All right, I will work with your assumption, but if it is incorrect, I am not going to be the, me, in the old saying, about assuming.
Kerry laid out “his” Iraq plan, in 4 points, during the debates
1.Internationalize, because others must share the burden.
2.Train Iraqis, because they must be responsible for their own security.
3.Move forward with reconstruction because that's an important way to stop the spread of terror.
4.Help Iraqis achieve a viable government, because it is up to them to run their own country.
I found little difference between the two candidates on this, and neither explained nor offered a method for achieving these objectives. Both claimed they would do it better. I did not believe either could fulfill this plan, then nor now, as the ratio of forces, based on the doctrines of the various war colleges, was inadequate to accomplish the mission.
Kerry never offered a plan on SS.
I viewed this as an advantage, as the privatization plan as proposed, places the system in deeper debt and, does not account for the feeÂ’s that will be charged by various money mangers to administer the accounts. The Social Security portion of FICA is a regressive tax, in that it applies only to the first $90,000 of adjusted gross income (for tax year 2005, 2004 it was $87900), at a rate of 12.4%. A person with an income of $90,000 would pay $5,580 and his employer would pay the same, for a total of $11,160. A person making $180,000 would have the same $11,160 tax liability, even though making twice as much. To further add injury or insult the Social Security tax is not assessed on all sources of income, but mainly against wages, salaries, and tips. Trust fund babies win again.
During the debate over the dividend tax cut, Bush spoke often of the evils of double taxation; SS is subject to triple taxation. You pay your portion of FICA, you pay income tax on that money you paid to FICA and, dependent on income, you can again be taxed on the SS you receive when you begin drawing it. So if double taxation is bad, then triple taxation is worse, unless of course you are in the income class where SS is of no consequence, like Bush and the people who write our laws. The simplest way to fund Social Security would be to make all types of income subject to the tax and lower the rate, but the major political donors whose income sources are not subject to FICA, are not going to let that happen.
There were no real Substance differences between the two candidates. Before you blast me with abortion, guns, and all the rest, think about it.
What gun right has been restored to you, in the five years that Bush has been in office? Has there been a single filing by the Solicitor General to, over turn any state and local infringements on the Second Amendment? Aside from AshcroftÂ’s non-binding memorandum has there been anything aside from lip service paid to the Second Amendment in the last five years?
What policy, introduced by Bush, has resulted in less abortion’s being performed in this country? Aside from saying “culture of life” over and over again what has he done to materially reduce the number of abortions?
There was little to recommend either. They are both Ivy League trust fund babies. You want to believe that George is a good olÂ’ boy, fine, but prep-school in Connecticut is along way from public school in Texas, and a degree from Yale is a long way from Texas A&M. You want to buy into the whole swift boat thing, fine, but how tough would it have been to show up at Guard drill? . Even appearance wise, neither showed any particular advantage Kerry with hound dog eyes, and Bush with Dumbo ears, they are both cartoon like
Both are pretend populists, both are elitists, and neither has a clue what is like to be a “good ol’ boy”, for you country folk, or a “regular Joe” for us city folk.
In the end I decided Kerry could not do worse or less, and I was tired of hearing a Southern drawl, for the last twelve years, what can I say, I am a yankee. Admittedly not the best reason to vote for, or against someone, but I didnÂ’t have a coin on me Election Day.
So explain the difference to me between the two, in specific terms, using verifiable examples whenever possible, but I do not think you will find much difference. Without party labels it is hard to tell the difference, when you look at the reality of results. Neither one of these guys is worth fighting over, to me.
Life is no joke but funny things happen
jon
