Some of the proposed tax increases are to be above 50%… Read “The Audacity of Deceit” and focus on some of the planned tax increases. Taxes above 50% on ANYONE give me the ability to call some of his plans socialistic. Don’t tax anyone or anything above 50% and I won’t call it socialistic… but anything above 50% crosses a line into majority control… When this excessive control is exerted by a government, I call it socialism. I’m not against corporations paying taxes, but over 50% is ridiculous and a hindrance to our economy… why should any company have its headquarters in the US? You can’t compete in a world economy with one hand tied behind your back. Just to keep up with a foreign competitor, a US company would have to much higher profits, just to come out even with the foreign competitor! We have a hard time competing as it is… do we really want to shoot the left leg of every corporation and see how well they walk and run in an economic race that is being held against competitors from around the world?

I do believe Obama’s heart is in the right place, so don’t get me wrong. I’m sure many things he will do are positive, but I think he will go overboard and spend and tax America into a worse position (yes, even worse than Bush, since the effects will be cumulative.) Just remember, those social programs you want aren’t free. Also remember, it’s a healthy economy that will fund such programs.

Energy Costs: $1,000 to each family from the big oil… Wonder where big oil gets that money, or how they will get that money? Hmm, how will they raise the money? Oh, how about cutting back on drilling (which employs people) and letting the price of oil go up higher through even less supply. Or how about moving corporate headquarters off-shore to a more tax friendly country? Selling assets in the US and buying elsewhere would be another move… Ultimately, the money comes from somewhere and someone…

Tax Relief: Fully 40% of Americans do not pay Federal Income Taxes… Eliminating taxes on senior citizens… does that mean that retirees won’t have to pay taxes on the money they withdraw from 401k’s? Doubtful! He could “make work pay” by not taxing dual income families so highly – remember he wants to increase taxes on capital gains, dividends, corporations, etc… even if income taxes aren’t increased, many other taxes that apply to the middle class will be increased. So, yes, middle class folks will feel it.

Trade: Obama’s got a dumb plan. Does he honestly think America is in a position to get a “better deal” in NAFTA? Today, Canada is more powerful than ever in the trade relationship because it is America’s #1 supplier of oil. Yes, more than any single middle eastern country. If America can’t deal with Venezuela or the middle east, how does it think it will push around resource rich Canada? Canada’s prime minister already addressed Obama on this issue (in the media anyways) and said that Canada is in a better position today than it was when the agreement was first signed a long time ago. If Obama re-opens this, you will only have him to blame. We won’t sign anything stupid and without our resources (not just oil, but uranium, timber, ag, and minerals, not to mention tech). Of course, Canada could always start to develop a real friendly relationship with Europe, or even better, China/Russia, if that’s what the Obama wants.

Creating New Jobs: We’ll see if government can create more jobs, more efficiently than the corporations he will be taking the money from. Getting 25% of energy from renewables is a noble goal, and one that has to be achieved – but 2025 is long after he is gone… Instead of promising stuff after he is gone, he should be making promises about what will happen during his term and by his term ending… this is a pet peeve of mine and many politicians are guilty of it… plans change as soon as another president is in office… yes, maybe 25% of 2025 is a nice title and a good long-term plan, but where should it be 4 years from now? and if 2 Obama terms, 8 years from now?

Supporting Small Businesses: So he wants to raise payroll taxes… that will help small businesses?? No, small businesses do not pay capital gains unless they are selling property/assets for a gain… Most small businesses don’t pay this as they are usually trying to expand and buying assets, not shedding them.

Home Ownership Reform: None of these truly matter… except, by law, yes, the lendor should inform the mortgagee’s what the payments will be each month, and if they are set to change after 1 year, the mortgagee should be informed of such changes… I agree with making it more transparent so that idiots don’t take mortgages they can’t afford by accident (in which case they may not be idiots, just uninformed, but what’s the difference?). Even better would be making stricter lending requirements… but Obama wouldn’t do this as it would make lower income folks less able to qualify for mortgages… and it would also cause housing prices to decrease (with less buyers)… and ironically enough, after damage hasbeen caused, lower home prices would help his lower income folks in being able to afford loans… but SHHH.. don’t tell Obama…

Let it be known… any changes in NAFTA will HAVE to benefit Canada or it won’t be signed… You’d be surprised how many resources the second largest country in the world has… It’ll bite you.