My column today is Bolante’s great escape. For details, check out Newsbreak’s Timeline: Joc-joc Bolante and the Fertilizer Scam and CA upholds decision to freeze Bolante’s bank accounts and the Arroyo Corruption wiki and Rotarians urge Bolante to come out and tell the truth (not to mention Jun Lozada weighing in, too).
The Warrior Lawyer points out that besides Bolante, former Agriculture Secretary Cito Lorenzo has some explaining to do, too.
So tomorrow, Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante’s due to arrive. It seems a caucus of senators, meant to help the Senate President decide whether to instruct the Senate sergeant-at-arms to serve a warrant of arrest on him or not, ended up cancelled.
As it is, former Senators Franklin Drilon, Sergio Osmena III, and Ramon Magsaysay Jr. are holding a press conference, tomorrow, at 2 p.m. at the Club Filipino, to point out that their report did not write finis to the Bolante investigation.
Whoops, hold the presses! Latest (6:42 p.m.) is that Senate President Villar has directed the Senate sergeant-at-arms to serve the warrant of arrest on Bolante upon his arrival. The Drilon-Osmena-Magsaysay press conference has been canceled, as a result…
The scuttlebutt has been plentiful concerning how the Palace will handle the return of the fugitive. Bolante’s lawyer, Tony Zulueta, is supposedly identified with the President’s husband. But you don’t have to believe that to see the fingerprints of the Palace all over the place: what was submitting a motion to the Supreme Court on Office of the Solicitor-General stationery all about?More interesting was scuttlebutt that retired General Palparan was going to be sent to meet and greet Bolante upon his arrival; this has been overtaken by reports that the National Bureau of Investigation will send agents to “meet” Bolante and “escort” him to the NBI or the Bureau of Immigration where he can be “debriefed.” Mixed messages here -is it to help him or keep him on good behavior?- made all the more complicated because Federal officials in the USA won’t just escort Bolante to his Manila-bound flight, but, it seems, accompany him to his destination to make sure he won’t sneak back into America.This means not only will Bolante have to come home, but that the public will know when and where he’s arriving -which makes whisking him away a ticklish thing to accomplish. He just represents an inconvenient truth at this point, much as the Palace thinks it has all its ducks in a row and that it has the political momentum to finally achieve the constitutional amendments it wants.
Blogger Barangay Kidlatan is of the opinion that Bolante and impeachment are related, something others seem to think, too. Of course they are related, but whether the former will actually breathe life into the latter is what seems to me a bit of a stretch.
So I don’t know if I agree with Mon Casiple when he says,
Now, throw Jocjoc Bolante into the brew and a possible insider impeachment witness has appeared on the horizon, in addition to all the others. The impeachment—a quixotic proposition before—suddenly now seems plausible.
It’s like pinning any hopes at all on former Speaker de Venecia’s posturing concerning the impeachment complaint. It’s posturing, calculated on the premise that he’ll never really get called upon to deliver testimony against the President (and knowing too that the Palace won’t be as bold as to actually call his bluff).
The dilemma, it seems to me, for much of officialdom is whether they should make hay while the sun’s still shining, or bite the hand that feeds them in the hope of juicier tidbits from a new dispensation. Those interested in the presidency are more interested in coalition-building and part of their coalitions-to-be would include the dregs of the present dispensation. So they will sniff around for maximum barking time but refrain from any real biting.Yet there are officials aplenty, to my mind, who’ve never had it so good, and so, why not keep the party going?
There are many, many, more in the ranks of officialdom who know they will never be senators, much less presidents, whose ambitions only extend to their little fiefdoms, and if there’s a lightning rod in the presidential palace to distract public attention, so much the better, and why curry favor with a new regime if the old one can be given a new lease on life?But that may be getting too far ahead of the story, unfolding as it is. Bolante’s coming home.Might he not sneak off, if his flight has a stopover somewhere? Who knows.
Senate President Villar is agonizing, apparently, over whether he wants a showdown with the Palace on one hand, or to let sleeping dogs lie and arm his opponents in the upper house with another issue on which to base a plot to unseat him.
The Senate President seems to have realized public interest’s been piqued on this one, and the Senate has to continue what it began.
Everyone in the political class is waiting to see whether the public, once more, growls disapproval or shrugs the whole thing off.
And of course, the best laid plans of mice and men … well, whatever plans have been hatched, there’s always the possibility an underling botches the job, and creates a new P.R. problem.
Meanwhile… For the first time ever, trading was temporarily suspended in the Philippine stock market.Overseas, as the American presidential race enters the home stretch, see the electoral math over at RealClearPolitics and Electoral-vote.com. Democrats agonize over their success, the Republicans form a circular firing squad amidst news of an electoral bloodbath. And, Benjamin Pimentel’s convincing argument of The Philippines as a Red State. Egads.
racist leytenian… there is room in USA for her. slackers, yes. sleepers, no.
Upn – by the way MILF cost Arroyo P600 million to-date in military operation and 42 dead soldiers just going after ghost commanders boldly taunting the gov’t in Utube. It is a big slap in the face and reality check.
“i have childhood friends serving in both iraq and afghanistan, wala na sila boots tsaka bala tsaka cruise missile tsaka kevlar vests. i want to be able to see them for our next re-union. they need to be funded.”
nash – the democrat controlled house had been cutting the military budget. You can ask Barrack and his party members to support your friends.
d00d0ng: your interpretation of cost of pursuit of Kato-etcetera is colored by your sympathy for Kato-village-burning tactics against civilians.
Obama ,a Marxist , dates back in College Years
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/28/obama-affinity-marxists-dates-college-days/
“True. Barack campaign contributions is amazing and unmatched in history because it is coming from the masses in small amounts and not big money from special interest group. That is why it can spend the money without restriction and not subject to spending limit. This also tell that working population under 100k income are behind him and not the business owners.”
I dont know how the masses can attend an Obama fundraising dinner worth something like 2,000 a plate…
The truth is Obama campaigh fund is coming from all types of people. Can you imagine how much money was donated by Warren Buffet, the no 2 richest man in the world who is vocal Obama supporter and is part of the his Economic group of advisers?
“For us who made business decisions like Leytenian, our first response during tax increase will be cutting costs. Labor cost is on the line and we will consolidate jobs to fewer people and send more workers to the unemployment line and take Obama’s entitlement.”.
Of course, Im a businessman too the iimmediate thing to do is to cut labors cost. I even do a project with me alone these days to cut operating cost. But as businessnes picks up. You decision woudl be to hire people. All im saying is that Obams plan can makes business pick up when people in lower income bracket starts have more money.
But with Mc Cain plan, how would masses make thier living condition better?. If the masse do not get help and the current situation is maintain. how will the small businesses that is losing right now can recover?. I dont think the can rely on the rich people for that. The rich people is stil rich until now yet the econmy is not moving. After all I dont think they spend their money on small businesses like Joe the plumber. Chances are they have their regular and big time Plumbing company that maintained their houses already.
As the masses start losing money, thats where the small business start to loss their business too. So the chances of Joe the plumbers. business to grow really relies on the masses. I dont think Joe the plumber can easilly penetrate and get the share of plumbing needs of the rich people. He has to start wcatering the plumbing needs of the masses. (Thats how I started my own company before i get the business of maintaining the houses of teh rich people)
Take note that masses is far greater in number than the then the rich people. You can go back to the logic on your postings on Obamas campaig fund where you ssaid that the bulk of the money came from the masses…
You can also revisit the the economic sucess story of China and India. The strongest econoy right now which is driven by spending of the masses.
I really believe this is the essence of Obama’s tax plan .
Come to think of it. Mc Cain is claiming that he too is a candidate of change just like Obama. But where is the change if he is just maintaining the status qou like his tax plan?
“True. Barack campaign contributions is amazing and unmatched in history because it is coming from the masses in small amounts and not big money from special interest group.” dodong
hmmm, the silent ones are contributing funds to the Obama campaign. but they will actually vote for Mc Cain… you know, the Bradley effect.
it’s the economy stupid- which tax policy?
“The impact of the tax code on economic activity under each candidate’s policies would differ in several important ways. Under Senator McCain’s proposed policies, the top marginal rates (35 percent on individual income and 25 percent on corporate income) would be significantly lower than under Senator Obama’s plan (39.6 and 35 percent, respectively). McCain’s reduced individual and corporate rates could improve economic efficiency and increase domestic investment, but the larger future deficits would reduce and could completely offset any positive effect. In contrast, Senator Obama’s proposed new tax credits could encourage desirable behavior, particularly if the childless EITC and payroll tax rebate encourage additional labor supply among childless low-income individuals. However, he would also direct new subsidies at an already favored group-seniors -and an already favored activity-borrowing for housing-which could probably be better directed elsewhere.”
Tax Foundation economists have described Barack Obama’s tax plan as an advancement of redistribution, focusing on dividing the “economic pie”, while John McCain’s tax plan places more emphasis on “growing the pie.”
what economic pie Obama? the US is in financial crisis. Let’s grow the pie first then distribute.
For a moment, set aside the US elections (because whoever wins, the policy of the 2009-White-House-resident won’t be felt until 2010. But there is an immediate need right now Oct/Nov 2008. USA charitable organizations need donations.
Los Angeles SPCA (donations have gone down 50%) to start putting dogs under soon. Way less funds while more dogs and cats are being turned in by pet-owners experiencing financial problems.
Salvation Army (organization helps people, not animals), Toys for Tots and meals-on-wheels also needs help now.
NOTE for those who want to be of help to the Philippines…. the Ayala-Foundation-USA can be used by US based residents to send $$$ to Philippine organizations (like Igorota, de La Salle, Ateneo, UST Indigency Clinic, South Cotabato Foundation Inc).
to leytenian: you can send tax-deductible contribution to Ayala foundation USA to benefit Leyte. Assign your $$$ to PAGTINABANGAY FOUNDATION, INC..
“by the way MILF cost Arroyo P600 million to-date in military operation and 42 dead soldiers just going after ghost commanders boldly taunting the gov’t in Utube. It is a big slap in the face and reality check.†dodong
well, contrary to your earlier claim, the govt or the military did not just stand idly and watch lawless elements run havoc on hapless civilians and properties. against your illogical thinking, the govt sensibly protected its citizens against anarchist and rightly so no matter what the cost was. as for BJE, it’s now dead. you’re proven wrong again.
now, compare that cost to the US military operation in Iraq. where those people they are supposed to be protecting are the ones who are against them. huge? isn’t that a real slap in the face? and you still blame democrats why the Iraq budget was slashed (where you’re not supposed to be there in the first place). that’s reality check. go figure.
Bush economic policies of deregulated unmonitored trickle-down economics (tax-cuts for the $800K-a-year so they can hire more blah-blah-blah like leytenian says) has guided US economy for past years. The result is what we see — joblessness is rising, the economy is tanking. I can absorb and my neighbors can all absorb a 10% or 15% tax increase. We grumble, but we all can take the increase. This makes it easier for me to worry more about the teachers in the classroom or the engineers monitoring our computer systems, and yes, the policemen and the soldiers.
d00d0ng: You should be scared but you are scared of the wrong thing. You should be scared of stupidly flawed economic policies which can result in you being unemployed, because apparently you are not indispensable in your company. You should be scared of stuplidly flawed economic policies. Yes, unemployment is getting worse. In just the last two weeks, the list of companies announcing their intention to cut workers has read like a Who’s Who of corporate America: Merck, Yahoo, General Electric, Xerox, Pratt & Whitney, Goldman Sachs, Whirlpool, Bank of America, Alcoa, Coca-Cola, the Detroit automakers and nearly all the airlines.
You may get your pink slip before Bush leaves office. But worse is to come by June-2009. Unemployment is predicted to be 30% higher even before Mccain’s (or Obama’s) economic policies get written into law.
The Republican deregulated unmonitored trickle-down economics with tax-cuts for the $800K-a-year??? Seriously, you can’t want more of the same.
By the way —- marriages break up big-time when money-problems (e.g. one spouse or the other) loses his/her job.
The democrats will continue with their entitlement mentality, the Change we can believe in?
rego on, “You can also revisit the the economic sucess story of China and India. The strongest econoy right now which is driven by spending of the masses. ”
That is exactly why China is booming because of mass employment as a result of government incentives to manufacturers or producers as opposed to giving handouts or entitlement to people. Barack tax plan will kill manufacturers or producers by relocating to other countries with less tax and less union threats and thus will drive up unemployment in the future, worsening the current financial crises with mass layoffs – a wrong direction.
Even China and India recognized that a strong economy is grounded on strong business performance that generates employment not entitlement from the state to the people.
“your interpretation of cost of pursuit of Kato-etcetera is colored by your sympathy for Kato-village-burning tactics against civilians.”
Upn – that is purely your interpretation while the cost is actual as reported by Daily Inquirer. The soldiers however, are needing more bullets. Army Lt Col Cebrian in charge of pursuit is a classmate of my older brother.
“I dont know how the masses can attend an Obama fundraising dinner worth something like 2,000 a plate…”
Rego, you don’t have to. Just getting to Obama’s website will prompt you for donation $20 $50 $100 $250 $500 $1000 $2300 and others -you specify the amount. In addition as a requirement, a disclosure is needed that it is not coming from a corporation, labor organization (even if it is), or provided by foreign agent or another person.
“Can you imagine how much money was donated by Warren Buffet, the no 2 richest man in the world who is vocal Obama supporter and is part of the his Economic group of advisers?”
Warren is receiving a modest annual salary of $100k as CEO and lived in a house worth $750k. I, Leytenian or anybody could be richer by that standard. But we know Warren’s net worth is $62+ billion. Warren is pragmatist and prudent investor. This is to say he rather go with Obama and become his Treasury Secretary and keep the union on leash from touching his network of companies with large manpower. Same strategy employed by Hillary Clinton while sitting at the board in America’s number one company -Wallmart.
grd on, “the govt sensibly protected its citizens against anarchist and rightly so no matter what the cost was. as for BJE, it’s now dead. you’re proven wrong again.”
Arroyo’s interest was on MOA-AD as initialed by her trusted general. When that fell in SC, and rogue MILFs had to show its frustration on civilians, that left Arroyo no choice but military option though it is very costly as it turning out. BJE is dead but MILF is not. That doesn’t prove anything, it is just worsening the situation. Killing an initiative endorsed by both OIC and the US is not a solution.
OBAMA: We live in a more competitive world, and that is a fact that cannot be reversed … but we must find a way to make globalisation and trade work for American workers…
McCAIN: American workers’ concerns should be addressed by helping them to adapt and compete, not retreat into isolationism and protectionism.
In terms of energy security and trade policies,I have voted for McCain because of the simple reason that I have a reasonably good idea what he wants to do. As far as Obama is concerned, I have absolutely no idea on what he wants to do except distributing wealth during a US financial mess
Up N,
You can call me racist but here’s what statistics shows on US income.
““Overall, 86.01% of all households in the top two quintiles with upper-middle range incomes of over $55,331 were headed by a head of household who identified him or herself as White alone, while only 7.21% were being headed by someone who identified as being Hispanic and 7.37% by someone who identified as being African American or Black.â€Â
What is there to distribute when the pie of wealth is not even growing? It’s US financial crisis. It’s not even domestic but a global one. Think about it
grd on, “compare that cost to the US military operation in Iraq. where those people they are supposed to be protecting are the ones who are against them. huge? isn’t that a real slap in the face? and you still blame democrats why the Iraq budget was slashed (where you’re not supposed to be there in the first place).”
The operation is primarily US interest not Iraqi’s so we don’t expect Iraqi’s to embrace it. As Alan Greenspan said it is oil. It is up to Nash (as my response was directed) who was seeking support of funding his childhood military friends in Iraq needing boots and vests- wether to blame the Democrats who authorized the Iraqi war and later on cut the budget when it became unpopular.
leytenian: you got it right on both counts. To repeat what dear whitey-girl leytenian has said more than once : “send back those brown- and black-colored back to where they came from.” Shoot, d00d0ng if he’s the cerebral type should be scared to have you walking behind him, you’re just as likely to throw d00d0ng under the bus as the latino gardener.
And yes, the wealth-pie has shrunk. Because of the same Republican policies that McCain continues.
rego on, “Can you imagine how much money was donated by Warren Buffet, the no 2 richest man.”
Yes…. his endorsement, not a penny. That is good enough for Obama. The tightest wad billionaire purposely set his annual salary at minimum amount to avoid AMT and lived at the same house bought for $31k and paid the smallest property tax. In short, I am paying more taxes to the government than Warren Buffet. Under Obama’s tax plan, Warren’s 100k annual salary will not be hit by social security tax when the $102k cap is lifted and spared from high tax rate on $250k.
I never heard of CEO wanted to live like Warren where you cannot enjoy your money.
upn on, “You should be scared of stupidly flawed economic policies which can result in you being unemployed, because apparently you are not indispensable in your company”.
I am privy to my company business plan and budget. In short, we are not affected by recent financial crises. So you can rest I will not be unemployed. But in management, we assess future political costs of running business due to higher taxes and liberalized union. The risks are more pronounced in Obama than McCain.
Solly, take it easy. As you know, Leytenian “send back those brown- and black-colored back to where they came from†is a figure of speech. But if those brown and black colored are paying customers, Leytenian would be happy to serve them in her business including Barack just in case.
Solly,
“And yes, the wealth-pie has shrunk. Because of the same Republican policies that McCain continues.”
you are a typical pinoy who always point a finger instead of making a solution. Bush will not matter- the problem is right in front of us. We can only learn but not keep on blaming.
true, send back those black lazy ass… 🙂 to where? don’t worry, Mr Obama will distribute the pie that is not even there. good luck
“That is exactly why China is booming because of mass employment as a result of government incentives to manufacturers or producers as opposed to giving handouts or entitlement to people. Barack tax plan will kill manufacturers or producers by relocating to other countries with less tax and less union threats and thus will drive up unemployment in the future, worsening the current financial crises with mass layoffs – a wrong direction.”
Your talking about big businesses which is already out of the country. Obama tax plan is all about strengthening middle and lower class that is why taxes will be lowered on the lower bracket. Create small business amonhg themselve and create employment among them selves.
Note too that the lay-offs is already happening now .
“For us who made business decisions like Leytenian, our first response during tax increase will be cutting costs. Labor cost is on the line and we will consolidate jobs to fewer people and send more workers to the unemployment line and take Obama’s entitlement.”
It s not clear to me what kind of busines you own, but I believe that the current problem of the small business owners is that less and less peopel are coming in to buy their good and services.
With that the immediate concern is where to get the money , for the rent that is due by the end of the month, workers salary is due by weekends. elevctric bills etc etc. This is already the situtation right now . The tax problem will come next year pa eh . People are being laid off not by the tax but by the current econcomic condition.
“Even China and India recognized that a strong economy is grounded on strong business performance that generates employment not entitlement from the state to the people.”
I dont think Obama promised entitlement from the people. What is being promised is stregnthening for the lower and middle class. And it was explained that one wy to achieve it is by lowering the tax .
Tax Foundation economists have described Barack Obama’s tax plan as an advancement of redistribution, focusing on dividing the “economic pieâ€Â, while John McCain’s tax plan places more emphasis on “growing the pie.â€Â
One of the major defect of Mc Cain campign is the lack of proper articulation of their proposed policies. while Obam has explained very well is empowerement of teh middle and lower class, Th eMc Cain campign has wasted their time and resources on the negatiove campaign that did not help them and just made them really negative in and low to the eyes of the undecided voters.
The should spend so much time explanaing ho wthey are going to create wealth and and grow teh pie.
But then how can you explain that to the people when you are just following up and maintaning the current tax policies that did not create wealth at all and push down a lot of people to the lower income bracket. Even worst is than when you look at the economy right now its really really bad. So will teh peopel buy this campaign promised? I dont think so.
“Yes…. his endorsement, not a penny. That is good enough for Obama. The tightest wad billionaire purposely set his annual salary at minimum amount to avoid AMT and lived at the same house bought for $31k and paid the smallest property tax. In short, I am paying more taxes to the government than Warren Buffet. Under Obama’s tax plan, Warren’s 100k annual salary will not be hit by social security tax when the $102k cap is lifted and spared from high tax rate on $250k. ”
But his business empire is giving so many jobs to teh people. His AMT maybe low but his company business is definitely paying a lot of taxes.
rego,
the tax plan for both candidates is just an extension to the current tax plan that will expire in 2010. the difference
Mccain: will retain and lower taxation on businesses to stimulate the economy. corporation taxation are oftentimes deferred with interest payment. lowering actual cost will eventually keep employee and rehire the unemployed
Obama: will retain same as mccain on low income and middle class except Obama will tax anyone who will make $250,000/year because he would like to distribute the pie.
you made a good point: People are being laid off not by the tax but by the current econcomic condition.
you are right.. it’s the economy. Now my question, which tax policy will stimulate the economy?
On recent Rassmussen polls -McCain Trusted More on Taxes and Economy
Rego, you don’t have to. Just getting to Obama’s website will prompt you for donation $20 $50 $100 $250 $500 $1000 $2300 and others -you specify the amount. In addition as a requirement, a disclosure is needed that it is not coming from a corporation, labor organization (even if it is), or provided by foreign agent or another person.
I dont know know how can this be a minus point for Obama. To me it only shows that he can mobilized all sectors of the society that is from top to bottom.
leytenian: Only the real-Americans trust McCain more on taxes and economy…. not the fake Americans.
Michigan is fake-America; McCain campaign has already left that state. California (too many Hispanic Americans, plus those Filipinos in Daly City) another fake-America — McCain the loser. McCain loses in New York (too many New Yorkers). McCain loses Pennsylvania— too many hunters. McCain loses Virginia (too many Johnny Rebs). McCain for sure loses Washington DC (too many government employees). McCain loses Nevada — fake-Americans (gamblers and divorce folks, and Latino union workers at those casinos) — will vote Obama into White House. Florida, too (too many Cuban-Americans). McCain loses Hawaii (too many Ilocanos and Japanese-Americans).
And it is getting more and more likely that McCain may even lose Arizona his own home-state!!!
real americans? The Native American Indians?
meron palang ‘fake’ americans? show teri hatcher those diplomas and nbi clearances again.
hay naku stop complaining about this tax tax ano. as if. buti nga it’s not being stolen by people like joc joc. maayos naman ang mga kalsada, patubig, primary education etc sa usa dahil sa tax na iyan.
it’s so little.
and seriously, what is $10,000 to someone who earns $250,000 (net ha hindi gross)????
anong pinagkaiba ng ‘needy’ as identified by the church kung saan tayo nagbibigay ng tithes sa ‘needy’ na talagang naghihirap as identified by the state?
anong pinagkaiba ng recipients ng ofw remittances sa pinas na lima ang anak at umaasa nalang sa handouts ni itay/inay/ate/kuya na tagahugas ng pwet sa nursing home sa states sa mga welfare cheats?? may pinagkaiba ba iyon?
“mccain: will retain and lower taxation on businesses to stimulate the economy. ”
which will cost you in the long run because it balloons the budget deficit which came with bush (clinton had a surplus)
“I have absolutely no idea on what he wants to do except distributing wealth during a US financial mess” – leytenian.
Unless you live in an enchanted kingdom where it is not the case, competent governments have been redistributing wealth since time immemorial. That is their role. Panahon pa ni Kristo yan, nung sinabi niyang magbayad tayo ng buwis.
Hence, both the billionare who paid $33M in taxes and the minimum wager who paid $1k benefit from the same common infrastructure, the police, the fire service…etc that is funded from this pool of money called buwis.
Otherwise, if it were not equitably redistributed eh di yung mayayaman lang ang may mga kalsada, pulis, patubig, at kuryente.
And when you think about it, there are far far richer people above you (as there are below you) who are paying higher taxes who think the same way and would rather their tax was not ‘redistributed’. If this desire were to be carried out in practice, imagine nalang..
nash on, “both the billionare who paid $33M in taxes and the minimum wager who paid $1k benefit from the same common infrastructure, the police, the fire service…etc that is funded from this pool of money called buwis.”
It is easy to say that unless you are the billionaire paying $33M taxes. With the prospect of paying another $5M under Obama, I rather relocate production to Mexico and get savings from cheap labor.
d00d0ng: You are confused. You are confusing personal income tax with corporate tax.
————
nash: There is no class-warfare in the US. Differences of opinion, yes, but many of the above-$1-million-a-year households of USA are accepting of the Obama tax-proposal and can see beyond the natural greed of deciding solely on the basis of “I get to keep more of my income by retaining Bush tax cuts”..
The thought of more hundred-dollar-bills in one’s wallet gets overriden by other issues — who has the better economic plan, who has the better approach to Afghanistan/Pakistan/Iraq, who has the better plan for educational programs and keeping America competitive; who has the better energy plan. McCain has spent a lot of time about Obama-the-socialist and Obama-the-friend of Ayers, and that’s just about it. One can only conclude that the Republican McCain then continues the Republican policies (tax-cuts for the wealthy, Iraq war, persistent hunt for sleepers). In contrast, Obama has begun to talk more about infrastructure projects. While past-8-years Republican economics has saddled USA with unbelievable debt and the country has nothing to show for it (e.g. still has crumbling bridges; chemical plants remain unprotected, others), Obama has started some of his economic teams to look into government-sponsored projects to strengthen USA electricity-grid and enhance port- and chemical-plant security as well as regulatory plus incentives so that Detroit builds the cars that the US and the world needs for the next 20 years (i.e. more fuel-efficient).
But anyway, Obama-versus-Mccain status is in this electoral-vote count. 270 needed to win and Obama is 300-plus.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/
“Note too that the lay-offs is already happening now .”
And more to go when Obama tax plan will be implemented.
I will let you read this link, when Obama tax plan put United States as second to Hungary with highest tax in the world.
http://www.heritage.org/research/Taxes/wm1973.cfm
1. The highest since Jimmy Carter (you know what happened during Carter Administration).
2. Top marginal rate would exceed 60%.
3. People like me will pay over 2/3 of each dollar earning in excess of 102k to the federal.
4. Increase tax avoidance.
5. Migration of capital, move assets abroad.
6. Reduce investment.
7. Diversion of funds slowdown economy.
8. Increase unemployment.
9. Harm overall economy.
10. Overall tax plan increases national deficit.
“Economists usually argue a great deal about what effect minor changes in the tax code will have on incentives to work. However, the Obama plan calls for a tax increase so large that economists will be focusing on the harm to the overall economy rather than just the isolated effects on labor and on capital.”
Good luck to Obama believers. They can wait for his entitlement while labor and capital will be moving to competitive market.
rego on, “What is being promised is stregnthening for the lower and middle class.”
According to Gerald Prante of Tax Foundation, “In the long-run, Obama’s tax plan that increases taxes on upper-income owners of capital could lead to LOWER wages for the middle-class.” Further, “that amount is unlikely to offset the pure redistribution of dollars that is flowing from upper-income to the middle-class through his tax proposals”.
That is not strengthening middle class at all aside from facing layoffs.
…. could…. could lead to lower wages.
like if USA invades Iraq, the US troops could find the WMD that Saddam denies that he has.
——-
And d00d0ng…. you may have missed the donut hole in Obama’s social-security-tax proposal. You were reading the Heritage Foundation analysis, and still you missed the donut hole, you have to pay attention to details, you know.
@dodong
don’t worry, since I’m not a us citizen, I am rooting for mccain-palin to win since the very beginning.
i think it will be interesting…
besides, whoever the next president is, he will be hated quickly because he has to put some very unpalatable policies due to the global recession, budget deficit, and the endless search for WMDs.
let’s prove the pollster wrong and that god is on mccain’s side.
cheers