Barack Obama will deliver a speech today in NYC on the economy.  The truth is that there is not a single thing  Obama's would do as president that would make you or I more wealthy -- and there is a lot in he would do to make us less wealthy.  

An Obama Administration, based on his campaign and his record, would likely include higher income taxes, higher corporate taxes, and, at least, a step closer to socialized healthcare.  And that's just the things we know about ...

Of course, rhetorically, Obama almost always acknowledges both sides of any given argument, which tends to give the false impression that he is open-minded.  The fact that the the non-partisan National Journal named him the most liberal senator in 2007 demonstrates which ideology he always settles on, after acknowledging the other side. 

When it comes to the economy, Obama frequently mentions the conservative fiscal policies that have brought us unprecedented wealth since the Reagan Administration -- but at the end of the day -- he looks to FDR's New Deal.  As he wrote in his book:

“But our history should give us confidence that we don’t have to choose between an oppressive, government-run economy and a chaotic and unforgiving capitalism. ... What might such a new economic consensus look like? ... [W]e can begin to modernize and rebuild the social contract that FDR first stitched together in the middle of the last century.” (Barack Obama, The Audacity Of Hope, 2006, pp. 158-159)

Obama's positive rhetoric often belies his Leftist ideology.  Anyone hoping he be a "deliverer" who will invent some sort of hybrid system that provides for a fiscal "third way" -- has not been paying attention to his past positions, or his campaign promises. 

While Obama will likely seek to talk-down the economy, harp on the down-turn, and promise government give-aways for supporting him, McCain is actually providing the public with straight talk, and honest solutions.  For example, one of the things McCain supports -- but Obama will all most certainly demagogue against as a "tax cut for the rich" -- is the reasonable and important idea of cutting the corporate tax rate.

McCain realizes the fact that only Japan has a higher corporate tax rate than the U.S., puts us at a strategic disadvantage.  Moreover, he realzes that cutting it-- and the capital gains tax -- would provide an influx of money for businesses to begin creating jobs, building factories, etc. (not bad for a guy who supposedly isn't an "expert" on the economy.)

McCain's plan would mean 401 K's would also bounce back by the end of the year, and that would be good news for many of us (something like 60 percent of Americans now "investors" in some form or another -- so this will be harder for Obama to criticize than it would have been in the past). 

And because people who create businesses today are concerned about long-term economics, a long-term solution is also a short-term solution.

If Americans hope to make this a short-term down-turn, they will resist the temptation to support Obama's long-term Leftist fiscal policies.

Americans face real hardships in a darkening economy, while liberal politicians stage silly stunts that make the situation even worse. A perfect example is in Washington State , where the legislature is set to approve a “sales tax credit” that would send checks in the mail to low income families.  

Starting in October, 2009, couples earning less than $40,000 could fill out a complex series of forms and qualify for a $240 yearly check. This would theoretically reimburse them for some of sales tax they paid buying necessary items. The cost to the state, slated to rise to $165 million per year, would force tax increases or cuts elsewhere in an already strained budget, while $240—$20 a month—won’t make a huge difference for any family.  

At a time when the business climate suffers from too much taxes and regulation, Democrats plan meaningless giveaways teaching struggling households to game the government, rather than working toward a better economic environment for everyone.

Hugh,

  It was an interesting segment, I hope to hear more of them.

  As long as we are talking about business advice, let me "promote" a non-profit that has been around since 1964. SCORE (which used to be Service Corps of Retired Executives) is still alive and active. More than 11,000 volunteers across the United States.

  SCORE provides FREE counseling to business start-ups and problem solving for existing businesses. You would think we would be better known, we've got experienced marketing types, but we seem to be a best kept secret.

  There are 3 or 4 chapters in the LAX area. I suspect one of their counselors would be happy to be interviewed for your show.

  Most of the counselors are retired. Typically with 35-45 years of business experience, either with a large company or often times one of their own. For example, I worked at IBM for 30 years and have been a counselor for 5 years.

  The National site is "www.score.org" and has a large amount of how-to and advice articles.

  A great feature on the national site is "Ask SCORE" that provides FREE email counseling, with an interesting twist. Your keyword entry brings up a list of 8-10 counselors, with a thumbnail bio for each. You get to pick the counselor that matches your need. They typically respond in less than 48 hours.

Sincerely,

Bob Rowen , Austin SCORE Chapter #249
n5xus@arrl.net

Bush’s Surprising Hand
By Clark S. Judge, managing director, White House Writers Group, Inc.
 
Talk about surprises.
 
Tonight George W. Bush delivers his final State of the Union address under astonishing circumstances.  Last January, almost unanimously, the smart money prophesized that 2007 would mark the President’s effective demise.  His party had just lost control of both houses of Congress.  Iraq looked like an irretrievable disaster.  Mr. Bush’s popularity was approaching depths to which few presidents had ever gone before.  His presidency was all but over, the savants were sure.
 
They could not have been more wrong.
 
Instead of finding himself out of cards by now, the President goes into tonight’s address holding an amazingly strong hand.
 
The success of the surge in Iraq is a big part of why.  The President shoved all his chips in on the strategy and his bet paid off – far more than anyone, probably including himself, expected.  He did it against the united resistance of Congress’ newly installed leadership, all of whom wanted to force upon him a timetable for bringing the troops home. And he did it despite polling numbers that would have had his immediate predecessor racing to bomb an empty aspirin factory and clear out.
 
As Fred Barnes has detailed in the current Weekly Standard, in the early days of consideration, the surge faced the skepticism even of most senior uniformed officers.  Yet the President listened to these officers and adjusted.  Then he cajoled and convinced.  Soon he had developed a consensus in the military around his strategy.  Where he felt he had to replace officers, he made sure none was humiliated.  All departed command with honor.  This is leadership of the highest order, and its success had a lot to do with the president’s parallel 2007 success in the Congress.
 
When they took over Congress, the Democrats announced they would paralyze the Administration with investigations, even as they forced on the President a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.  But as the President’s new Iraqi policies started to work, this scorched earth approach became less and less acceptable to the public. Congress’ popularity sank below the President’s.  Before long Mr. Bush found himself able to stop most Congressional actions he wanted to stop and win most legislative battles he decided to fight.  Achieved despite his own low poll numbers, it was a dazzling performance.
 
It has been capped off in the last few weeks with the forging of a consensus around the Administration’s stimulus program.  The subprime crisis is just the latest in a series of potential economic catastrophes that have pounced without warning on the country during the Bush presidency.  From the bursting of the late Clinton-era tech bubble just as Mr. Bush took office, to Enron and related financial scandals rooted in the excesses of the prior decade, to one of the worst natural disasters in American history hitting an area governed by the least competent city-state government pairing in the nation, to the current crisis, the Bush Administration has had to confront an unprecedented series of economic surprises.
 
The President’s current economic team is undoubtedly his best. They have approached the current market turmoil with remarkable steadiness.  Perhaps in part for that reason, they have managed to change the talk in Congress from confrontation to compromise – with passage of the Administration’s stimulus plan looking assured.
 
So as he steps into the well of the House of Representatives tonight, the President will represent what the American people have been telling pollsters for some time that they most want – a leader who doesn’t look at the polls but at the national interest, who acts accordingly with strength and confidence and, again and again in the past year, whose judgment has been vindicated.
 
With this record, he has a chance at an even stronger 2008 –- with tonight’s speech kicking things off.
 
A year ago, who would have guessed it possible?

There's a protest at HUD with Jesse Jackson.
He just arrived...in a limo.

He's here to protest "HUD's lack of caring towards the
common man" in regard to the subprime mess. No word yet if the bus
the protesters will be riding in was heated.