FORTY PERCENT OF AMERICANS: NO INCOME TAXES

Before we say goodbye to George W Bush, and welcome in Barrack Obama, let’s see if W really has been as bad for the American taxpayer as Obama has been saying.  In the graph below, see if you can tell how many Americans currently pay no income tax.  Pay particular attention to the drastic curve upward over the four years 2000 thru 2004.

Percent of Tax Filers Who Owe Zero Income Tax Liability, 1950-2004

Source: Internal Revenue Service, Tax Foundation.

It would seem that taxpayers have actually faired very well under George W Bush, something I am almost gagging in saying.  But, to be fair, when it comes to taxes,  George W Bush really was the lower middle class’ beer-drinking buddy.

I have heard one report say that the number of Americans paying no income tax as of 2007 was forty percent.  But Barrack Obama wants to spread the wealth around.

I’m not sure how much more “spreadin’ the wealth around” this country can stand.  At some point, we will become a welfare nation.  One thing is for certain; had Barrack Obama actually run against George W Bush, Bush and Rove would have destroyed him on the issue of who does more for the lower middle class.  Obama would have said the things he is saying now, without figures and statistics as he usually does, and Bush, the way he did it with Kerry, would have cited the above statistics, making Obama look rather uninformed.

We may not want to thank God for our next president, but at least we can thank him that we don’t have another four years of our last one.

OBAMA, MCCAIN, BIDEN AND PALIN: QUALIFIED TO BE POTUS?

“Watch — we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy,” Biden assured. “I don’t know what the decision is going to be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history, and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it is going to happen.”

Those words, spoken by Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Joseph Biden are chilling, if prophetic, and curious above all.  Why would he have spoken them?  I can’t imagine a motive; except possibly he wanted to impress campaign donors with his experience in foreign affairs, in a desperate attempt to remain relevant.  Beyond that, I cannot see, or understand any other motive.  It’s almost as if he was saying, “I know something about Barrack Obama that you don’t, and you’re not going to like it.”

During this campaign, American media has attempted to paint John McCain and Barrack Obama as being ready for the most powerful post in any nation.  Meanwhile, they have derided Sarah Palin as being inexperienced, and woefully inadequate to the job should the situation arise.

I have news for the American media, and for everyone else; none of these candidates is qualified for the post of President of the United States of America.

Let me clarify that.  There are only four people left alive who are currently qualified to be our President.  They are, in order; Jimmy Carter, George Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.  All others running for the office are unqualified.

Why is this so, you might ask?  Simply stated, the President of the United States has to learn on the job.  No one is qualified to make a life or death, national security decision until they are actually through the fire, having made the decision.  The idea that any of these four candidates is somehow qualified is ridiculous at best.  None of them have any executive experience whatsoever when it comes to this post; to tell us they are ready is silly.  They cannot possibly know they are ready until they have been through the grinder.  Biden’s comments come closer to the truth about the qualifications for POTUS than any comment I have seen thus far in this election.

Fear not.  Ronald Reagan wasn’t ready in 1980.  Bill Clinton was not qualified in 1992.  But we have a system in place already that will make learning on the job not only possible, but plausible.  A President chooses his cabinet; his most trusted advisers.  They are in place to help in times of crisis, and because of their expertise.  We have armed forces chiefs of staff in place to bring all the contingencies to the table in moments of crisis, so no President has to write a new book on National Security.  These are but two of the helps our new President will have available; but the list is much longer, and should give all of us hope come 2009.

No, none of our candidates are ready to be POTUS.  Yes, they will have to learn on the job.  They might think they are ready, but none of them knows for certain.  In this instance, it would be best for Americans to ignore the media’s constant discussion about qualifications; for POTUS, the only way you become qualified is to actually do the job.  Thus, the argument that one is ready and one is not is a red herring; not worthy of further investigation.