THIS IS YOUR MCCAIN ON THE ECONOMY

If you want a good indication of how comfortable John McCain is thinking about the economy, I beg you to watch his reaction in the clip below when asked about the subprime mortgage mess. Then, I'd like you to ask yourself if he's the leader we've been waiting for ...




His reaction can only be described as TERROR.

On a separate note ... I've been having a few discussions with friends lately about the Palin-Biden debate this week, and I've been (in the minority) arguing that she is going to "win" the thing. My feelings as to why she will do well can be summed up perfectly in this fake headline by the writers of The Daily Show:

PALIN EXCEEDS
EXPECTATIONS IN VP
DEBATE: REMAINS
UPRIGHT, DOESN'T DROOL

Welcome to George Bush's America.

WHY THE EMMY AWARDS SUCK

I can't go another minute without making a quick statement about this year's Emmy Awards. Those who know me will tell you that I watch a great deal of television (probably too much), so the Emmy's are actually often more exciting for me than the Oscars. Over the last few years, however, I've become increasing irritated with this particular awards show. I could go on and on as to the reasons for my outrage, but let's just say that I can't for the life of me understand why the academy isn't falling all over themselves to give an Emmy to Hugh Laurie, and yet, James Spader has like four!? I mean, I love Boston Legal, but please.

Anyway, this year's Emmy Awards might be the last straw for me. I'm already disgusted with all the "Reality TV" that permeates the airwaves these days, but to have the Emmy's be hosted by reality television people is just insulting to those of us who try to convince others that quality TV does exist out there.

But that's not what really set me off ... When the writer of the HBO mini-series John Adams was making his speech, he started off by saying something to the effect that his work reminds us of a time when presidents could talk in full sentences. He barely got that out of his mouth before the network CUT TO A COMMERCIAL! You can read more about it here.

So much for free speech.

RETHINKING THE BLAME GAME

Now that the pit bull with lipstick has given McCain a "surge" in the polls, it seems that everyone (and their dog) can't wait to jump in and tell Obama how's he screwing this thing up. For example, the politically adept Arianna Huffington recently stated that it's time for Obama to find his inner anger. Here's a quote ...

To fully become the transformational leader we need, Obama must demonstrate to the American people his capacity for indignation -- for the kind of ferocious passion that fueled King and Nelson Mandela. He has to fight fire with fire, and wield anger in the service of what right, true, and good. The fierce urgency of now demands nothing less.

Likewise, the self-described apolitical Thomas L. Friedman felt the need to get in the conversation this time around and give Obama some tips about changing his calm temperament ...

I confess, I watch politics from afar, but here’s what I’ve been feeling for a while: Whoever slipped that Valium into Barack Obama’s coffee needs to be found and arrested by the Democrats because Obama has gone from cool to cold.

This is just two high profile examples, but let's not forget about the countless other posts on the blogasphere with a similar theme. Here's a quote from one of my recent favorites ...

Is Obama now going to let himself get moosed by a parochial Alaskan know-nothing because she's a woman? ... Time to get mad. At Palin. At McCain. At the Bushes (yes both of them) ...

... Your move, Senator Obama.

Of course, for every Huffington and Friedman, you'll find others who are telling Obama that he must be very careful not to come off as an "angry black man" (Oh, the horror!). So, what's the poor guy to do?

In the past two presidential elections, I'll admit that I was complaining as loudly as anyone about the missteps of the DemocratIC candidates. Like many others in 2000, I would constantly ask why Gore wasn't showing any genuine emotion. I mean, do you think the Oscar and Nobel Peace Prize winning Gore of today would have lost to Bush? And in 2004, I kept yelling at Kerry to vigorously defend himself against the swiftboat attackers. Think of how different it might have been had Kerry come out swinging after those ads instead of wind surfing.

Well, you know what? ... I'm not playing the Democratic blame game this time. With the exception of some minor cases where Obama might have zigged instead of zagged, I'm not seeing how Barack has done anything horribly wrong to this point. So, I have a new philosophy for this election ...

If -- after the last 8 dark years of Bush destroying the world -- the American people would actually elect a clueless, Republican, neocon, war hawk simply because he plucked an inexperienced, Republican, neocon, good looking, Super-Christian, wolf hunter out of obscurity and stuck her in front of the cameras to distract them from the real important issues of our day, then America gets the leaders it deserves! And if the "liberal media" once again lets Republicans say and do whatever they want while (at the same time) micro analyzing the Democrats, then Obama probably never had a chance in the first place. Therefore, when President Palin finishes Bush's job of driving the country into the ground, I will not be blaming Obama this time around; I will be blaming us.

If you want another piece of unsolicited advice, Senator Obama, then here's mine ... Just keep doing your thing, brother, and I'll be proud to stand behind you.

Your move, America.

John McCain will Raise Your Taxes

well, unless you're a zillionaire, of course....

From the Tax Policy Center (a joint venture of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution):

"Senator McCain's tax cuts would primarily benefit those with very high incomes, almost all of whom would receive large tax cuts that would, on average, raise their after-tax incomes by more than twice the average for all households. Senator Obama offers much larger tax breaks to low- and middle-income taxpayers and would increase taxes on high-income taxpayers. The largest tax cuts, as a share of income, would go to those at the bottom of the income distribution, while taxpayers with the highest income would see their taxes rise."

Heck, even the conservative Business Week admits that Obama's plan will benefit the middle class far more, and, unlike McCain and Bush's plans, will pay for itself rather than leave us further in debt.

Here's a Washington Post article with a graph that makes it pretty clear how both plans will work and who gets the beneifts.

Now, lest you feel sorry for those poor zillionaires who will have their taxes raised (or think you're going to become one of them in the next 4-8 years), here's some facts:

- Right now capital gains are taxed at a maxiumum of 15 percent. So if you work hard and bring home a paycheck, you get hit with 25 or 30 percent, but if you sit around while your money makes you more money, you pay only 15. There's no reason that income shouldn't be taxed the same. This will account for a lot of the "increase" on the wealthy (while the rest involves closing tax loopholes that let US companies "operate" overseas and avoid paying income tax altogether, which is flat-out wrong and un-American).

- I say "increase" because the top tax rate has actually been falling steadily through the last century. Fifty years ago, the top earners paid a whopping NINETY percent in taxes. Reagan & Bush The First dropped it from 70 way down to 31, which also accounts for a lot of the debt they racked up. So it's not unreasonable to bump it back up to 39, which, incidentally, is where Clinton raised it to in 1993, and he not only paid down the debt and left us a surplus, but we had the biggest growth of our economy in decades.

As for how McCain will actually raise your or my taxes, it's pretty sneaky -- he wants to tax employer-provided health care benefits. (and give a credit that's a fraction of the average cost for most families). So if you get wonderful, inexpensive health care coverage through your job, prepare to be stung.

And lest you think that McCain's plan might somehow make health care less expensive overall, this Economic Policy institute analysis shows that Obama's plan will cover a far greater number of people for less money. Crazy!

Them's the facts. If you read or see or hear differently, consider who's talking to you, and how much money they make.

WHY SARAH PALIN SCARES ME

For the first time since this long presidential race began, I am truly depressed. Even though there have been a number of ups and downs over the last few months (Jeremiah Wright anyone?), I have been continuously comforted by the fact that no one cares about the Republicans. And no matter how bad things got for the Dems, the country remained excited about the possibilities of the party. Could we have a black man or a woman as president? Could this field be any more talented? For the Republican side, on the other hand, it was always one big yawn.

That all changed on Wednesday night when an unknown Alaska governor named Sarah Palin came out of the mountains and -- to my great fear -- slam dunked her speech. And in one 36 minute interval, the GOP now has momentum, energy, and excitement: things they've completely lacked up to this point.

"Why so worried," people ask? "I mean, she's totally unqualified to be VP, and people will see that." My response: will they? If the Thursday morning Palin-gasm by the "liberal media" is any indication, I can totally see the -- often idiotic -- country falling in love with this woman's plucky spirit and down home values (whatever) but never really knowing that ...

- she thinks God wanted the Iraq war.

- she thinks God wants an oil pipeline through Alaska.

- she think creationism should be taught it schools.

- she thinks global warming is not man made.

- she doesn't believe in a woman's right to choose (under any circumstances).

I mean, she's pretty much Bush with lipstick (or maybe worse?), but here you have Wolf Blitzer calling her an "American hero" after one well delivered speech. Ugh, I think I'm going to throw up.

So, can we say anything negative about her to shake people back to reality? Of course not. What about her 17-year-old pregnant daughter? Oh, the family values, abstinence only crowd is telling us that this is a private matter. Would it be a private matter if Obama's kid was 17 and pregnant? Okay, so what about the fact that she has no foreign policy experience? Oh, Alaska borders Russia, so she's got that covered (still can't believe the liberal media lets that fly). Oh, and of course, she's an expert on energy, because ... um ... she thinks drilling is good? What about the fact that her only experience before governor is mayor of a small town? Oh, well, Barack Obama was a community organizer 20 years ago, so I guess they're even. I could go on ...

Why do I have this sinking feeling that McCain is going to walk into the Oval Office in January, and it's going to be because of a 36 minute speech on Wednesday night? Call me a pessimist, but I'm just so sick and tired of hearing Democratic concession speeches.

Happy Labor Day

Lest we forget exactly why it's called "Labor Day"...


(click to view larger)

A big thank you to Gompers and the rest of the brave folks that put their lives on the line to give us the 5 day/40 hour work week, worker's comp, and holidays like this one.

And thanks to Today's Inspiration for the pic.

SB NEEDS SOME TOUGH LOVE

I am generally proud to be a Californian and very proud to live in the great city of Santa Barbara. But the last few weeks I have felt anything but proud. Because, you see, I am witness to potentially one of the biggest blunders that we may ever make as a community. As The New York times recently reported ..

Santa Barbara County became a symbol of the national environmental movement’s passionate opposition to offshore oil drilling when an oil spill devastated its coastline in 1969. On Tuesday, it became a symbol of the changing national mood as its board of supervisors ... voted 3 to 2 on Tuesday to end the county’s opposition to offshore drilling ... Three weeks ago, the Public Policy Institute of California released a poll showing that 51 percent of Californians now approve of offshore drilling, a 10-point increase in a single year ...

This devastating bit of news got thinking about how our fear of terrorism has allowed us the sit back and watch our civil liberties slowly disappear. And now, it seems, our fear of high gas prices may result in me having to watch those ugly oil rigs reappear. You've probably heard this stuff a hundred times by now, but let me lay out once again why offshore drilling will do nothing to help gas prices:

- A decade for results: Even Bush himself is telling us that it may take more than a decade before we see any benefit from offshore drilling. Let me say that again: 10 YEARS!

- It's a land grab: More than half of the oil leases given to the oil companies have not been developed. So, why do they need our coasts? Let me say that again: OIL COMPANIES CAN DRILL ALL THEY WANT RIGHT NOW!

- The oil goes on the open market: Do you really believe that the oil off our coast will go right from the water into your gas tank? No, it will be sold on the open market. Let me say that again: YOUR OIL WILL GO TO CHINA!

- It will have almost no impact on gas prices: By some estimates, opening up offshore areas to oil exploration might cut the price of gas by 3 to 4 cents. Let me say that again: FOUR CENTS!

So, Santa Barbara, let me ask you ... Why are you willing to muck up MY COAST in MY COMMUNITY for absolutely no benefit to you and your family? Is your eagerness to do something about high gas prices blinding you to the cause of doing something right? If you really think this is a good deal, I have a bridge in San Francisco that I'm dying to sell you. And to Supervisor Brooks Firestone, who cast the deciding vote here, this oil discussion reminds me that your family's beer gives me gas.

Should Santa Barbarans be angry about high gas prices? Your damn right you should be! You should be angry that big oil has spent billions to prevent you from driving fuel efficient cars. You should be angry that automobile companies have not spent the last three decades working towards cars that run on alternative fuels. You should be angry that our world is heating up at an exponential rate. But most of all, you should be angry that the mind-bogglingly incompetent Bush administration has so easily convinced you that offshore drilling will help at the pump.

Yes, this is a sad time for me. And you can bet that ten years from now -- when gas prices are still high -- I'm going to stand by my ocean front property on upper State Street and yell over the sea of oil rigs that, "I TOLD YOU SO!"