Why John McCain gets my vote.....

I have put myself out there by supporting John McCain, and now it is time for me to tie it all together, and explain why. While John McCain was not my initial choice a year ago, I think of it as picking a system, and not just the individual, so the whole package is what leads me to the McCain camp. Yes, this is an extremely long post, so I apologize now. If you do take the time to read all of it, thank you.

John McCain – This is a man who is a true American hero. While some might say it was 40 years ago, he had every right to be bitter and not want to put “Country First” after being a POW for 5 ½ years, but instead has always wanted to help his country by being a public official. He has been willing to work with Democrats as well Republicans over his career, and with a very heavy Democrat House and Senate, would know where to “pick his battles” in dealing with this Congress.

Sarah Palin – Yes, I will gush over this woman, and this will be my longest “reason”. Many think she is not intelligent enough, or ready for this position. They are wrong on both counts. This is a woman who took on her own party’s incumbent Governor, beat him, then went on to beat her opponent and become Governor. Two campaigns, one against “one of her own”, and she won. The people of Alaska know what they have in her. And for those saying, “it backwards Alaska”, and “she sounds like she came from the movie Fargo”, I will remind you that 16 years ago a Governor from Arkansas with a southern drawl, that might have come from the movie Deliverance, won the Presidency, and Democrats didn’t seem to mind his accent, lack of foreign policy, or lack of morals.

As for her lack of intelligence, does anyone think Barack Obama, or any politician just “knew” all the foreign affairs details, and other issues right from the start? For this I blame the McCain camp, as they should have come to the conclusion to choose her back in July, and that would have given them enough time to get her “up to speed”. A campaign season with 24 hour news channels and internet is not the time to keep her from reporters, and have her study up on issues that she normally does not deal with. Just listen to her now in interviews, or on the stump, and you see a different and confident woman, who has a much better grasp on the issues.

As for the woman herself, I remarked in a prior post that she reminds me of my wife, Morgan. She is strong, sure of herself, and not afraid to get in there, and “kick up some dust”. Sarah Palin is a strong Christian, and looks like a great wife and mother. Her, and the whole family seem to have great family values. (Quick story that a friend witnessed. The Palins showed up at his Stone Cold Creamery in Orlando, and when told they didn’t have to pay, the youngest girl took the $20 bill she had in her hands and immediately walked over the Make-A-Wish jar and placed in inside. No prompting, no words, just did it. BTW, they did have to pay, as the campaign would not allow freebies.)

I will state right now, that if on Tuesday McCain does not win, I will be first in line for her next national endeavor, if she decides to go that way. She gets a year or so to give her input on national affairs, while educating herself on foreign policy, and she will be a force to be reckoned with. Her Christian values are strong, but she does not look to force them down the throat of those on the other side, as noted any times during interviews when she always mentions that she understands that there is an “other side”. That is something non-Christians sometimes do not understand (heck, I didn’t for a long while), as they always think Christians are “our way or the highway”. Not so, and it is something we as Christians, and the Republican Party need to work on, and that is showing we are inclusive, not exclusive.

Iraq – This is not an argument on whether we should be in Iraq. That is a separate argument, and one I would not fight you on too heavily, except to say that there was intelligence, and even without WMD, us finding all those grave with hundreds if Iraqi civilians in them, would be enough for me.

As for now, we are there and we must finish the job we started. That may take 6 months, it may be 24 months, but in any case, we do not give a definite timeline and date. That is just inviting disaster. Progress is being made along all lines (being ignored right now with the Presidential race and economy dominating headlines), and we can’t leave until we are 100% complete, not 80 or 90 percent.

Also, for all the babble about the cost, there are some things missing from the rhetoric. First the $80 billion surplus was calculated when oil was $150 a barrel, so the number is now mute. Also, what is overlooked is that even if we pull out of Iraq tomorrow, many of those soldiers and equipment is going to Afghanistan. While we may not spent the full amount we are now spending in Iraq, there will not be a 100% savings.

National Security – I believe in the same Teddy Roosevelt theory of “walk softly and carry a big stick”. Others do not like us. They flew 4 planes into three buildings, and luckily because some brave Americans took action and did not talk to them, were stopped from even more damage. No attacks on American soil since 9/11.

John McCain will finish the job correctly in Iraq, get us through Afghanistan, and keep us safe from any other extremes that want to harm us. That will done by keeping us a power, and also soothing over feathers the current administration has ruffled.

Taxes and Jobs – This is where my 22 years in business takes over. I believe that we all “go up or go down” together when it comes to taxes, and not this “some go up, while others go down” garbage. The rates are already graduated, to make it that those making more, pay more, and many don’t realize that there are penalties in place that reduce deductions for those that make over certain amounts.

While a married couple with taxable income (income minus deductions and dependents) of $50K pays $6700 (any children under 17 and you can knock that down $1000 for each one under the age), while the same couple with $150K pays $30,800, and raise that to $300K, and the taxes paid are $77,800. So the “rich” that makes six times the income, now pays 12 times the amount in tax (Without counting any children under 17. Give each two children and the $50K earner’s tax is $4700, while is 16 ½ times less than the person making $300K), and they want to raise that to make it “fair”.

McCain will keep the taxes as they are, and will not punish one group to appease another.

Also, there has been lots of talk about small businesses and the $250K threshold. Let me tell you that the Obama is correct about certain businesses, like mine, as I don’t make that amount, so I am not affected by the tax increase. I also don’t create any jobs.

Jobs are created by businesses that will be affected by the tax increase. Facts are that “small businesses” (those with less than 100 employees) do make up almost 50% of the new jobs created, but almost all of those jobs come from businesses that current employ at least 20 workers now. Those businesses with over 20 employees, are also the ones making over $250K, so if you increase their taxes, which increase their costs, they are less likely to hire new employees. I have seen this over and over during my career.

Overall, neither one of these two candidates will have an effect on the economy in any large scale manner, as the economy always goes in a cycle. A President’s policies may determine how fast we get out of this “low”, and keeping taxes low for all is the best policy to quicken the recovery pace.

Windfall Profits Tax - Barack Obama wants to put a “special” tax on the profits of oil companies, and while we all hate paying for gas and seeing oil profits at these large numbers, this is plain and simple supply and demand capitalism. Wanting to tax them more is plain stupid. The day this is proposed, the CEO of Exxon should get on the air, and make a statement that says, “The tax that is imposed is fine with us. Please be aware that the price per gallon will rise $X tomorrow to offset our additional costs”.

Exxon make about 10 cents per dollar in profit, so on a $100 fill up, they make $10. It costs Apple $100 to make a Nano that it then sells for $200, and nobody is talking about taxing them any differently.

Energy and Jobs – John McCain wants to drill for oil, while building nuclear facilities, and bringing other alternatives “online”. I have always felt that we would have a long transition period, so we need as many possibilities as we can open for use, until we determine, as a nation, how we are going to “fuel” ourselves. I would not be surprised if in ten to fifteen years we have gas, natural gas, hybrid, hydrogen, and battery powered vehicles all sharing the road, with the “old gas” auto slowly decreasing in number. Any US drilling is good drilling, as any dollar we keep for ourselves during the transition is one less going to those outside US boarders.

At the same time, we would start getting the other alternatives (wind, nuclear, solar, etc.) closer to being “online” and supplementing what we now use. I do not believe we would have a complete overhaul to a whole new “green” system for at least 20 to 30 years, and all those years would mean jobs for people that want them.

Federal spending – President Bush spent like a sailor on leave or a rich girl with daddy’s credit card. Whatever your analogy, it has been a disgrace. Senator McCain has always been a “penny pincher” when it comes to the budget, and I don’t see it stopping here.

Meanwhile, an Obama, Pelosi, Reid “trifecta” would make the Bush days seems like they were spending at the “five and dime”. Obama has already mentioned a $150 billion stimulus, and Pelosi has already stated that she would double it to $300 billion. That is before he has even been elected.

Abortion – Look at your son, daughter, niece, nephew, or grandchild. Now think about the issue. Now go back and look at that child again. You decide.

Bill Ayers matters – I have heard the argument, “it was 40 years ago when Ayers committed his crimes, and he and Obama only were on some boards together”. It is a matter of judgment, and this was bad judgment. Obama should have excused himself from the board, or asked the Ayers be dismissed. This is a man that as recently as 2001, said that he wished he had done more damage to the country.

Again, if McCain was on a board, with a former Nazi, KKK member, or an abortion clinic bomber, there would be uproar from the left.

I don’t need a nanny – My basic philosophy is that you “take care of your own” and don’t look to others, in this case the government, to help you. I see and hear many that support Obama claim that their lives will be great if he is elected, and that the Republicans got us into this mess. Really? The Republicans ran up your credit card bills? Or made you buy a house you could not afford (and stop all the predatory lending garbage, as there has to be someone that actually looked at what they were signing), that was overpriced, but you figured you could “flip it” and make a buck. This was all President Bush and the Republicans’ doings?

Let me give you a hint. No matter who wins, it will not change unless you do something to make it change. Looking for the government to do it for you just makes you a child to their government parenting. Had parents, they taught me to get it myself.

Now again, as I have stated, I am for small and limited government. What possibly lies ahead, and what some people seem to be wanting is downright scary.

So, those are my main reasons that I support John McCain (I could go on, but I think this is enough), and hope that he is elected President of these United States. I don’t agree with everything he wants to do, or does not want to do, but for myself the choice is simple. We will rise up as a nation as long as each one of us as individuals does his/her best to make that possible. Sitting down and waiting on the government to do it for you, is not how we will get it done.

Will my world end if John McCain is not elected? No. I will be disappointed, but I am an American first, and a Republican second. My "house" is in order, so I am not going to be effected too much in either case, and in truth I will probably benefit from the increased business with so many tax changes possible. But again, my choice is made not only with me in mind, but the country as a whole.

Until the next time.....