Obama presidency would not resolve nation's financial problems By CHRIS VARMECKY STAFF WRITER C.TVSO43@PSU.EDU Perhaps I didn't do sustentative justice in characterizing the harmful repercussions of an Obama presidency in my previous op-ed entitled, "The Consequences of an Obama Presidency and How McCain Can Thwart It." In a column where one is allotted only so many words to negate the hypnotic aura of Obama's often misguided and adolescent views towards redistributive justice, my previous manifesto fell short of affectively exposing Barrack's campaign of concerted socialism guised as giving the middle class a "fair shake." The person who responded to my column successfully utilized the logical fallacy of emotional appeal to demagogue the issue, contending that I propagated "sleaze and misguidance" to express my dissatisfaction with "the one." It is disconcerting that ideologues spewing these liberal talking points (like the one who responded to my column) characterize facts that are unfavorable to their candidate or that pose a superior ideological argument, trouncing theirs, is akin to gutter politics. Yet, this is the pure essence of liberalism and it has been a disturbing trend in the media ever since Obama assumed his party's nomination. Throughout this campaign season, diehard Obama supporters and liberals alike (including the vast majority of the mainstream media) have been impervious AFGHANISTAN: Taliban profiting from Opium Continued from page to Kabul. Securing Helmand one province in the country that produces half of the world's opium - is quite the difficult task, one that NATO is witnessing first hand. Just like in Iraq, Western forces cannot occupy these lands forever. It seems that this is the price we have paid f sr putting Afghanistan on the back burner. The country has become a narco-state and is even on the In response to the Letter to the Editor in Issue No. 4 to any faults, contradictions or possible wrongdoings of the preordained beacon of hope. It was my attempt to wash away this faulty facade of change, challenging the fashionable belief that Obama is a centrist, typified by commonsense regulation and a level playing field for all to achieve economic prosperity. Instead of delving into the nefarious associations (Jeremiah Wright, William Ayres, Tony Resco, and most recently former Palestinian Liberation Organization spokesman Rashid Khalidi) that have shaped Obama's collectivist perception of the world, the tainted media would rather investigate the expenditures on clothing that the RNC provided for Sarah Palin while stumping for McCain on the campaign trail. But I digress. Provoking the writer's ire, my charge that Obama eerily resembles a Fabian socialist who desires radical change within an unconscionable and fundamentally flawed system verge of becoming a failed state. With Bush finally agreeing to a timetable for withdrawal in Iraq, it looks like the road out leads back to Afghanistan. On the campaign trail, both candidates promised to be tough on terrorism. Obama vowed to take out bin Laden wherever on Earth he was hiding, and McCain vowed to follow him to the gates of hell. Whichever plane of existence our next president chooses to launch operations, it is clear that Afghanistan is still in dire M.I of free enterprise is a completely legitimate accusation. Continuing to metastasize as more and more is revealed about this Gatsby like enigma, Obama's many ill-conceived statements, policies and associations are beginning to unveil what those in the conservative movement rightfully knew all along: a big government, post-positivist, tax and-spend socialist. For instance, Obama wants to raise the top marginal income tax rate from 36 to 40 percent along with a capital gains tax increase from 15 to 20 percent. Supposedly, this will generate enough revenue to pay for Obama's proposed $1.4 trillion of new spending, pertaining to universal college, universal health care and universal preschool. In addition, Obama plans to basically redistribute wealth to 40 million Americans who currently do not pay a federal income tax from those who do currently pay a federal income tax. Now, this may not seem like a drastic takeover of the private sector by the government. If you are a left leaning individual this may even seem fine and dandy. However, this is a slippery slope towards socialism and contrary to the respondent's claims it does not make sense, nor does it add up. The writer claims that during the Clinton administration the country was blessed with a surplus until that blubbering cowboy (who happens to have a Masters of Business Administration degree from Harvard University) took office and squandered it all, leaving nothing but a need of US and International attention The worst possible outcome for the War on Terror would be if it actually bred more terrorism. Because of this, we cannot look at it from a strictly military standpoint. We must be very careful about breeding anti-American hostility. The next administration needs to use diplomacy, information and economic means to deal with this problem. It is clear that the next president has quite a bit on his plate. massive national debt to be paid by generations to come. While Bush and the republican controlled Congress may have spent taxpayer money like drunken sailors, Obama's proposed spending spree dwarfs the wastefulness of the last eight years, such that nothing of the sort has been seen in American history. Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) testified on the Senate floor that even with Obama's proposed tax increases only an additional $255 billion in revenue would be generated over five years, thus leaving America $1 trillion deeper in national debt. A staggering amount of money when you think about it! Furthermore, the writer suggests that it was Bill Clinton's fiscal restraint that contributed to the budget surplus at the time. While partially true, it was actually Clinton's decrease in top marginal rates of the capital gains tax that generated such revenue. No surprise, an Obama supporter fails to grasp simple economics. The Laffer Curve dictates that by lowering tax rates more revenue is generated. Therefore, Obama's "sticking it to the rich" mentality of tyrannical taxation is only counterproductive to his ultimate goal: possibly the biggest increase in the United States government since the Great Society. So the Messiah has two options; he can either raise taxes on everyone at unprecedented rates (this includes people making under the magic number of $250,000 a year), or he can continue to compile a massive national debt, devaluing the Letter to the Editor Congrats on Lost Boy story and Issue No. 4 BY CATHARINE HOOK STAFF ASSISTANT FINANCIAL AID OFFICE Dear Editor Diana Le and Rabyia Ahmed, I would like to thank you for following through on the suggestion to do the story on Dor Amol. Rabyia, you did an excellent job writing the article and I'm sure many students, faculty and staff enjoyed it as much as I did. Diana, I also enjoyed your Nov. 5 2008 United States currency even more so; in turn possibly leading to hyperinflation. The writer also suggests that it is ludicrous to place blame for the current turmoil in financial markets on the last two years of a democratically controlled Congress. He is right. Blame lies within the last three decades, of political intrusion into the bureaucracy via liberal, post positivist principles that government has a responsibility to provide economic equality for everyone. Originating with Jimmy Carter's Community Reinvestment Act and pushed hard under Clinton's command at the helm, mandates that semi-privatized mortgage lenders like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac provide subprime mortgages to lower income people (who could never possibly repay these loans and never did) sparked the entire financial meltdown that now weighs on the taxpayer shoulders. It is these tendencies that Obama andthe writer tout asAmericanism. However, it is simply these tendencies ofpunishing individual success and stifling economic development that fly in the face of Americanism. The founding fathers foresaw a nation built upon individualism and prospering in spite of collectivism. By the time this column is published, the electorate will have made up their minds, and America will know whether or not we are sprinting toward a path of a model of European socialism. If Obama is elected, voter remorse won't be enough to turn this turbulent tide. Editor's comments section as well. Keep up the continued good publishing of the Capital Times this year. I love the new format and will continue to look forward to each issue! Thanks for the representation you put forth for the Capital Campus. Just an FYI from this building ....I'm not the only one who thought this was a great issue ... people are reading the entire paper cover to cover! Congrats to you all!
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