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Sept 8, 2003 In one of my earlier rants I suggested that Gary Coleman and the apocalypse might be linked. Low and behold he is a candidate in California. I actually wish him well. Unlike some other folks, I think that he is interested in doing something other that jumpstarting a stalled career. Even the arrival of Arnold has brought a certain curiosity to the election. Sadly, on the national scene, the Democrats don’t have any single philosophy other than to be contrary to the Republicans. That’s it; they are a one trick pony show that is in desperate need of a new act. If the could sit down, away from any of the pollsters and ask themselves, “What do I really think,” then we might have some interesting discussions. For now, I’ll just try not to fall asleep when they start the same old droning that nobody really believes anyway. Consider John F. Kerry, as he likes to be called now. In his own words, "Americans deserve a principled diplomacy...backed by undoubted military might" Almost sounds like a Republican. Here are some of the facts. Kerry has been in Washington since 1984, some of his pro military and national security votes have been completely contrary to his latest statement. 1995 Kerry purposed a bill that would reduce the intelligence budget 30 million dollars a year, every year for five years. 1995 he voted to slash the FBI budget by 80 million. But yet he claims to want a strong military. On 4/6/2003 he called for a "regime change" but on 4/8/2003 he said that a "regime change" was "too harsh." Those must have been a difficult two days of soul searching for him to change his mind. Or was it poll numbers. He also says that he wants to revolutionize heath care. Good. At least this is an old tried and true Democrat favorite. But look out. While he claims to have voted against unfair drug benefits that were offered up this year, he is lying. He didn't vote against it. He wasn't present for the vote. And neither did he 34 other times that he could have voted on this benefit. And then there is the whole issue of him voting to tax social security benefits for seniors. He has made a crucial error there. You don't want to tick off the AARP. According to his own Web Site, he has a 95% approval rating from the AFL-CIO. Okay another Dem favorite. Looking at microeconomics, like your household, would you rather have more money in your pocket, or going to the treasury department? He has a long history of voting against tax cuts. In fact, in 1995 he voted for the single largest tax increase in history. He is also in favor of increasing the minimum wage. But does that help someone who has been employed for several years. Nope. It just raises the starting salary. It isn't going to mean an increase in pay for you. Besides, isn't minimum wage intended as a fair starting wage when someone is just entering the work force? Does anyone intend in only ever earning the minimum wage? If you increase the minimum wage you will have a spike in unemployment claims as small companies start laying people off. You are also going to see an increase in retail prices, as companies have to charge more to pay their employees. So little Timmy gets a raise at the 7-11, but, and now we are talk macroeconomics, the people who come into his store are paying a higher price, and sales start to decline. One of the core values of the Democratic Party is that the economy can carry and endless number of taxes, wage increases, and silly politicians and continue to succeed. When you look at the rest of the field, Kerry is looking the strongest. Dean is in second but is far too liberal on taxes. He wants to repeal the Bush tax cut to fund a national health care program. Or if you want to believe his campaign ads, he wants to raise taxes to help the economy. He really said this. Where was his speech writer that day? In brief, the economy is stimulated by purchases of goods and services. When you tax the people, or businesses, more that slows down the economy. Why? Because of their being purchasing power in a broad spectrum of economies, it is dwindled down to government contracts and funding special projects. You could argue that those projects hire people and they purchase goods, but the problem there is who those people will be working for. The government. The return on investment for unionized government employees is terrible. They get a lot of days off, get taxpayer funded retirement, and they don’t get paid as much as someone in the private sector. Adding to the government payroll is really like adding to welfare. You can’t expect any return on those dollars spent. But most Democrats vote from the gut. They believe, almost religiously, that Republicans are the bad guys: they want to destroy the environment, they want to force religion in public places, and they want give tax relief to the rich and keep the poor down. This sounds extreme. For you Democrats out there I have been among you. I have heard Republicans described as good ol’ boys, driving big pick up trucks and listening to talk radio. I have seen the self- aggrandizing in the shelter of dorm rooms that your parents paid for. But I also know that it is all based on emotion, and not fact. I know how terrible you are at defending your positions. Categorically you are sincere, but not informed voters. And that is how you end up with the wacky candidates that have become the hallmark of your party. For my Republican friends I have bad news. There is a specter hovering over this whole circus. Hillary is getting a lot of press about her not running. Yet her web page is full a pleadings for her to run, and she wants the job. An exploratory committee has been formed in Florida. But she says she isn’t running. Yeah, right. This woman isn't known for honesty. Or ethics. She has promised to serve out her term in New York, but could she really let her admirers down? Kerry is going to be the man to beat, if Hillary doesn't pop up at the last minute. If she runs it will be a media frenzy like we haven't seen since O.J. So many of the issues of today would get swept under the carpet on the basis of her sex alone. And then there is the whole historic first lady becomes president story. Can you imagine the glee in Katie Couric's eyes as she interviews presidential hopeful Clinton. Dean or Kerry the Republicans can beat. Hillary will make it a very dirty campaign. I can't wait. ------------ About the author: Edward Lyell is politically active in New Mexico and has been a small business owner and currently works as professional counselor. Once a great Democrat, he became another one of the disenfranchised during the Clinton presidency. He categorizes himself as a firm believer in Objectivism, free trade, and the Constitution. Email Edward Lyell: Edsterl@aol.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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