Oh Tumblr, it has been quite a while since we last met up. A lot has happened since then, so I would just like to get some things out there to get the ball rolling.

‘Tis the political season once again. I can’t wait for the slew of political nonsense to once again take up half of what I see on television. I really hope I see people taking things seriously this time around. Everything that’s said on television needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Ads are, by design, very one sided, and some people seem to forget that. Please, do the time and look at the references in those ads. More often than not I’m sure we’ll find that something was taken out of context or that some more important fact has been hidden down in there. 

I’m just going to come out and say it; I’m not happy with where the country is at right now. I consider myself an eternal optimist, but most of what’s going on right now is complete horseshit. I mean that about both the right and the left — though I see myself more often criticizing Republicans than Democrats, I mean it. I find it absolutely amazing how Republicans can preach how they are the party of fiscal responsibility, and yet they are unwilling to bring taxes back to pre-9/11 rates. They are willing, however, to cut many programs completely integrated into American society. I liken these actions to a poor family, in an attempt to fix their situation, lowering the grocery bill while, at the same time, cutting off a source of income. It may help balance the budget, but nothing can function in this way. Also, military spending will have to be cut back. This seems to be a no-brainer, but it’s completely off the table for most Republicans. 

It’s completely on the table for me to vote Republican in my first presidential election vote, but I’m going to need to see a candidate who can legitimately change the country before that will happen. I understand how early on it is in the campaign season, but so far all I’ve heard is a lot of saying what needs to be done, but little emphasis is placed on how to do it. Take job creation, for example. A simple idea (I say simple in terms of concepts; I do not claim to say that this is in practice as simple as it sounds) would be to invest in businesses, thereby stimulating growth and raising employment. “Investment” is not a word in the Republican vocabulary, however, as their agenda is 99% about cuts. Cuts in both spending and in income. WHAT???

It is a decidedly Republican stance to cut taxes (I can’t say that I completely disagree. Lessening the tax burden can stimulate a company). But when taxes are at an all time low and the country is in trouble, actions like raising taxes need to be at least considered. Especially when you consider that General Electric paid a whopping total of $0 in US taxes in 2010 (This is due to their in-the-red earnings in the FY, but this was only in the US. Worldwide, the country still managed to profit $10.8 billion). 

On taxes, I’m not asking to tax the wealthy unfairly. I just ask that we tax consistently. Those who earn more end up paying back a lower percentage of their total income than the middle class. So although the rich pay back more, with respect to how much they make, they have it far better off than the middle-class. I ask just to tax the same percentage in all tax brackets.

Like I said, I find most fault with the Republicans, but that’s not to say that I agree with Democrats 100%. I am still in disagreement with the left over socializing healthcare. In no way should I be responsible for the healthcare of my neighbors. When considering how many people are allowed to live completely on the system without putting anything useful into the country, you can see my apprehensiveness. It’s not something I’m willing to put my money into right now. I do also agree with cutting taxes. In normal circumstances. These, however, are extraordinary circumstances and will require extraordinary ideas to get us back on our feet (cut military spending, then we’ll see about opening the door to keeping/increasing tax cuts!)

I really do need to wrap this up though. Like I said, I had a lot of catching up to do. Let me know what you think. I always enjoy feedback and challenging ideas. Those who are more willing to embrace differing ideas come out ahead in understanding. More people need to open themselves up to other ideas. But hey, that’s another post for another day.