Barack Obama on Budget & Economy

• Can't do anything at home with $12 billion a month on Iraq. (Feb 2008)
• Protect consumers with Credit Card Bill of Rights. (Feb 2008)
• More accountability in subprime mortgages. (Feb 2008)
• Bush stimulus plan leaves out seniors & unemployed. (Jan 2008)
• Voted against limiting credit to 30%, because 30% too high. (Jan 2008)
• Account for every single dollar for new proposed programs. (Jan 2008)
• Help the homeowners actually living in their homes. (Jan 2008)
• Bankruptcy bill pushed by banks &. (Jan 2008)
• Lack of an energy policy is a financial burden. (Jan 2008)
• Bush & GOP dug budget hole; need years to dig out. (Dec 2007)
• Save $150 billion in tax cuts for people who don't need them. (Dec 2007)
• Take China "to the mat" about currency manipulation. (Dec 2007)
• Rejects free market vision of government. (Oct 2007)
• Regulate financial instruments to protect home mortgages. (Aug 2007)
• Government regulation needed for when markets fail. (Aug 2007)
• Return to PayGo: compensate for all new spending. (Oct 2006)
• Bush's economic policies are not working. (May 2004)
• Supports federal programs to protect rural economy. (May 2004)
• Voted NO on paying down federal debt by rating programs' effectiveness. (Mar 2007)
• Voted NO on $40B in reduced federal overall spending. (Dec 2005)
• Get minorities into home ownership & global marketplace. (Jan 2001)
• Require full disclosure about subprime mortgages. (Dec 2007)

Surprise, I actually agree with some of these policies. I don't believe Obama is 100% wrong, only 90%. Even if he has a few of these right, I can't vote for a candidate that has so much of everything else wrong.

The first one on this list is a Democratic talking point that is wrong. About 70% of this money is going to Americans. It is paying American soldiers, contractors and suppliers. So if we remove the 70% we can fairly discuss the $3.6B. The American Congress blows through TRILLIONS of dollars a year. It wastes billions of dollars on lame projects like the Bridge to Nowhere and such. Feel free to look at the multi-billion dollar list of Pork for 2007.

The Bush Stimulus Plan was a tax rebate to tax payers. If you didn't pay taxes you probably didn't get a rebate. It makes sense to give people back their own money. This is not a wealth redistribution plan.

I am simply not going to mention all the government get in the way of freedoms programs suggested by the bulk of this list. If people make good or bad decisions then they need to accept the consequences. The government doesn't need to show up with fist fulls of my money and spread it around.

I have said it many times that if you can make the case for a good cause generous Americans will donate money. It doesn't matter where in the world it is needed Americans will help. The government doesn't need to hold up its citizens and take money.

The one other line item above that really ticks me off is the unwillingness to access current government programs and eliminate those who are failing. Ronald Reagan once said, "The closest thing to eternal life is a government program." That has got to stop.