Obama & Tony Rezko

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004458521_rezko05.html gives the long version.

In a nutshell.... yeah, they've known each other for a little while. Tony was a fundraiser for Obama. They've never been close-knit pals or anything.

Just a couple of notes about Obama and his suspicious relationships: What politician isn't a freakin crook himself? They're all involved in scandalous deals, some are better at not getting caught than others though.

Obama on ANWR

What is ANWR? Sometimes mis-called "Anoir" "Anwer" "Anwire" etc.... ANWR stands for "Artic National Wildlife Refuge". There has been controvercy for decades on whether or not to drill for oil in ANWR. The eco-nuts say "HELL NO!" and the republicans say "Screw the animals, we need oil!!!" then the libs and eco-nuts say "We need to stop feeding our oil addiction and look at other energy sources, more oil is not the answer!" then the republicans say "Screw the addiction, we need oil!!" lol. In a nutshell.... there's crude oil in ANWR. Drilling is not allowed because it's... HELLO... a WILDLIFE REFUGE.

I'm not here to pursuade you to either side, but here are what the candidates have to say about drilling in ANWR:

Obama on ANWR: Against.

A large portion of the $800 million we spend on foreign oil every day goes to some of the world's most volatile regimes. And there are the environmental consequences. Just about every scientist outside the White House believes climate change is real.

We cannot drill our way out of the problem. Instead of subsidizing the oil industry, we should end every single tax break the industry currently receives and demand that 1% of the revenues from oil companies with over $1 billion in quarterly profits go toward financing alternative energy research and infrastructure.

Over the last 30 years, countries like Brazil have used a mix of regulation and direct government investment to develop a biofuel industry; 70% of its new vehicles run on sugar-based ethanol.
Source: The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p.167-169 Oct 1, 2006

We cannot drill our way out of our addiction to oil
It is hard to overstate the degree to which our addiction to oil undermines our future. Without any change to energy policy, US demand for oil will jump 40% in 20 years. Over the same period, worldwide demand will jump 30%.

Voted YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR. To remove the establishment of an oil and gas leasing program in the Alaskan Coastal Plain. The original bill allows for an oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Voteing YES on this amendment would remove that section, hence barring leasing in ANWR.
Reference: Bar Oil and Gas Leasing amendment; Bill S Amdt 2358 to S 1932 ; vote number 2005-288 on Nov 3, 2005

McCain on ANWR: Against (or so it seems)

Voted YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR. To remove the establishment of an oil and gas leasing program in the Alaskan Coastal Plain. The original bill allows for an oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Voteing YES on this amendment would remove that section, hence barring leasing in ANWR.

BUT

Voted YES on preserving budget for ANWR oil drilling. Vote to preserve language in the Fiscal Year 2001 Budget Framework that assumes $1.2 billion in revenue from oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [ANWR] in Alaska.
Reference: Bill S Con Res 101 ; vote number 2000-58 on Apr 6, 2000

A little flippy floppy, eh?

We'll drill in ANWR the day after we start the Fair Tax.

Here are some photos of ANWR

Why I’m glad Obama has won…

As a republican, you would think that I was hoping Hillary would be on the ticket because Hilary is the weaker candidate and has less of a chance of winning against McCain. No. Although he may be black, have so-called ties to terrorists, and babbles incessantly about change without really giving a clear objective… I would still prefer him over Hillary.

He is a doer, not just a talker…. He got much more done in his 8 years of being a Senator, versus Hilary’s six. See the stats here http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080218140637AA9Qpqt

Here’s a little breakdown of Obama’s beliefs/plans/etc, take it for what it’s worth to you and vote for whom you believe would do the best job and supports similar beliefs to you:

• WAR: Obama has been against the war in Iraq from the start. If elected in, we will likely pull out of Iraq very soon. The house and senate appear to be ready to get out too.
• VOTING: There’s some babble on his site about how there are so many obstacles in ensuring that every person can vote. What are the obstacles minorities face? All you have to do is have a form of ID, REGISTER (which can be done in many places as well as by mail), and take a stroll down to the polls on election day (with ID in tow).
• END RACIAL PROFILING: He plans to ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.
• REDUCE CRIME RECIDIVISM: Basically this says he’s going to help ex-offenders by making it easier for them to get jobs, counseling, rehabilitation, etc. This is excellent because it’s really hard for a convicted felon to get a decent job. We’re all human and we all make mistakes. Leaving a free felon unemployed and broke is only going to lead him back to crime.
• DISABILITY: Read more here http://www.barackobama.com/issues/disabilities/
• TAX CUTS: He plans to provide a tax cut for working families ($1,000) to offset the payroll tax they pay. There will be 10 million Americans who will not be paying any income tax (AKA low income folks will likely get back everything they paid in taxes plus some if you qualify for EIC… if you’re low income, add $1,000 to your usual tax return amount)
• MORE ON TAXES: He plans to simplify the tax filing so that Americans can sign and return pre-filled information and be done with there taxes in five minutes. This would be great IF IF IF IF 1) These middle class and low income families would STOP paying hundreds of dollars to H&R block just so they can get there check in two days versus two weeks; 2) There weren’t 18000000 different deductions that vary widely from person to person. It isn’t difficult to use turbo tax online to file your taxes (if you’re just a regular Joe, homeowner, couple of kids, college tuition deduction, etc). It’s super easy. That’s what we use. To hell with paying someone $120 just to ask questions that the computer monitor tells them to ask! It’s simple!

• TRADE info can be found here: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/
• JOBS AND PAY: same website as above. Lots of things are mentioned, more than I have time to break down. Increase minimum wage, increase Earned Income Credit (AKA wealth redistribution lol)
• LABOR: More unions, protection for striking workers, he supports the Employee Free Choice Act.
• HOMEOWNERSHIP: A ($500 average) tax credit to homeowners who do not itemize. He plans to fight mortgage fraud and has been closely monitoring the subprime mortgage industry (AKA adjustable rate mortgage). He wants to create a fund for homeowners to avoid foreclosure (funded by penalties from mortgage fraud offenders).
• CREDIT CARDS: Establish a credit card rating system, making it easy for every consumer to be aware of all of the risks involved. Ban unilateral changes. APPLY INTEREST RATE INCREASES ONLY TO FUTURE DEBT!!!!! Hallelujah! Prohibit interest on fees. Prohibit universal defaults.
• BANKRUPTCY: Cap ridiculously high interest rates on payday loans and improve disclosure. Encourage responsible lending institutions to make small consumer loans (enabling folks like us to pay off suchinsuch bill before they tack on that big late fee, making it even harder to pay it off). Reform bankruptcy laws to protect families facing a medical crisis.
• FAMILY/WORK BALANCE: Expand FMLA act to cover business with 25 or more employees (versus the current number, 50). FMLA will cover more purposes. FMLA will also require employers to allow 24 hours off per year to participate in there children’s academic activities. FMLA will also cover leave for employees to address domestic violence issues.
• Encourage states to adopt paid leave.
• Increase the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (AKA you’ll get more on your income tax return for the expenses you paid out for childcare).

Sdf

• EDUCATION:
• EARLY CHILDHOOD: Focus on early education, starting at infants. Grants will be provided to promote state efforts and help move toward voluntary universal pre school.
• He wants to quadruple Early Head Start, and increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both.
• K-12: Reform No Child Left Behind (by funding it)
• OKAY HERE’S THE DEAL: Education is important to me. I suggest you read the entire section on education: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/
• Basically free college…. Community colleges will be practically free. Read the above link for specifics.
• Simplified financial aid application for college students (hallelujah again, that crap is a pain!)

X

• ENVIRONMENT: He supports the production and distribution of Ethanol (YAY!) and plans to get the ball rolling. He wants to reduce oil consumption by 35%. There’s lots of eco babble here http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/
• ETHICS: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/ethics/ … nothing too interesting… political bologna
• MINIMUM WAGE: He wants to increase the minimum wage higher than the upcoming $7.25.
• PAID SICK TIME: Barack will require that employers provide seven paid sick days per year.
• FISCAL: Reverse Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, cut pork barrel spending, make government spending more accountable and efficient,
• FOREIGN POLICY: This is very important to me and I feel like it should be to you too…. Do yourself a favor and read this section: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/foreignpolicy/ I’m going to hit the high notes, but this section is full of important CRUCIAL information.
• THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: WHEN OBAMA SAYS HE WILL END THE WAR IN IRAQ THIS DOES NOT MEAN HE IS GOING TO BRING ALL OF OUR TROOPS HOME THE DAY HE IS INOGURATED!!! His plan calls for one or two brigades to be brought home every month, and his plan states that pulling out of Iraq is going to take about 16 months.

F

• HEALTHCARE: Our healthcare system needs reform. Obama’s plan is a whirlwind of change for the positive. Read about it here http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/
• IMMIGRATION: This is a very important topic to me. I live in Georgia, and at one point I lived in the area called the “International Village” (AKA a 30 mile radius with a population of 85% immigrants… mostly illegal). I’ve copied and pasted all of this from the Obama site:

Barack Obama's Plan

Create Secure Borders

Obama wants to preserve the integrity of our borders. He supports additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.

Improve Our Immigration System

Obama believes we must fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill.

Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally

Obama will remove incentives to enter the country illegally by cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

Bring People Out of the Shadows

Obama supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.

Work with Mexico

Obama believes we need to do more to promote economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration.

Okay I don’t have anymore time to write this up, but check these out if they are of interest to you:

SENIORS: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/seniors/

TECHNOLOGY: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/technology/

VETERANS: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/veterans/

Roe V. Wade

Everyone has something smart to say regarding any candidates stance on pro life/pro choice. You’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t. If you’re pro choice, you get all of the conservatives saying “YOU THINK IT’S OKAY TO KILL BABIES?!?!?” If you’re pro life, you get the libs saying things like “THIS IS MY BODY, YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE AWAY MY RIGHTS?!” Whatev.

Point being, regardless of who is president and what there POV may be on the subject… it would take an act of God himself to overturn Roe V. Wade, so get over it. Move on. Worry about something else. Don’t base your presidential vote on whether someone thinks it’s okay to abort or not. No matter what there opinion may be, they’ll never get it to pass. The President alone does not run our country.

Random Thought: Global Warming. When is this conspiracy going to be over? I’m all for going green, saving energy, wasting less, etc. but to seriously think that carbon dioxide is causing global warming is such a joke. We EXHALE carbon dioxide all day every day. Global warming is a natural occurrence with MAYBE a teeny tiny smidgen of human influence. It has been happening for ages... since the beginning of time. If you’re interested on the truth about Global Warming, let me know. But that’s enough for now… global warming would be an entire blog entry and this blog is supposed to be about the election.

Here’s the thing about ‘Bills’

There’s always talk about how soinso voted against suchinsuch bill. This post is inspired by a post/email titled “10 Things to know about McCain” on a website that is dubbed (by myself, Hannity, Boortz, etc) as one of the most idiotic flaming liberal pieces of crap on the internet. This site (which shall remain unnamed because they aren’t worth the two clicks they’d get from my blog readers… if you have no idea, just do a little googling)… has always posted all kinds of REALLY REALLY biased bull. And I HATE one-sidedness. Tell it all or keep your mouth shut.

Now…. Here’s the thing about “Bills”…

There are many many many reasons why one might vote against a bill. McCain was bashed on “unnamed website” for voting against a childrens healthcare bill. Why oh why would mean ole McCain do such a horrible thing to the poor kids of our country?!?!? Hmm…. What else may have been on said bill? I don’t want to get into the details of this bill in particular (because this kind of griping goes on no matter what the bill may be, and I don’t have the time to look into the details of every single vetoed bill. Bills are not just simple one-line things. It’s complicated. Lets take House Bill 7 for example (because it’s one that I’ve become rather familiar with thanks to my J-O-B. It reforms workers comp laws in the state of Texas. It doesn’t just say a few things, it covers a LOT of ground. Now lets pretend that House Bill 7 says that $xbillion dollars is needed to do blah blah blah…. If McCain (or whoever) thinks that amount is excessive, unnecessary, etc. He can suggest a line item veto…. But if no one else thinks that amount is excessive then it won’t happen… so what is McCain left with no choice but to do? Vote against that bill.

Or he could have voted against that bill for the simple fact that he thinks parents need to start taking better care of there kids. It’s not incredibly hard to get state funded healthcare for children where I live. I think for a single person with ONE CHILD, the income limit is like $25K. If you’re making $25K you should be able to afford Kaiser Permanente private plans for your kids. People depend on the government enough as it is, the last thing we need is MORE people on Medicaid, Peach care, etc.

So…. Next time you here someone jabbing about how soinso voted against the “Feed the starving children in Africa” bill, ask yourself (or google) “Why did he vote like that? What else was in that bill that turned him away from it? Do we really need to be spending millions or billions on feeding people in another country when we have people starving in our own country?” Don’t listen to the bologna scare-tactic blabbermouths. USE YOUR HEAD!!!

In further research…. This website http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/27/senate.health.insurance/index.html says McCain did not even vote on this bill, Aye or Nay. The president stated that he vetoed this bill because it would not be providing healthcare for more poor children, but providing healthcare for higher income families who can pay for there own.

The government is not our Mommy or Daddy… it is not here to support us or make sure we have money if we get ourselves into a big pile of crap.

McCain's CRAZY insurance plan

I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while, and the thing that pushed me over the edge was this email about John McCain and what he wants to do to our nation’s healthcare system.

THE BIASED BULLCRAP: I wish I could find the original email, but I must have deleted it. In a nutshell, the email was all this gloom and doom about how McCain wants to disable employers from providing health insurance to there employees, tax your income BEFORE your health insurance premiums come out, and basically force you to go to the marketplace to get a personal plan…. And the prices of personal plans would go up tremendously because insurance companies are just as much crooks as credit card companies. Oh, and it stated that he thinks people are OVER-insured and that he would push people to use these new “Health Savings Accounts” (umm… HSAs have been out for a good while now… DUUH).

THE TRUTH: Here is a quote taken from the sourc listed below “Both sides also envision a world where employers play a much smaller role in medical benefits” ~1 CNN. McCain wants to put the power of CHOICE into the hands of the consumer. This is good for those of us who are capable of making an educated decision on how we want to handle our healthcare, what kind of expense we can handle, etc.

This part here was found on source 1 (money.cnn.com):

McCain's main pillar is the elimination of a tax break that employees receive if their employer provides their health care. That may not sound like a shocker, but it is. The exclusion dates from World War II, when the federal government imposed controls on wages, but allowed companies to compete for workers by offering tax-free health benefits in lieu of pay. The law is largely responsible for the nightmarish patchwork of corporate-provided medical plans we enjoy so much today. Employees and their unions demanded richer and richer packages, and employers complied, since they could buy far more benefits for their employees than workers could buy with after-tax dollars on their own. Americans have paid a steep price, however, by sacrificing their raises as corporate insurance bills exploded, never more so than now

Sounds much prettier than the email I received. The biased bullcrap email made it out like “Oh the government wants MORE of our money!!” I HATE emails, websites, and people who have this whole “The government is OUT TO GET US” philosophy stuck in there heads. Come on people… get a mind of your own.

So yeah… people would be more responsible for buying there own health insurance premiums. Many people think that because the way things are right now, it is very hard to get a personal health plan at a reasonable rate BECAUSE there is very little competition (and in some areas, none at all). There are a few big companies out there offering personal plans at SOMEWHAT reasonable prices… the rest focus on employer-based business. If there were more COMPETITION in the “free market” (AKA capitalist market) then prices would be driven down.

Now if we’re responsible for this huge expense, how in the hell are we going to pay for it?? Employers won’t have to pay for your huge benefits package… so it’ll go in your paycheck (if you have an ethical employer). You’ll be paid more, therefore having more money to pay for your healthcare. Plus you’ll get a federal tax rebate (see cnn source for more info on that) of $2500 for individuals and $5000 for families.

Then there’s the part of the email that talks about how he’s pushing these high deductible catastrophy-only insurance policies coupled with these CRAZY HSAs…. This on the same source explains that a little further…

So what types of policies would they buy? Employees (and their families) with corporate plans - about 150 million Americans - would probably rush toward high-deductible, low-premium insurance, and use what's left over to pay cash for routine procedures. They would couple those high-deductible policies with Health Savings Accounts, which allow families to put away up to $5,800 ayear, before taxes, for medical expenses. Those plans cost about $10,000. That's not a huge saving from the typical $12,000 corporate plan, but it's a start. More than four million Americans already have HSAs, and the McCain plan would make portable, high-deductible plans the product of choice for a new generation of healthcare consumers. (1~ CNN)

I’m not a democrat, and since my time is limited, I’ll just tell ya this…. If you’re interested in the democrats ideas/plans on healthcare, go to the CNN website below. This entry is basically defending the biased bullcrap email I received.

Source 1- http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/10/news/economy/tully_healthcare.fortune/?postversion=2008031109

Why I started this...

I’ve decided to start this blog because there are soo many people who are completely clueless, misinformed, uninterested, uneducated, etc. regarding the 2008 Presidential candidates. I’m a regular ole working mom…. I do not have a degree in politics or law (or in anything, for that matter), I am not a member of any office, I am not a celebrity…. I’m just your typical American. I’m very anti-biased bullcrap…. Regardless of candidate, party, or who said it. One thing I CANNOT stand is when someone says something and the media twists and turns it into something completely different. This blog will be the FACTS. I want to compile factual information that interests regular folks like myself. The mass media makes everything gloom and doom, and it's all very biased. When was the last time you saw something positive about the War on your local news?

If you receive an email about a candidate, feel free to forward it to me and I’ll investigate it and post clarification AKA THE FACTS. My email is kaytiebugs@yahoo.com.

Important note: Although I am on the fence between Republican and Libertarian, I’m going to try my very best to NOT be biased. This is just the facts.