explore other avenues for growth.  I am not an outright Obama supporter but as far as economics go, he has me convinced.       

Buying the ticket to London

Why is there a point in every relationship when you come to a realization that you may be in the best thing in your life but in order to stay with that person you have to sacrifice a lot of yourself?  Unfortunately, this has happened upon me more times than I would like to admit.  Having a penchant for foreigners will do that to you.  After being with an Italian for 3 years, she finally decided to move back to Europe and took a job in London, England.  This was at a time in my life when I didn't know what I wanted.  I knew that I loved her more than anything in the world.  I knew that she was the person I wanted to grow old with...I just didn't know if I was ready to start growing old.  She hounded me for months to marry her, to have a baby, to build a life together.  I kept resisting being honest with her.  Fear of what was ahead kept me from committing.  Finally, the day had come when she had moved and I was on expedia planning my flight to be with her.  I made all the clicks, planned the date, and arrived at the purchase screen.  I wanted so bad to click the button which would solidify my life.  Give me stability, a future, a wonderful girl...  But I just couldn't do it.  I quickly scoured the screen for the "x" in the upper-right hand corner and closed the page.  The moment I did it I wanted to go back.  I wanted to complete the purchase and fly into her arms.  But I couldn't.  I knew that the moment was gone and that I had made a choice which I could never go back from.  I hadn't bought the ticket to London because of my insecurity and because of fear of the road ahead.  I have regretted to this day that one moment in time.  My selfishness that ended up hurting someone I loved more than the world.  On that note I urge you dear readers (all 3 of you), the next time you get the chance, buy the ticket.  Don't think about it.  You can always often undo mistakes but you don't often get a second chance to make them.  

The Debate...sort of

So I watched the debate tonight. It is nice to see that in the land of opportunity we don't even get to see the 3rd and 4th party candidates that have probably worked twice as hard as McCain or Obama to get where they are. That said, I guess the corporations have given us our choices and we should be content to at least get to choose between black or white. I say that because both of the candidates supported the recent bailout bill and, in my eyes, have shown that their true alliances are with Wall St. and with big business, and not with the American people no matter how much of a "maverick" or a "candidate for change" they may pretend to be. Listening to them speak, you would believe that the end of days would have been upon us had we not made sure that lenders who made bad investments were protected and that CEOs get their golden parachutes. (For a real candidate for change see Ron Paul's assessment of the bailout on Youtube.) But I digress. Back to the debate. I have to admit that as much as I despise John McCain he does sometimes seem to be the one who actually has concrete ideas about what he will do if he is elected President. The fact that I don't agree with many of his ideas is a different story. I thought that Obama, always the great orator, seemed to speak in generalities. However, it was nice to hear him repeat Joe Biden's statement that no one making less than $250,000/yr would see their taxes raised and that people making less than $200,000 would see a decrease in taxes. I am a firm believer that we have been using Reganomics to stimulate growth in this country for far too long and it is time to try to build from the ground up by putting more money into the hands of the middle class. That said, the ability of Senator Obama to keep this promise once in the White House remains to be seen. Both candidates seemed to be willing to look to subject matter experts for help in their administration. This was proven by them both mentioning Warren Buffett as a possible pick for Treasury Secretary. (Buffett is an Obama supporter.) All in all, I don't think either of the candidates won my vote tonight. I think I will continue to give my vote to whichever 3rd party candidate gets listed on the ballot in MO as a vote against the current 2 party system system. Bob Barr anyone?

So what is up with this blog thing?

So I started this blog about a year and a half ago and then, as promised, never looked at it again. Tonight I will break that promise because, as a consumer, I am trapped somewhere in between an early adopter and a lagger. I am a "Pick it up and play with it for 10 minutes, then put it downer...then pick it up again a year later after the crowds die out-er." I guess it also comes from the fact that my friend Eric is now blogging and I have a certain need to follow in his footsteps. (Coat, car, etc.) That said, I still don't really have any idea what the purpose of the blog is. Do I really want to know eyecandygirl69's views on Campaign Finance Reform? I don't know. For someone as egotistical as myself I should welcome a creation that is based in such narcissism. An online diary for the world, or at least my 5 followers on twitter to know my every thought. So on with the show. Who knows what will come out of it. That said, one thing is for sure, as long as I remain unemployed I will have the time to delve into things that are total wastes of time in the long run. Hold on tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride.