Okay, Okay ... I Got the Point! Response to the Barrage of Reader Messages Regarding Barack Obama's Tax Policies
Monday November 3, 2008
With the Presidential election tomorrow, the barrage of emails, blog comments, and other messages I've gotten from readers regarding something I wrote several months ago expressing my support for Barack Obama (despite my dyed-in-the-wool Coca-Cola red Capitalist Republican background) has gotten more and more attention. Instead of attempting the impossible task of responding to everyone individually, the best method was to look at the common themes most of you discussed and answer the questions that fit around them - particularly, if I think socialism is a real threat and the state of the Social Security system.
With everything else going on right now, I normally wouldn't respond to something like this, especially given that my vote is personal. The sheer number of you who took time out of your own lives to write, however, makes me think that I should simply out of respect. There are clearly concerns about how the economy is going to hit (or help) your pocketbook and portfolio, so here are my two cents. Continue reading ...
Comments
Well said!
I agree. Thanks for taking the time to school a newby like myself in the ways of investing.
Thank you for clearly articulating where you stand and the reasons why. I appreciate it and I respect you for your reasons.
By taking the time to explain your position, you have helped me better understand how I react to certain phrases and how others are “pushing my buttons”.
“Taking from one and giving to another”. That phrase irritates me as it implies that I am not given a choice. Yet, after reading your post, I see that this has been happening my entire life as the various levels of government have been taking (taxes) my money and giving (paying business for services, welfare, paying government employees) it to others.
Mr. Kennon, it is not easy what you are doing by sharing your points and personal decisions with literally the world. I have personally experienced how nasty this environment can be with just a few individuals. My respect for you has only increased as I have gotten to know you in this vicarious fashion.
Thank you for your time and your courage.
I, too, am very disturbed by the fundamentalist portion of the Republican Party. I wish that people would see that each party is composed of varying interest groups, that they’re not all one and the same simply because they’re in the same party. I don’t like the idea that it’s all right to push one’s nose into other people’s business, especially when they’re not interefering with anyone else’s business. THAT, imho, is anti-freedom, and neither party should promote that, but of course both are anti-freedom in various respects and do not really have much in the way of a philosophy, when one really looks into it. But that’s a long post and I won’t get into it.