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Governor Palin believed to have more
experience than Senator Obama
By Daniel J. Smith
contributing writer
djss223@psu.edu
With her years of executive experi
ence and many accomplishments for the
people of Alaska, Governor Sarah Palin
is more prepared than Senator Barack
Obama to be President of the United
States. She's made decisions, taken
action, and faced accountability.
Senator Obama's "experience” is run
ning for political office; Governor
Palin's experience is bringing people
together to get things done. When
Senator Obama was a community
organizer. Governor Palin was serving
as local chief executive. When Senator
Obama was voting 130 times on the
most contentious issues of the day,
Governor Palin was taking on corrup
tion within her own party and stood up
to the special interest groups, lobbyists,
big oil companies, and good-old boy
networks.
When Senator Obama was voting
with the Democrats 97% of the time.
Governor Palin was standing up to
members of her own party and passed a
landmark ethics reform bill. When
Senator Obama was requesting nearly
You get
By Christopher Brown
contributing writer
cmbs3l3@psu.edu
I don't think anyone questions the
dire situation facing the United States
economy. The International Monetary
Fund rates this current crisis the worst
since the Great Depression that began in
1929. The statistics speak for them
selves: unemployment is at a five year
high, for the first time since World War
II the average household income has
declined during economic expansion
and over the last eight years, five mil
lion people moved below the poverty
line.
As college students, we sometimes
feel separated from the problems facing
the "rear world. Often the biggest
problem facing college students
resolves around the decision between
Bud Light or Miller Lite.
Soon enough here’s what we face,
especially those graduating this May.
The average income of a college gradu
ate is $48,400, an increase of only $2OO
since 1985, according to the
Department of Education. Graduates
this spring will have a tougher time
finding a job than if they had graduated
ten years ago, they will have greater
amounts of debt to repay than previous
graduates, their future employer will
probably not provide insurance, and
inflation will be on the rise. College
used to be a ticket to a stable economic
future. Unfortunatly that is no longer
the case.
The economic policies, above all else,
will have the greatest effect on our
future as college graduates and it is
about time we start paying attention to
what John McCain and Barack Obama
offer us in their plans, even if McCain
would prefer we worry about lipstick on
a pig.
The number one answer I get from
people when I ask them why they don’t
support Barack Obama is, “He will raise
my taxes.” Yes, Obama plans to raise
taxes on households earning above
$250,000 and, based on U.S. Census
$1 billion in earmark spending.
Governor Palin was championing
reform to end the abuses of wasteful
earmark spending. She put a stop to the
“Bridge to Nowhere” that would have
cost taxpayers $4OO million. Governor
Palin has a record of accomplishment
that Senator Obama simply doesn’t
have. She has spent her time in office
shaking up government in Alaska.
Senator Obama has only passed one bill
as the lead sponsor.
Governor Palin is an energy expert
having served as Chairwoman of the
Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation
Commission overseeing energy devel
opment on state lands in Alaska.
Governor Palin is a tough executive
who has demonstrated during time in
office that she is ready to be Vice
President. She has brought Republicans
and Democrats together within her
Administration and has seen approval
ratings over 80 percent.
I believe Governor Palin has more
executive experience for the following
reasons. One: she has managed a state
government of more than 24,000
employees with a budget in the billions.
Two: with Republicans and Democrats,
Governor Palin has crafted and passed
what you pay for
Bureau statistics, less than one percent
of Erie County will face an income tax
increase under Obama’s plan.
Chances are if you are reading this,
you won’t be facing a tax increase. In
fact, it would be more accurate to say,
“Obama wants to raise taxes on some
one I will never meet, who could care
less about the issues I care about or
affect me.”
That hasn’t stopped the McCain cam
paign from running a malicious and
misleading commercial stating that
As college students, some
times we feel separated
from the problems facing
the “real” world. Often the
biggest problem facing col
lege students resolves
around the decision
between Bud Light or
Miller Lite.
Obama would add “painful tax increas
es on working American families" and
that they will bring about "years of
deficits," "no balanced budgets" and
"billions in new government spending."
That is patently false. In fact under the
Obama plan, working American fami
lies will save more than under the
McCain plan. And frankly, neither cam
paign will balance the budget, but at
least under Obama’s plan government
revenue would increase.
You don’t have to take my word for it
either. According to the Tax Policy
Center, a non-partisan think-tank spon
sored by the Urban Institute and the
Brookings Institution, “middle-income
taxpayers would see their after-tax
income rise by about five percent, or
nearly $2,200 annually.” However,
under McCain’s plan “after-tax incomes
an average of about three percent, or
two annual budgets of billions of dol
lars. Three: in two budgets alone.
Governor Palin vetoed nearly $5OO mil
lion in wasteful spending. Four: our
nation’s governors serve as chief execu
tives and impact every aspect of peo
ple's lives including job training, taxes,
education, safety from natural disasters,
first response, health care, and numer
ous other services.
Senator Obama talks. Governor Palin
leads. Senator Obama talks about fiscal
responsibility. Governor Palin has actu
ally crafted budgets and vetoed nearly
$5OO million in spending. She has actu
ally used her veto to bring spending
under control. Senator Obama talks
about taking on oil companies.
Governor Palin has challenged the
influence of the big oil companies and
brought competition to the oil and gas
market to develop new energy
resources. Because of Governor Palin's
leadership, they have begun a $4O bil
lion natural gas pipeline to help lead
America to energy independence.
Senator Obama talks about energy inde
pendence. Governor Palin is an energy
expert who has challenged the oil com
panies to develop our energy sources
here at home.
you should A 4
' . f'ut&e- *
T sp.(f
$1,400 annually, for middle-income
taxpayers.”
The Tax Policy Center also found that
McCain's plan would cost Americans
over $275 billion in lost revenue over
the next four years. However, Obama's
plan would increase revenue 112.9 bil
lion dollars because instead of giving a
9.5 percent tax break to those earning
more than $250,000 (McCain's plan),
Obama would increase taxes by 1.5 per
cent.
"But the government is part of the
problem, not the solution. Obama just
wants to spend more money on bad pro
grams.” cries the conservative. The
question should not be less vs. more
government, but better vs. worse gov
ernment. Too often the concepts are
conflated with one another. Our country
is in a state of disarray, our infrastruc
ture is falling apart, the Federal
Highway Fund is running out of money,
everyone complains about old crum
bling schools, some students are forced
to share books in elementary schools
and our veterans are not receiving the
care they need when they return from
battle. It would be a shame if these
problems remain unaddressed because
the electorate holds on to such unrealis
tic and simplistic Reaganesque plati
tudes. The question is not how we can
get rid of the government, but how we
can make it better. Perhaps the greatest
strength of Obama’s movement is the
inspiration he gives to young people to
work for the government and invest in
the future of this country, not bring it
down or destroy it.
It is about time people in the middle
class voted in their economic interest,
because I guarantee that those individu
als earning above $250,000 a year have
absolutely no problem voting in their
economic interests. So the question is,
are you better off than you were eight
years ago? If the answer is no, would
you rather have someone in the White
House who supports those same failed
tax cuts, those same failed economic
policies? Or do you want change?
at about Us?j
Friday, September 12, 2008
Pages of
Silver
and Gold
By Nathan Carter
staff writer
nrcso69@psu.edu
Are the pages gold? Are the texts
some sort of rare and legendary
script? As we all walk out of that
bookstore here on campus, we wonder
these same questions.
What in God’s name makes our
textbooks so expensive? Well, in my
research. I found that several things
actually do make our textbooks
expensive but really they can all be
tied to a certain amount of greed.
There are some publishers, like
Prentice Hall and Houghton Mifflin,
who raise the prices of their textbooks
donating a portion to charities and
organizations that help out poverty
stricken students in their purchase of
textbooks. The publishers would be
the logical source to point our fingers
at, as they are the creators of the texts,
but the vicious cycle continues.
The publishers often blame the pro
fessors who pick the books. Some
professors say the retail markups are
too high and their choices are limited.
I’ve spent nearly
$550 on text
books for my first
semester.
Needless to say ;
I’m looking
forward to selling
them on Amazon
and getting as
much back as
possible.
All the while, the retailers are blaming
both publisher and professor in their
indifference toward the student plight.
I stand in awe at the fact that -
regardless of the reasons posed - I’ve
spent nearly $550 on textbooks for
my first semester. Needless to say.
I’m looking forward to selling them
on Amazon and getting as much back
as possible. However, I’m sad to
report that an amount has already
accrued that I will never be able to get
back. I recently - and regrettably. I
might add - purchased a lab book for
a course that cost me $6O. For those of
you who do not know what a lab book
is, it’s a laboratory companion in
which you answer questions. This
entails writing in black ink, tearing
the pages out and handing them in to
the teacher. I know what you’re ask
ing and yes, the pages turned green
before my eyes. As I turned that lab
assignment in, a miniature George
Washington winked up at me from the
paper at hand.
I know I joke here in this article but
I want you to know that there is not a
more serious matter in my eyes. Some
of us are saving up for cars or apart
ments or Spring Break.
Is the high cost of books something
we just have to get used to in our col
lege career? Or can these prices be
lowered so that this student body can
walk out of the bookstore smiling
instead crying with outwardly turned
pockets?
Do you read the paper?
Have an opinion?
Wanna express it?
Do you see where I am
going with this?
Email me:
jdjSo6l9psu.edu