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Economy reeling, Obama, McCain seek final votes

By The Associated Press | The Natchez Democrat

Published Thursday, October 30, 2008

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — The election in sight and the economy reeling, Barack Obama and John McCain fought over causes, cures and the final votes that will make one of them president. Obama tied McCain to President Bush and said Americans are paying a steep price for the partnership, while the Republican linked his rival to Big Oil and record profits.

Aiming to seal the victory and become the nation's first black president, Obama raced into a day that would take him from Florida to Virginia to Missouri, all traditionally Republican territory.

McCain rolled by bus through battleground Ohio five days before the election, struggling to make up ground in a state that has voted with the winner in every presidential election for two decades.

By all available evidence, on the Thursday before Election Day the race was Obama's to lose.

The national polls showed him ahead, he was rated the favorite in a half-dozen states that sided with Bush in 2004, and surveys showed close races in three more.

Both campaigns invested heavily in turning out early voters.

Officials in North Carolina said roughly 30 percent of all registered voters had already cast ballots — about 1.7 million in all — and the Board of Elections ordered the state's 100 counties to keep longer voting hours.

Like the opinion polls, the early ballot count favored Obama. Officials in Iowa, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada as well as North Carolina said more Democrats that Republicans had cast ballots, in some cases by lopsided margins.

Democrats, increasingly optimistic about regaining the White House, looked forward to padding their majorities in Congress, too, and then tackling the economy and bringing the war in Iraq to an end.

But McCain and his aides sought to stoke doubts about one-party government. The campaign challenged Obama to say whether he supports a 25 percent cut in defense spending that is advocated by some in his party

In Sarasota, his first stop of the day, Obama tried to take advantage of the day's dreary business news, a government report that consumers cut back spending so sharply that the economy had shrunk at an annual rate of 0.3 percent in the third quarter.

It was the economy's worst showing since the fall of 2001, when a recession in progress was compounded by the impacts of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

"Folks have to watch every penny, tighten their belts," said Obama, contending that the downturn was the result of eight years of Republican economic policies.

"If you want to know where John McCain will drive this economy, just look in the rearview mirror. Because when it comes to our economic policies, John McCain has been right next to George Bush. He's been sitting there in the passenger seat, ready to take over, every step of the way," he added.

Obama's campaign re-enforced the rhetoric with a new television commercial. It showed the faces of Bush and McCain together in a car's rearview mirror as the announcer said, "Look behind you. We can't afford more of the same."

In a second ad, Obama touted endorsements from Colin Powell, the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Warren Buffett, arguably the nation's best known investor.

McCain's first stop of the day was in chilly Defiance, Ohio, where he did not dwell on the economic report. Instead, he pointed to Exxon Mobil's announcement of a $14.83 billion profit in the third quarter, a record, and said Obama had voted for legislation that included millions in tax breaks for oil companies.

"Senator Obama voted four billions in corporate giveaways to the oil companies," said McCain in an apparent reference to a 2005 energy bill that Bush pushed through Congress.

"I voted against it," the Arizona Republican said.

The legislation included nearly $3 billion in tax breaks for the oil and natural gas industry including some — but not all — that would benefit the largest oil producers such as Exxon Mobil Corp. It also had $11.4 billion in tax incentives for alternative energy and efficiency programs, cited by Obama as his reason for supporting the legislation.

Comments

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 11:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

McCain knows this,

Red on Women Drives Men Wild
Women pictured wearing red were rated more attractive by male test subjects

http://www.igetpolitics.com/wp-content/u...

http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/c...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/769370...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...

http://newsblaze.com/story/2008103007360...

but do you know that you're being bedazzled?

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 11:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Subject: 'Twas the night before elections

'Twas the night before elections
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys

They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink

He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!

" On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi"
He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think
On this one final note-
IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 30, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I found this and thought it was too good not to pass on. This is a real person with his contact info at the end.

Mr. Obama,
Given the uproar about the simple question asked you by Joe the plumber, and
the persecution that has been heaped on him because he dared to question you,
I find myself motivated to say a few things to you myself.

While Joe aspires to start a business someday, I already have started not one, but 4 businesses. But first, let me introduce myself. You can call me 'Cory the well
driller'. I am a 54 year old high school graduate. I didn't go to college like you, I was too ready to go 'conquer the world' when I finished high school, 25 years
ago.

At age 29, I started my own water well drilling business at a time when the economy here in East Texas was in a tailspin from the crash of the early 80's oil boom. I didn't
get any help from the government, nor did I look for any. I borrowed what I could from my sister, my uncle, and even the pawn shop and managed to scrape together a
homemade drill rig and a few tools to do my first job.

My businesses did not start as a result of privilege. They are the result of my personal drive, personal ambition, self discipline, self reliance, and a determination to treat my
customers fairly.

From the very start my business provided one other (than myself) East Texan a full time job. I couldn't afford a backhoe the first few years (something every well drilling business had), so I and my helper had to dig the mud pits that are necessary for each and every job with hand shovels. I had to use my 10 year old, 1/2 ton pickup truck for my water tank truck (normally a job for at least a 2 ton truck).
A year and a half after I started the business, I scraped together a 20% down payment to get a modest bank loan and bought a (28 year) old, worn out, slightly bigger drilling rig to allow me to drill the deeper water wells in my area. I spent the next few years drilling wells with the rig while simultaneously rebuilding it between jobs. Through these years I never knew from one month to the next if I would have any work or be able to pay the bills.

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 12:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I got behind on my income taxes one year, and spent the next two years paying that back (with penalty and interest) while keeping up with ongoing taxes. I got behind on my water well supply bill 2 different years (way behind the second time... $80,000.00), and spent over a year paying it back (each time) while continuing to pay for ongoing supplies C.O.D.
Of course, the personal stress endured through these experiences and years is hard to measure.
I do have a stent in my heart now to memorialize it all.

I spent the next 10 years developing the reputation for being the most competent and most honest water well driller in East Texas. 2 years along the way, I hired another full time employee for the drilling business so that we could provide full time water well pump service as well as the well drilling.
Also, 3 years along the path, I bought a water well screen service machine from a friend, starting business # 2. 5 years later I made a business loan for $100,000.00 to build a new, higher production, computer controlled screen service machine. I had designed the machine myself, and it didn't work out for 3 years so I had to make the loan payments without the benefit of any added income from the
new machine.

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 12:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

No government program was there to help me with the payments, or to help me sleep at night as I lay awake wondering how I would solve my machine problems or pay my bills. Finally, after 3 years, I got the screen machine working properly, and that provided another full time job for an East Texan in the screen service business.

2 years after that, I made another business loan, this time for $250,000.00, to buy another used drilling rig and all the support equipment needed to run another, larger, drill rig. This provided another 2 full time jobs for East Texans. Again, I spent a couple of years not knowing if I had made a smart move, or a move that would bankrupt me. For the third time in 13 years, I had placed everything I owned on the line, risking everything, in order to build a business.
A couple of years into this, I came up with a bright idea for a new kind of mud pump, a fundamentally necessary pump used on water well drill rigs. I spent my entire life savings to date (just $30,000.00), building a prototype of the pump and took it to the national water well convention to show it off.
Customers immediately started coming out of the woodworks to buy the pumps, but there was a problem.
I had depleted my assets making the prototype, and nobody would make me a business loan to start
production of the new pumps. With several deposits for pump orders in hand, and nowhere to go, I finally started applying for as many credit card as I could find and took cash withdrawals on these cards to the tune of over $150,000.00 (including modest loans from my dear sister and brother), to get this 3rd business going. .
Yes, once again, I had everything hanging over the line in an effort to start another business. I had never manufactured anything, and I had to design and bring into production a complex hydraulic machine from an untested prototype to a reliable production model (in six months). How many nights I lay awake wondering if I had just made the paramount mistake of my life I cannot tell you, but there were plenty.
I managed to get the pumps into production, which immediately created another 2 full time jobs in East Texas.
Some of the models in the first year suffered from quality issues due to the poor workmanship of one of my
key suppliers, so I and an employee (another East Texan employed) had to drive across the country to repair
customers' pumps, practically from coast to coast.

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 12:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I stood behind the product, and made payments to all
the credit cards that had financed me (and my brother and sister). I spent the next 5 years improving and
refining the product, building a reputation for the pump and the company, working to get the pump into drill
rig manufacturers' product lines, and paying back credit cards. During all this time I continued to manage
a growing water well business that was now operating 3 drill rig crews, and 2 well service crews. Also, the
screen service business continued to grow.

No government programs were there to help me, Mr. Obama,
but that's ok, I didn't expect any, nor did I want any. I was too busy fighting to make success happen to sit
around waiting for the government to help me.

Now, we have been manufacturing the mud pumps for 7 years, my combined businesses employ 32 full time
employees, and distribute $5,000,000.00 annually through the local economy. Now, just 4 months ago I
borrowed $1,254,000.00, purchasing computer controlled machining equipment to start my 4th business, a
production machine shop. The machine shop will serve the mud pump company so that we can better manufacture
our pumps that are being shipped worldwide. Of course, the machine shop will also do work for outside
companies as well. This has already produced 2 more full time jobs, and 2 more should develop out of it in the
next few months.

This should work out, but if it doesn't it will be because you, and the other professional politicians like yourself,
will have destroyed our countrys (and the world) economy with your meddling with mortgage loan programs
through your liberal manipulation and intimidation of loaning institutions to make sure that unqualified borrowers
could get mortgages.

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 12:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You see, at the very time when I couldn't get a business loan to get my mud pumps into production, you were
working with Acorn and the Community Reinvestment Act programs to make sure that unqualified borrowers
could buy homes with no down payment, and even no credit or worse yet, bad credit. Even the infamous, liberal,
Ninja loans (No Income, No Job or Assets).

While these unqualified borrowers were enjoying unrealistically low interest rates, I was paying 22% to 24% interest
on the credit cards that I had used to provide me the funds for the mud pump business that has created jobs for more
East Texans. It's funny, because after 25 years of turning almost every dime of extra money back into my businesses
to grow them, it has been only in the last two years that I have finally made enough money to be able to put a little
away for retirement, and now the value of that has dropped 40% because of the policies you and your ilk have perpetrated
on our country.

You see, Mr. Obama, I'm the guy you intend to raise taxes on. I'm the guy who has spent 25 years toiling and sweating,
fretting and fighting, stressing and risking, to build a business and get ahead. I'm the guy who has been on the very edge
of bankruptcy more than a dozen times over the last 25 years, and all the while creating more and more jobs for East
Texans who didn't want to take a risk, and would not demand from themselves what I have demanded from myself.

I'm the guy you characterize as 'the Americans who can afford it the most' that you believe should be taxed more to
provide income redistribution 'to spread the wealth' to those who have never toiled, sweated, fretted, fought, stressed,
or risked anything. You want to characterize me as someone who has enjoyed a life of privilege and who needs to pay a
higher percentage of my income than those who have bought into your entitlement culture.

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 12:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I resent you, Mr. Obama, as I resent all who want to use class warfare as a tool to advance their political career. What's
worse, each year more Americans buy into your liberal entitlement culture, and turn to the government for their hope of a
better life instead of themselves. Liberals are succeeding through more than 40 years of collaborative effort between the
predominant liberal media, and liberal indoctrination programs in the public school systems across our land.

What is so terribly sad about this is this. America was made great by people who embraced the one-time American culture
of self reliance, self motivation, self determination, self discipline, personal betterment, hard work, risk taking. A culture built
around the concept that success was in reach of every able bodied American who would strive for it. Each year that less
Americans embrace that culture, we all descend together. We descend down the socialist path that has brought country after
country ultimately to bitter and unremarkable states.

If you and your liberal comrades in the media and school systems would spend half as much effort cultivating a culture of
can-do across America as you do cultivating your entitlement culture, we could see Americans at large embracing the conviction
that they can elevate themselves through personal betterment, personal achievement, and self reliance.

You see, when people embrace such ideals, they act on them. When people act on such ideals, they succeed. All of America
could find herself elevating instead of deteriorating. But that would eliminate the need for liberal politicians, wouldn't it, Mr. Obama?
The country would not need you if the country was convinced that problem solving was best left with individuals instead of the
government. You and all your liberal comrades have got a vested interested in creating a dependent class in our country. It is the
very business of liberals to create an ever expanding dependence on government. What's remarkable is that you, who have never
produced a job in your life, are going to tax me to take more of my money and give it to people who wouldn't need my money if
they would get off their entitlement mentality asses and apply themselves at work, demand more from themselves, and quit looking
to liberal politicians to raise their station in life.

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 12:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You see, I know because I've had them work for me before. Hundreds of them over these 25 years. People who simply will not show up to work on time. People who just will not work 5 days in a week, much less, 6 days. People always looking for a way to
put less effort out. People who actually tell me that they would do more if I just would first pay them more. People who take off
work to sit in government offices to apply to get free government handouts (gee, I wonder how things would have turned out for them
if they had spent that time earning money and pleasing their employer?). You see, all of this comes from your entitlement mentality culture.

Oh, I know you will say I am uncompassionate. Sorry, Mr. Obama, wrong again. You see, I've seen what the average percentage of
your income has been given to charities over the years of 2000 to 2004 (ignoring the years you started running for office - can you
pronounce 'politically motivated'), you averaged less than 1% annually. And your running mate, Joe Biden, averaged less than �% of
his annual income in charitable contributions over the last 10 years. Like so many liberals, the two of you want to give to the needy, just as
long as it is someone else's money you are giving to them. I won't say what I have given to charities over the last 25 years, but the
percentage is several times more than you and Joe Biden combined (don't you just hate google?).

Tell me again how you feel my pain.

In short, Mr. Obama, your political philosophies represent everything that is wrong with our country. You represent the culture of
government dependence instead of self reliance; Entitlement mentality instead of personal achievement; Penalization of the successful
to reward the unmotivated;
Political correctness instead of open mindedness and open debate. If you are successful, you may preside over the final transformation
of America from being the greatest and most self-reliant culture on earth, to just another country of whiners and wimps, who sit around
looking to the government to solve their problems. Like all of western Europe. All countries on the decline. All countries that, because
of liberal socialistic mentalities, have a little less to offer mankind every year.

God help us........................Cory Miller

An ordinary, extraordinary American, the way a lot of Americans used to be.

P.S: Yes, Mr. Obama, I am a real American... meet me:

www.cmillerdrilling.com or www.centerlinemanufacturing.com

Posted by MSviaTN (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 7:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)

time4change - that rates even lower than people saying blacks will vote for Obama because he is black

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If your so against helping others in need, how do you feel about paying for Palin to take her children along? How do you feel about Palin doctoring the books to make it look like business? Was that ethical? Or, do you think that politicians should pay for their children's expenses if they choose to take them with them?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27441783/

Posted by Spanky (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 8:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Amen Jam

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 8:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

MSviaTN when I see or hear someone saying that blacks will vote for Obama because he is black, I either think to myself or make the comment that the ones saying that will vote for McCain because he is not black. I am white and I'm not voting for Obama because he is black. I'm voting for Obama because he will help people like me. McCain will help people who are more wealthy than me. I don't have a problem with people having wealth, I just want them to pay their fair share of taxes so that we can all live a good life.

I'm also aware that some people abuse the welfare system, but there are many people who benefit from the system and there needs to be a system otherwise children would starve to death and go without medical care here in this country. The children shouldn't suffer because their parents are down on their luck or even if their parents are irresponsible. There are also seniors that need assistance who worked many years paying in to the system and wouldn't make it without the little assistance given to them in the form of section 8 to help with their rent, food stamps to help them purchase food, and Medicare/Medicaid to help them pay for healthcare. What would happen if assistance was taken from families and seniors?

I keep seeing it in comments that welfare aid and paying higher taxes is the topic that is worrying so many on this board, but I'm more worried about McCain starting a war with Iran if he gets elected. Surely people must realize that their taxes will have to increase to pay for wars, education benefits will have to be lowered, healthcare will have to be lowered, welfare will have to be lowered to pay for the 2 wars we are already waging as we are already in debt trillions of dollars. People are losing their jobs and homes, how can we continue to pay for wars? We are not only destroying other people and countries, we are destroying ourselves. We must stop using violence to solve our problems or we will all be losers.

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 8:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

* Barack Obama is working for middle class Americans. The Obama-Biden tax plan includes a tax cut of $1,000 for more than 150 million working Americans. The plan will also eliminate income taxes altogether for more than 7 million senior citizens who make less than $50,000 per year. Finally, Obama’s plan will provide an average of $500 to 10 million homeowners, the majority of whom earn less than $50,000 per year. http://www.barackobama.com/issues/econom... http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publicati...

* Barack Obama will make healthcare affordable for your family. If you like your employer-offered healthcare, you can keep it -- at a reduced cost. If you don’t, or you don’t have health care, you will have a choice of new, affordable health insurance options. You will not be turned away -- regardless of preexisting conditions. Obama will help small businesses provide affordable health insurance to their employees with a Small Business Health Tax Credit. Read more about the Obama-Biden healthcare plan here: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/health...

* Barack Obama knows that the problems we’re facing in this election are too serious to let the politics of manufactured controversy and fake outrage dominate. He wants to bring our troops home from Iraq, so we can focus on Afghanistan and track down the terrorists who attacked us. And he’s proposed a detailed plan for using alternative energy sources to relieve America’s dependence on foreign oil within 10 years and put millions of Americans to work. See more about Obama’s plan for change here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/p...

* Despite many email smears claiming something else, Barack Obama is a committed Christian and an American citizen. After being raised by a single mother and by his grandparents in a modest household in Hawaii, Barack studied hard and won scholarships and loans to attend Columbia University and later Harvard Law School, where he became president of the Harvard Law Review. After law school, he returned to Chicago to give back to society as a community organizer and later as a civil rights lawyer and law professor. http://www.barackobama.com/learn/meet_ba...

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

There is one BIG tax "change" (don't you just love that word?) that Obama can't deny he endorses - the repeal of the Bush tax cuts. And here is what that means:

Proposed changes in taxes after 2008 General election:

CAPITAL GAINS TAX

MCCAIN

0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples) McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.

OBAMA
28% on profit from ALL home sales

How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.

DIVIDEND TAX

MCCAIN
15% (no change)

OBAMA
39.6%

How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama become president. The experts predict that 'higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.

INCOME TAX

MCCAIN (no changes)
Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)
Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750

Under Obama your taxes will more than double! How does this affect you? No explanation needed. This is pretty straight forward.

INHERITANCE TAX

MCCAIN
0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)
OBAMA
Restore the inheritance tax (50% plus)

How does this affect you? Many families have lost businesses, farms and ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.

Posted by iameubu (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 7:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me check check check check

What happened to the JFK and G Washington imperatives of "ask what you can do for your country"?

jam, good post, except for the poem which was a little out of line

time4, practicing for the local choral group? me me me me me meeeeee

Posted by destiny (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 8:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

time4, there's still plenty of time for you to rethink your decision about this one that you think is your friend. Believe us when we tell you he is not a friend to you are anyone else. He never has been and never will be. He just wants your vote to get in office and he will tell you anything to get that vote. He's only in it for himself and his liberal cohorts. Don't think he's there for you. Don't make that mistake.

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on October 31, 2008 at 11:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Didn't realize just how much he's missed, until I read and remembered some of the stuff he said ....... and stood for.

'Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.'- Ronald Reagan

'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' - Ronald Reagan

'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' - Ronald Reagan

'Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.' - Ronald Reagan

'I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.' - Ronald Reagan

'The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.'
- Ronald Reagan

'Government is like a baby:
An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.'
- Ronald Reagan

'The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.' - Ronald Reagan

'It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession.
I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.' - Ronald Reagan

'Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:
If it moves, tax it.
If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.' - Ronald Reagan

'Politics is not a bad profession.
If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book.'
- Ronald Reagan

'No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.'- Ronald Reagan

'If we ever forget that we're one nation under God , then we will be a nation gone under.' -Ronald Reagan

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 12:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

ubu looks like you'd rather it be about you you you, and one might wonder why, so I'd have to tell them it's all about your income bracket $$$$$$$$$$$...why don't you just build you a pyramid so you can take it all with you like the Egyptian Pharoahs? It's never been about me. I admit to crying, but the tears weren't for myself. Happy now? I hope so, because there are way too many others suffering and sad in this cold cruel world. I'm sure that you may have stepped over a few of them laying outside one of your mansions hoping that you'd throw them a crumb or a dollar.

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 12:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

you you you, me me me, which one of us will it be? iamme, ureubu. Tuesday night we will see if it's you or if it's me.

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 12:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Destiny why don't you move out of your section 8 apartment and let someone else have it that likes and appreciates assistance? You can send your $10 in food stamps to someone who really needs them. Just because they send them to you doesn't mean you have to spend them on yourself. You could buy someone a pie. Isn't that about the price of a store bought pie? Or you could buy a mother with a bunch of hungry children 2 gallons of milk. If McCain cuts off your social security and section 8 assistance, what will you do? Where will you live?

Posted by frogprincenessntz (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 2:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BAR STOOL ECONOMICS

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten
comes to $100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something
like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day
and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw
them a curve.

'Since you are all such good customers, he said, I'm going to reduce the
cost of your daily beer by $20.

Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the
first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what
about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the
$20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that
from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end
up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would
be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he
proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay!

Posted by frogprincenessntz (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 2:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing--(100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 ---------------(33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7------------ (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12------------ (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 ------------(22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59------------ (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued
to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to
compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20, 'declared the sixth man. He pointed to
the tenth man, 'but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too.
It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I
got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'*

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat
down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill,
they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between
all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our
tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit
from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and
they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking
overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics, University of Georgia

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible

Posted by frogprincenessntz (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 3:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

time4change...you said Obama is a committed Christian. Instead of listening to his websites, maybe you should do some investigation of the church he has attended for twenty years. I thought that it was a hate filled church and I have encountered a white church that was that way and pulled my family from it. Some investigators say it is much worse and blasphemes the God we as Christians know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=928_TLwSl...

Christians also have scripture to define when life begins...Jeremiah 1:3. Obama's stance on killing innocent children does not fit that nor does it fit the scientific findings of the last thirty years which show that life begins at conception. The ND took all comments off the excellent article on abortion, possibly because I put a link for the you-tube video of the silent scream. You get a very clear picture of just what abortion does and the evidence of when life begins when viewing that film.

Posted by kmbjd40 (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

McCain has pulled into a 1 point lead nationally in the Zogby polls one day tracking, 48-47. Maybe a wave of rationality is sweeping the country.

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)

frogprince when do we get to see the inside of McCain's church and listen to the sermons he listen's too? Has anyone even checked? When do we get to hear from McCain why he refuses to be baptised? When do we get an explaination as to why a member of a Baptist church feels like it is ok to distribute alcohol while we all know that drinking alcohol is against Baptist church doctrine? When do we get an explaination of Palin, a Pentecostal woman who swears and lies to win elections and wears red clothes and lipstick to bedazzle men? Maybe you've been bedazzled by her wily charms and just can't see the truth? How can we expect Cindy McCain to care about all of the people of the United States when she can't even remember that she has 2 half sisters and claims to be an only child? She also dresses in red or sexy cleavage showing garments, and if you haven't seen the reports, google women wearing red. They've done a study on women wearing red, and they've determined that red drives men crazy. And therefore, it's possible that women in red could bewitch most men to cast their vote for the candidate that the women in red represent.

But, whomever wins Tuesday will be our President. All hail the chief.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 9:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Peace/time you need some rest honey. You have gone back to attacking people like a small child would with made up stories and accusations. You know everyone on here cares about others, everyone on here gives to charity - but we don't want our hard earned money to be taken away with out our consent. LOOK AT THE FIGURES! Your taxes will increase also.

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

freedom sweetie, why is it that when I say something about your choice that thou sayest it is made-up and attacking, but when Palin and McCain and all of the others comment negatively on Obama, we are supposed to accept it as gospel? We both know that neither McCain nor Obama can do anything without the congress supporting them.

I watched a movie not long ago about a black family in Chicago in the 50s who were hired by a white family to babysit the children, cook the food, clean the house, drive the car and keep it clean, open the doors and do whatever bidding the bossman asked, but when that same black family came into some money and quit their servant type jobs and bought a house next door, the white family had a fit and tried to block them from being their neighbors. And that movie was based on a true story. They were trustworthy as long as they were servants and were trusted with children and to cook food, but now that they can vote and live next door, that's too scarey?

So really, you should do some soul searching and ask yourself, is it just because Obama is half black that is keeping you from supporting him? Is that what scares you? Is he just a little too uppity for your liking? Is that what McCain is really saying when he calls Obama arrogant and elitist? Because, I've read about some pretty shadey characters in McCain's past and one of them was Cindy's dad who made it possible for McCain to become a politician.

What are we going to chat about after the election?

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Well I tried to open and a dialog with you on one site about lies being told by both sides and all you wanted to do was insist the Republicans were the only ones lying. So I can't really discuss anything because you are very closed minded about anything you disagree with. No dear, I am not supporting Obama because he is half black, only because I don't agree with many of his policies. Will you ever accept and understand that.

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

We'll have to get into that another time. Maybe after the election we can all become friends.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Also I think I have mentioned before that I live in a mixed neighborhood. My friends next door often watch my animals when we are out of town, I watch their kids when they go out, and everyone watches out for each other. So your story has really nothing to do with me does it?

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 12:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Just read this story off the AP feed, this should give everyone a clear idea of why Obama leans so far to the socialist side. One paragraph says Obama didn't know about his Aunts status, while the next one tells how they are returning the $260.00 she donated. Makes it hard for me to swallow that hwe didn't know. Aren't the candidates vetted by the party endorsing them? It sure didn't take long for the press to trot Palin's daughter out did it? As a national security risk wouldn't the FBI CIA and every other security organization have checked Obama and ALL his kin too? Especially those from a foreign country?

Obama says he didn't know aunt's illegal status

By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO (AP) -- Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said Saturday he didn't know his aunt was living in the United States illegally and believes that laws covering the situation should be followed.

The Associated Press found that Obama's aunt had been instructed to leave the country four years ago by an immigration judge who rejected her request for asylum from her native Kenya. The woman, Zeituni Onyango (zay-TUHN on-YANG-oh), is living in public housing in Boston and is the half-sister of Obama's late father.
A statement given to the AP by Obama's campaign said, "Senator Obama has no knowledge of her status but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws be followed."

The campaign said it was returning $260 that Onyango had contributed in small increments to Obama's presidential bid over several months. Federal election law prohibits foreigners from making political donations. Onyango listed her employer as the Boston Housing Authority and last gave $5 on Sept. 19.

Onyango, 56, is part of Obama's large paternal family, with many related to him by blood whom he never knew growing up.

Obama's father, Barack Obama Sr., left the future presidential nominee when the boy was 2, and they reunited only once - for a monthlong visit when Obama was 10. The elder Obama lived most of his life in Kenya, where he fathered seven other children with three other wives. He died in a car crash in 1982.

Obama was raised for the most part by his mother and her parents in Hawaii. He first met his father's side of the family when he traveled to Africa 20 years ago. He referred to Onyango as "Auntie Zeituni" when describing the trip in his memoir, saying she was "a proud woman."

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Part 2
Obama's campaign said he had seen her a few times since that meeting, beginning with a return trip to Kenya with his future wife, Michelle, in 1992. Onyango visited the family in Chicago on a tourist visa at Obama's invitation about nine years ago, the campaign said, stopping to visit friends on the East Coast before returning to Kenya.

She attended Obama's swearing-in to the U.S. Senate in 2004, but campaign officials said Obama provided no assistance in getting her a tourist visa and doesn't know the details of her stay. The campaign said he last heard from her about two years ago when she called saying she was in Boston, but he did not see her there.

Onyango's refusal to leave the country would represent an administrative, noncriminal violation of immigration law, meaning such cases are handled outside the criminal court system. Estimates vary, but many experts believe there are more than 10 million such immigrants in the U.S.

The AP could not immediately reach Onyango for comment. When a reporter went to her home Friday night, no one answered the door. A neighbor said she was often not home on weekends. Onyango did not immediately return telephone and written messages left at her home.

Onyango was instructed to leave the country by a U.S. immigration judge who denied her asylum request, a person familiar with the matter told the AP. This person spoke on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to discuss Onyango's case.

It was unclear why her request was rejected in 2004. A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Kelly Nantel, said the government does not comment on an individual's citizenship status or immigration case.

Information about the deportation case was disclosed and confirmed by two separate sources, one a federal law enforcement official. The information they made available is known to officials in the federal government, but the AP could not establish whether anyone at a political level in the Bush administration or in the McCain campaign had been involved in its release.

Posted by jammin1 (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 12:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Part 3
Onyango's case - coming to light just days before the presidential election - led to an unusual nationwide directive within Immigrations and Customs Enforcement requiring that any deportations before Tuesday's election be approved at least at the level of the agency's regional directors, the U.S. law enforcement official told the AP.

The directive suggests that the administration is sensitive to the political implications of Onyango's case coming to light so close to the election.

The East African nation has been fractured in violence in recent years, including a period of two months of bloodshed after December 2007 that killed 1,500 people.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said Saturday that he had no idea how Onyango might have qualified for public housing with a standing deportation order. He said he's not involved in the operations of the agency, even though he appoints the head, because it runs mainly on federal and state dollars.

William McGonagle, deputy director of the Boston Housing Authority, said when contacted: "I know nothing about it and I've got no comment."

Posted by harjedalen (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

So what if Obama's Aunt is here illegally. I am sure he has no direct control over her as they do not reside or travel together.
Can Governor Palin even govern her minor daughter still under her roof?
Bush did not repeal the inheritance tax as stated above, it is in existence.
If you are making less than $250,000 a year, you should definitely vote for Obama, he will make the wealthy shoulder their share of the burden like Mccain used to advocate back in year 2000. (see this vid)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2JPbQOHEkY
Then after you save up and reinvest your earnings to buy the business and get wealthy, then you can go vote for Mccain or his ilk in 2016 if you are that selfish.
The rich are gonna vote for their interests and the rest of us will vote for ours. We have the numbers and Tuesday will show it.

Posted by harjedalen (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 3:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

HAHAHAHA! Dick Cheney just endorsed Mccain! Spread the news!!! I'm sure that will help win over the swing voters! Further proof a vote for Mccain will take us further down the Bush path.
The only redistribution of wealth has been for the last 8 years as the rich got richer and the gap between rich and working middle class grew.
Vote Obama, and close the gap to help the working taxpayers who create the wealth for the rich. Those of us making less than $250000 a year.

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 4:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

freedom maybe I just comment to you because you're always commenting to me and I know others will read what I write to you.

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 4:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

While I may not know anything about war, I do know a little something about Pentecostals and Baptist having been both in my life, at one time or the other. I can't say that I have seen either of those resemblances apparent in John McCain or Sarah Palin. And quite frankly, Obama sounds more Christlike to me when he says he wants to give all children an opportunity for equal education and healthcare for all of the people of this country, while McCain is more worried about the wealthier 5% keeping all of their wealth.

I also have enough sense to realize that if we keep bombing schools in Pakistan, even if we say they are oops "friendly fire", Pakistan (a real nuclear power), or some terrorist group may retaliate...it doesn't take a mental giant. So, Joe Biden probably meant well when he said that whomever gets elected may be tested and there's good reason to believe that could be true, but there's also the possibility that we won't be attacked. I do know that in wars many innocent victims are killed that had nothing to do with the reason that we are in their country bombing them. When our leader tells us that we are going to fight a war, the reason he gives us should be truthful. And I also believe that if Saddam had really had a nuclear weapon, he still couldn't have hit America with it. If Israel was the real target Bush feared could be hit by the "imagined" nuclear weapon, they have their own military, and they are the ones who should have been fighting that war, as we were already engaged in our own. I don't like to think about all of the little innocent children being blown-up or their skin being fried off of their body by US bombs. I'm sorry, but it also makes me sad to think about all of the little American children who will have to grow-up without a parent. If that offends you or anyone else, I'm sorry, but that's just me, and that's why I'm peace/time instead of a freedom warmonger. What is wrong with me saying that I'm sorry and I feel sad about the war? What's wrong with me saying I feel bad about all of the soldiers and other innocent people who are crippled now? What is wrong with me saying that I don't agree with comments on here saying that all of the muslim people are bad and are our enemies when I know for a fact that many muslims felt just as sad and upset on 9/11 as you and I? It makes me feel very afraid for any muslim or muslim looking person living here in this country when all they want is to have a peaceful life just as we do. It makes me sad that there aren't more people like me who are saddened enough that they are willing to speak up and say they are sorry too. You're right, I am sorry and crazy and life has caused me to be. This is the local newspaper and I didn't know we were fighting a war on here, I just thought we were making comments and giving our opinions. Do we still have freedom of speech?

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 5:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks to people like John McCain we do.

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 6:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Why I won't vote for McCain,
Mia/POW

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmcc...

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 1, 2008 at 11:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

frogprince,

The independent Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center recently concluded that, "Senator McCain's tax cuts would primarily benefit those with very high incomes…. Many fewer households at the bottom of the income distribution would get tax cuts…. In marked contrast, Senator Obama offers much larger tax breaks to low- and middle-income taxpayers and would increase taxes on high-income taxpayers."
(Read the full report: http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publicati... )

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 1:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

freedom,
“McCain had roughly 20 hours in combat,” explains Bill Bell, a veteran of Vietnam and former chief of the U.S. Office for POW/MIA Affairs -- the first official U.S. representative in Vietnam since the 1973 fall of Saigon. “Since McCain got 28 medals,” Bell continued, “that’s equal to about a medal-and-a-half for each hour he spent in combat. There were infantry guys -- grunts on the ground -- who had more than 7,000 hours in combat and I can tell you that there were times and situations where I’m sure a prison cell would have looked pretty good to them by comparison. The question really is how many guys got that number of medals for NOT being shot down.”
http://www.mccainbetrayspows.com/#/mccai...

My ex-husband was a grunt on the ground.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 10:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

And Obama has roughly how many hours of combat?
My husband is a member of VFW and all of the vets we know are voting McCain. Just like the civilian population, everyone has their own reasons for voting one way or another.

Posted by meluvcookies (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

EXACTLY what I was going to say, freedom42, but you beat me to it- "And Obama has roughly how many hours of combat?" Our son was in the Army and has been to Iraq. Are we going to vote for someone who's middle name is HUSSEIN??? Are you kidding me?

Posted by meluvcookies (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 8:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I mean WHOSE, not who's. Sorry!

Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 8:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I have just been listeing to Sarah Palin repeating "fact" after "fact" that has been debunked by the fact-check sites for weeks, and SHE IS STILL REPEATING THEM. Go figure.

EITHER:

She knows she is lying and is talking to deceive those poor people who are still confused about what she is saying. Just trying to hammer some scary things home, confident that if they haven't noticed her "facts" aren't "facts" they won't notice how to check them before the election. What a shallow scumbag if that is the case!

Or she is clueless. Actually thinks Joe the Plumber showed them something they were too dumb to see for themselves and actually BELIEVES what she is saying -- in which case she needs psychiatric help.

You guys who are friendly with her and also are offended at people who lie in such lame ways -- you ought to write an email to the party and tell him how much they are embarassing themselves with the rest of the country. You guys are barely 32% now of Republicans in the electorate and shrinking -- you should seek a new endangered species protocol and worry a bit more about your own species -- Homo sapiens republicanus variety McCainianus.

Posted by naturegirl (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 3:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You all need to check out this interview with a very educated African-American lady before you vote:

http://www.inspirationtoday.com/insptoda...

Go to the Sept. 29 interview - you may learn something.

Posted by Classylady (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 4:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I will pray about the situation with the economy and what will happen to our nation. In the meantime I think the Bible Scripture from Judges 4:1-24 is interesting-- it speaks of a man named "Barak" and the outcome of Israel.

You can read it yourself from the Bible or online at the following website: http://www.jesusfolk.com/Bible/07004.htm......

Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 5:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I hate to tell you Classylady but many of the comments posted on these sites don't care what the Bible says. Many are atheist ,

Posted by steve_o (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 6:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Posted by steve_o (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 6:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

this is not pertaining to this thread but I see no other catargory for "breaking news". There seems to be a big truck that has ridden over the gas pumps at the Billups in Ferriday. I hear there are flames coming from the ground and the streets are blocked off!

Seems it may be under control now though.

Posted by time4change (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 8:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I read it classy and it says that Barak saved Israel.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 8:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Unfortunately your current Barack is not a friend of Israel.

Posted by peachpit (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 9:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

http://www.blacksexylove.com/barack_obam...

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 9:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The following was written by James L. Lambert, a Christian news commentator and I copied it from his column at onenewsnow.com. I know many on here claim to be Christians, and all I ask is that they read this and search their hearts:
While an Obama presidency admittedly would be historic, a person's skin color obviously shouldn't be a criteria for voting for that candidate. Religion -- especially the Christian religion -- has deep roots in this country. Yet it seems that many people who claim the Christian faith are casting their religious values to the curb in favor of being able to claim a role in "a historic event."

Rev. Adlai E. Mack, senior pastor and founder of Christians United Church in San Diego, is alarmed by this trend. It was during the early 1970s, while working toward his bachelor's degree from Princeton University, that Mack was introduced to moral dilemmas such as abortion. He was influenced by Dr. Paul Ramsey, professor of ethics, who decried the technique of ending human life so cavalierly in the womb.

According to the Life Education and Resource Network (LEARN) -- the largest African-American evangelical pro-life ministry in the country -- three out of five pregnant African-American women will abort their child.

Besides currently performing his full-time duties as a local pastor, Mack is a longtime Christian activist who routinely visits abortion clinics with the mission to persuade mothers to forgo terminating the life of their unborn child. Last week, Mack directed his thoughts to fellow believers in the church and to the black community at large.

He told this writer on Thursday: "If you're willing to sacrifice your babies, your children, and your business for Mr. Obama, you have that choice -- but I will not."

Mack continued: "If Obama wins, the babies lose. If Obama wins, your children will be discipled by homosexual [activists] in the public schools. If Obama wins, small businesses will suffer. Raising taxes would be the worst remedy during an economic downturn."

Rev. Mack notes that Senator Obama has the most liberal voting record in the U.S. Senate and is a longtime friend of abortion providers. Since joining the Senate in 2005, the Illinois senator has received a 100-percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America, the leading abortion advocacy group in the United States.

Furthermore, Obama has injected himself into the debate on gay marriage by denouncing Proposition 8, the California initiative that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Most Christians agree that Christ himself has already defined marriage as between one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4).

On election eve, Mack concludes by asking his fellow believers: "Are you willing to sacrifice [your beliefs, your convictions] for this one man?"

I ask: Are you willing to put Obama before Christ?

50° F

The Natchez Democrat

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Economy reeling, Obama, McCain seek final votes

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