We all have known for a long time now that America has a debt problem. Our debt has gotten so large it's going to be a daunting task to rid ourselves of it, especially when members of congress are not willing to discuss many ideas. President Obama proposed 3 trillion dollars in spending cuts, and 1.5 trillion in new revenue over the next decade. Obama's plan will cut $248 billion on Medicare and Medicade, cut some spending on the two wars we are currently involved, along with spending cuts in other areas. This should satisfy Republicans. The plan also proposes raising taxes on people making more then a million dollars a year, repealing the Bush era tax cuts, and closing corporate loopholes in the tax code.
Obama said that he will veto any bill that comes before him that cuts spending on Medicare without reforming the tax code, along with tax increases on the wealthiest Americans. He also said that "This is not class warfare- its' math".
Now I understand why Republicans will not raise taxes. They think that raising taxes will stunt an already stagnate economy, but would raising taxes on the the wealthiest Americans PERSONAL income adversely affect the economy? I don't think so, the majority of that money isn't being spent, its being saved. A recent poll from CBS says that 78% of Americans are in favor of taxing people who make more then a million dollars a year; why aren't the Republicans listening? I think this shows that the majority of Republicans are not representing their constituents, but rather large corporations, or they're just not willing to vote for anything Obama puts before them.
There was a study that came out a few months ago that showed that the wealthiest 1% of Americans control 42% of the U.S.'s wealth (if you would like to see it, click here.). That is a MASSIVE amount of money! And the bottom 20% of Americans control around 17%. This is a ridiculous wealth gap. When this country has been so generous to you, there is no reason we can't ask for you to help out the ones struggling the most.
Now I feel like I should get something straight, I know our government is spending way more then it needs to, and I am in favor of these spending cuts, in-fact, I think we should try to cut more. Our defense budget is very large (more then countries 2-10 combined, $698,105,000,000 just last year), why cant we cut that down a little bit? You rarely hear anyone in congress suggesting that. But at the same time, we have to get out of this debt, and we have to increase revenue. Taxing the middle class more would be devastating, they are already struggling as it is. So that leaves two options, sit on our debt and increase it, or start generating more money then we spend to pay it off. Either way, Obama is sure to get criticism for his choice, but something needs to happen in a positive direction if Obama wants to be reelected.
Anyway, I will surely have more on this topic later, but as of now, that's all I have to say.
Tyler,
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
9/11, a day that will never be forgotten.
Wow, ten years ago, America was attacked. Thousands of innocent American lives were taken at the hands of insane cowards, launching us into two wars and killing thousands more on both sides. Its sad that I have only a very few memories of pre-9/11. Does anyone remember where they were when the first heard the news? The world changed that day, security was heightened, lives were lost, and no one could forget. I just ask all of you guys to take a second to remember, and vow to never forget.
To the men and women serving in the armed services, you have my support and my full respect.
To the cowardly scum that was in any way responsible for the attack, I hope you die the most painful of deaths, just as you inflicted on my innocent countrymen.
To the Firefighters, Police, EMT, and everyday people that helped in the rescue of your fellow man, I applaud you.
To the families of the victims of this horrendous attack, you have my greatest sympathies, and you can sleep soundly knowing that America has not forgotten.
9/11, a day in which I vow never to forget.
Bless America.
Land of the free, and home of the BRAVE.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Obama's "Jobs for America"
Thursday September 8th, Obama gave his "Jobs for America" speech, in which, he proposed a new stimulus package along with various tax cuts. If you are unfamiliar with his plan, you can click here.
There is a lot of doubt about whether this bill will pass, let alone pass the work, but personally, I think Obama is on the right track. Obama's plan not only gets people to work, but it will also cut taxes.
The proposed plan is roughly around 447 Billion dollars. A mix of $253 billion in tax cuts and $194 billion in new spending. The tax plan will cut taxes for employees making less then $100,000. Normally, these employees pay around 6.2%, but for this year, the taxes will only be 3.1%. Obama is also asking for tax cuts on the payroll tax, essentially cutting them in half. He is also proposing tax credits for employers that hire someone that has been unemployed for 6 months, or was a military veteran. Also, if a business hires a new worker or gives an existing worker a raise, all payroll taxes will be waived.
On the spending side of the plan, Obama wants extend unemployment benefits for people out of work, subsidized job training, modernize schools, build/repair freeways, rehire teachers and first responders. He also wants an infrastructure bank.
So, the plan sounds decent right? It will at least give this stagnate economy a jolt, but the question is "how can we pay for this?". Its a good question, and the answer Obama gave was we will NOT have to borrow for it. Obama said this will be paid for by asking the super committee already charged with removing 1.2 trillion from the deficit, to asking them to now remove nearly 1.6 trillion dollars from the deficit, along with spending cuts elsewhere.
Now that we have the money to do this, the next question should be will it work? The answer for this will be debated, but the tax credits should defiantly get people back to work, along with infrastructure building.
The last question that should be asked is if it will even be passed, and this is where I have my doubts... The republican majority in congress will stall this for as long as possible, but Obama has given more tax cuts then spending. Recently, the Republican party has tried to stop any new proposal given by Obama. It seems like even if it was the best solution, the Republican party will shoot it down simply because it was Obama's idea. Personally, I really hope this will bite the Republican party in the ass, congress is suppose to compromise, not wage war on their fellow members. It also seems like the Republican party is the only party that is standing firm as to what they want. I would like to see Obama stand up and say something along the lines of "I am the commander in chief, the American people elected me to this position, and you, the congress is stopping every piece of legislation I put forward. I want to see this passed and passed now, for the sake of the American people, not for the sake of your political career." I hope the American voting public realizes this. Its not that Obama is a bad president, its that the Republican led congress is pulling everything it has to stop him from doing his job.
Also, doesn't it seem undemocratic that super P.A.C.'s are able to give a congress member unlimited funding for their campaign? Some super P.A.C.'s are making congress members sign a contract vowing to never raise taxes as long as they are in office? Seems like total B.S. if you ask me... I guess it just shows the greed involved in congress these days. They are not representing their people, they are representing the corporations funding their next election.
Also, on a side note: America is facing one hell of a debt problem, what is it now? 15 or so TRILLION dollars? Now, if I was in that much debt, first off, I would stop spending so much of my money (spending cuts). Secondly, I would GET ANOTHER JOB (raising taxes). There is a problem with that second option, the republican party has been hijacked by the tea party, and the republican party has the majority in the House. A lot of the republicans in office have accepted money from the super P.A.C.'s I talked about earlier and signed the "no new taxes" contracts. Which means, unless the democrats can take back the house (which probably wont happen because the tea party has so much steam at the moment) we will never get that "second job", which also means we can never get our debt problem figured out.
I guess if the American people don't realize this, and continue to vote for people who are basically selling their vote in congress for campaign money, then its sadly the government we deserve. We have the ability to kick the corrupt members out of office, but if we choose not to, then its our fault.
That's all I have to say right now.
Tyler Anderson
There is a lot of doubt about whether this bill will pass, let alone pass the work, but personally, I think Obama is on the right track. Obama's plan not only gets people to work, but it will also cut taxes.
The proposed plan is roughly around 447 Billion dollars. A mix of $253 billion in tax cuts and $194 billion in new spending. The tax plan will cut taxes for employees making less then $100,000. Normally, these employees pay around 6.2%, but for this year, the taxes will only be 3.1%. Obama is also asking for tax cuts on the payroll tax, essentially cutting them in half. He is also proposing tax credits for employers that hire someone that has been unemployed for 6 months, or was a military veteran. Also, if a business hires a new worker or gives an existing worker a raise, all payroll taxes will be waived.
So, the plan sounds decent right? It will at least give this stagnate economy a jolt, but the question is "how can we pay for this?". Its a good question, and the answer Obama gave was we will NOT have to borrow for it. Obama said this will be paid for by asking the super committee already charged with removing 1.2 trillion from the deficit, to asking them to now remove nearly 1.6 trillion dollars from the deficit, along with spending cuts elsewhere.
Now that we have the money to do this, the next question should be will it work? The answer for this will be debated, but the tax credits should defiantly get people back to work, along with infrastructure building.
The last question that should be asked is if it will even be passed, and this is where I have my doubts... The republican majority in congress will stall this for as long as possible, but Obama has given more tax cuts then spending. Recently, the Republican party has tried to stop any new proposal given by Obama. It seems like even if it was the best solution, the Republican party will shoot it down simply because it was Obama's idea. Personally, I really hope this will bite the Republican party in the ass, congress is suppose to compromise, not wage war on their fellow members. It also seems like the Republican party is the only party that is standing firm as to what they want. I would like to see Obama stand up and say something along the lines of "I am the commander in chief, the American people elected me to this position, and you, the congress is stopping every piece of legislation I put forward. I want to see this passed and passed now, for the sake of the American people, not for the sake of your political career." I hope the American voting public realizes this. Its not that Obama is a bad president, its that the Republican led congress is pulling everything it has to stop him from doing his job.
Also, doesn't it seem undemocratic that super P.A.C.'s are able to give a congress member unlimited funding for their campaign? Some super P.A.C.'s are making congress members sign a contract vowing to never raise taxes as long as they are in office? Seems like total B.S. if you ask me... I guess it just shows the greed involved in congress these days. They are not representing their people, they are representing the corporations funding their next election.
Also, on a side note: America is facing one hell of a debt problem, what is it now? 15 or so TRILLION dollars? Now, if I was in that much debt, first off, I would stop spending so much of my money (spending cuts). Secondly, I would GET ANOTHER JOB (raising taxes). There is a problem with that second option, the republican party has been hijacked by the tea party, and the republican party has the majority in the House. A lot of the republicans in office have accepted money from the super P.A.C.'s I talked about earlier and signed the "no new taxes" contracts. Which means, unless the democrats can take back the house (which probably wont happen because the tea party has so much steam at the moment) we will never get that "second job", which also means we can never get our debt problem figured out.
I guess if the American people don't realize this, and continue to vote for people who are basically selling their vote in congress for campaign money, then its sadly the government we deserve. We have the ability to kick the corrupt members out of office, but if we choose not to, then its our fault.
That's all I have to say right now.
Tyler Anderson
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
First blog
So I'm Tyler Anderson. In this blog, I will probably be going over big news stories. Along with the link to the story, I will give a summery along with my opinion on the matter. Sometimes, I will throw up some videos/pictures and comment on those as well. It all depends on how I am feeling, or if a particular story affects me.
Alright, well you have to realize that I'm doing this for a class, and with this class, there are assignments. So this first assignment consists of these 2 questions:
a. How do you connect to the world through the internet?
b. If you could take your blog in any direction, what would it be? Why?
Okay, so for question 'a', I connect to the world via the internet many different ways. I stay up to date on the news and trending topics from Youtube, yahoo news, BBC news, as well as a whole bunch of places I may stumble upon. To keep in contact with my friends, I have a facebook, and every once in awhile, I jump on twitter.
For question 'b', I believe I have already answered that in my first paragraph, but I guess I could add a little more. So I am a pretty opinionated guy, I don't care for B.S. and I like to stay current with the things going on around me. Politics and religion get me going on a rant. Whether it be stupid stuff going on in D.C., or actions of extremists (from ALL religions, Tyler doesn't discriminate. By the way, I am an atheist.)
So yeah, lets see how this goes.
Tyler Anderson
Alright, well you have to realize that I'm doing this for a class, and with this class, there are assignments. So this first assignment consists of these 2 questions:
a. How do you connect to the world through the internet?
b. If you could take your blog in any direction, what would it be? Why?
Okay, so for question 'a', I connect to the world via the internet many different ways. I stay up to date on the news and trending topics from Youtube, yahoo news, BBC news, as well as a whole bunch of places I may stumble upon. To keep in contact with my friends, I have a facebook, and every once in awhile, I jump on twitter.
For question 'b', I believe I have already answered that in my first paragraph, but I guess I could add a little more. So I am a pretty opinionated guy, I don't care for B.S. and I like to stay current with the things going on around me. Politics and religion get me going on a rant. Whether it be stupid stuff going on in D.C., or actions of extremists (from ALL religions, Tyler doesn't discriminate. By the way, I am an atheist.)
So yeah, lets see how this goes.
Tyler Anderson
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