in and out

It's July 2009. The 2008 elections, and their candidates, are still in the news. Today it's one in, one out. The last Senatorial election is finally decided. The Governor of Alaska, former Vice Presidential candidate, resigns. Franken and Palin. Do you find it strange that two people from the LAST election are still making news?

Cap and Trade Bill

So, what is a cap and trade bill? It is a two-part regulatory system in which the “cap” is a government-imposed limit on carbon emissions, and the “trade” is a government-created market to buy and sell greenhouse gas credits.

The question is not whether we need a cap and trade bill. How do you feel about this new bill?

U.S. News

The Philadelphia Inquirer

U.S. EPA

Election / sElection

If you haven't heard about the stolen election in Iran, then you probably limit your television time to fiction, don't read newspapers or visit any news sites on the web. It is EVERYWHERE. And everyone has an opinion on it. What's yours? And what do you think about President Obama's reaction to it?

CNN: Slight Majority approves of Obama's handling of Iran
Fox: Obama Stands Firm on Restrained Response to Iran Protests
CNN Video: Is Obama Too Soft on Iran

All the bad news 24 hours a day!

Recently on one of my lighter talk shows, they were discussing the Korean missile story and one of the callers stated they listened to them to get away from the scary and depressing news we hear everywhere else. Do you think the news media is putting too much emphasis on the negative aspects of life and ignoring the more positive news items? Do you think they are exaggerating the negative and scary for ratings?

Taking care of health care

During the second Presidential debate the candidates were asked if they thought health care was a privilege, a right or an obligation. What do you think? Any of those, or something else?

And if that isn't enough for you, how important is it to pass something quickly? And how do you think it should be implemented and financed?

Links:
Health Care Debate Heats Up
Resources on Health Reform
Newt Gingrich on Health Care Reform
Obama Agenda: Taking the HC Reins

Value Added Tax

Policy makers are debating on whether to add a value added tax to our daily purchases, on which we already pay sales tax. This is how they plan to pay for health care reform. So, is this a fair tax or are we unduly taxing the poor with this? Does the end justify the means?

A VAT is a tax on the transfer of goods and services that ultimately is borne by the consumer. Highly visible, it would increase the cost of just about everything, from a carton of eggs to a visit with a lawyer. It is also hugely regressive, falling heavily on the poor. But VAT advocates say those negatives could be offset by using the proceeds to pay for health care for every American — a tangible benefit that would be highly valuable to low-income families.

The Washington Post


The Baltimore Sun

What is your opinion on the value added tax? Post your responses on your page and post a link back to here. Then post a link from here to your page. If you don't have a page feel free to post your response here.

Let's Party!

The Republicans seem to be searching for an identity after their recent electoral defeat. The "Colin Powell Republicans" and the "Rush Limbaugh/Dick Cheney Republicans" seem to be having a very public war. Do you think the Republicans should split into their ideological factions, creating a viable third party, or should they work out their problems internal to the party?

And if that isn't enough meat for you to write about, what about those other “third-parties”, the Libertarians, the Green Party, and so on? Although “third-party” candidates have existed for as long as we have had elections, they are called “third-party” no matter how many parties there are. Do they have a place in American society and will any of them ever become equal with the major parties?

For that matter, even the Democrats have majorities in both houses and yet can’t guarantee the White House success in all of his votes since the views of Democrats differ from the conservative Blue Dog Democrats to the liberal Yellow Dog Democrats. Maybe they should split too. What do you think?

Links on the Republican inner conflict:

Right-wing (HumanEvents.com): Colin Powell vs. Rush Limbaugh

Left-wing (HuffingtonPost.com): Chicken vs. Hawk

CNN Political Ticker over the past week or so:

• Ridge Takes Aim at Limbaugh
• Limbaugh Blasts Powell Attack
• Cheney, Limbaugh, Gingrich not hurting GOP, Boehner says
• Cheney hits Powell: No longer a Republican