Debt not Debt Limit

Marco Rubio presented an interesting perspective today on Face the Nation.  He pointed out that the debt limit is really not the underlying issue in this nation but debt itself is.  I must say, we focus so much on the legislation of limiting or expanding the debt ceiling that we forget that debt itself is what caused this dilemma to begin with.  This country came from a great economic standing in the 1990's and has experienced an obvious drop within the past 12 years.  It is not just the government (local, state, and federal) that is spending too much but as a whole, the people of this country rack up incredible amounts of debt on credit cards and are unable to pay it back.  This is a serious issue that cannot be just be "fixed" with a bill.  This must be taught in schools and at home because that is typically where we as humans learn our habits.  This habitual spending pattern we have seen increase drastically is not healthy for the level of economic standing we should be at.  I am not suggesting that we quit spending all together but there must be moderation.  There is so much waste and pointless spending that we must do away with before we have nothing left.  There is supposedly a deal in the process of being made between the two parties in Congress but will it be before the dreaded August 2 deadline?  My guess is no but only time will tell.

Tax Reform... PLEASE?

Since the 2010 Republican take-over of Congress, the major debate has been focused on the astronomically high debt this nation is accruing.  This past Thursday, the House Speaker John Boehner pointed out that the reform is under discussion but tax hikes are out of the question for the GOP.  This has been a continuous standstill in congress; who to tax, how high, how low, etc.  There have been several imminent government shut-downs that have been narrowly avoided by last-minute legislation that puts off the inevitable awhile longer.  How long can we survive on this?  This nation MUST get out of the deep hole of deep that it is currently standing in.  Today the highest tax bracket pays 35% in taxes while the lowest pays 15% however at the beginning of Reagan's presidency, the tax rate was 50% for the highest tax rates.  There has been discussions and pushes for raising the tax rate to similar percentages on those who make $250,000 (families) and $200,000 (individuals) or higher to relieve the over debt burden the government has gotten themselves into.  Although it seems like a quick fix, a better answer would be to lessen the spending in areas that are not dire within the government.  There are programs in place that take an immense amount of funding with little to no return and these programs need to either be reformed to require less money or eliminated all together.  Some of the programs that are not necessary as they are now would be NASA, Social Security (which needs to be reformed), the Food and Drug Administration (also needs to be reformed), and all cloning research (because it is NOT necessary).  These are just some ideas that would take a very long time to change or eliminate but they would save billions for the future which is where we need to look to in order to prepare now.  

Arguments From Within

Debates and arguments are a large part of politics however, it seems that as time goes on these debates morph into all out wars with words.  Politics inspire and cause a passion that is infectious and can spread like wild fire as is well portrayed in elections and by the media.  Passion is key but more and more often it is leading to anger and hate which are not democratic emotions.  I was recently involved in a discussion with a friend and several of his family members that were frustrated with people on the Fourth of July that were making comments about the disappointment they felt in the Obama administration.  I made a point that this is a country that allows freedom of speech and this frustration towards these people was unfounded and selfish.  Obviously this was not taken well because no one enjoys hearing that they are being narrow-minded and the war with words began.  I was shocked at the immaturity that ensued and backed out of the conversation as it was turning into a juvenile name calling contest.  I realized this all began with a few words.  Words are powerful and can stir emotions that cause us to act in a way that is beneath us.  The family members were self-proclaimed moderates in their political beliefs but refused to be logical or reasonable and I could not help but laugh at the hilarity of the situation.  This is what America is coming to.  These are the types of people that are voting for leaders that are incapable of leading and yet will stand to blame others for the problems that they voted for.  There will always be anger and frustration in politics but with a healthy dose of logic, many of these outbursts would never happen.  PLEASE be reasonable if a conversation turns sour.  Sometimes the best action is to walk away as difficult as it may be.

2012 GOP Candidates

There have been many people that have stated their dislike of the options for the GOP nomination for the 2012 Presidential election however, these candidates are some of the best this party has had since Reagan.  These people love this country and they love the freedoms that we as a nation enjoy.  They all have various levels of experience in public office and most have succeeded in other fields such as business and media as well.  Some may have some extremist views but they will slowly be dropped from the race as they represent viewer citizens.  The front runners are obviously Mitt Romney, Michelle, Bachmann, and Herman Cain and they as a whole are representative of the Republican Party.  Each offer a very different promise as the leader of the most powerful nation in the world and each have a shot at winning the seat from the current administration.  Why would these not be considered the best the GOP has to offer?  Some mention religion, extremism, and lack of political suave are the major reasons however in reality, none except extremism could deter an individual from being a true leader.  A true leader is humble, passionate, and able to admit when they are wrong.  A true leader also surrounds themselves with advisers that posses differing opinions and backgrounds in order to better represent a larger group of those being represented.
A leader that actually connects with the people of this country will be a wonderful change from President Obama.  We need someone that stands up for the people instead of standing against them with an audible air of pride.  In turn, we need voters that educate themselves on those running.  There will be more trust in the government and the elected individual will be held to a higher standard with more accountability to those they represent.  Really learn for yourself about these candidates instead of trusting wholly a media source... that is the key to true learning.