Fair 46.0°F Fair [Forecast] :: Friday, November 20th, 2009
Vacation Info Wedding Info Kids/Parents NEW! Pets

Conservative's Conscience

"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases." - President Thomas Jefferson
Please visit these local CapeCodToday sponsors:
All Seasons Vacation Rentals - WeNeedaVacation.com
Browse 600+ Winter Rentals on the Cape and Islands. Ready to think summer? Search 3500+ summer rentals by price, availability and amenities. Locally owned and operated since 1997.
Cape Cod Home Helpers
Specializing in providing the best in home health care solutions for seniors and those recuperating from recent illness or injury in Barnstable County, MA. Meal preparation, shower/bath assistance and medication reminders. Serving all of Cape Cod. (Dennis)

Election 2008 and the North Shore and Cape Cod

 Will Obama become the tough commander-in-chief that the times demand?

The median household income in Beverly is $54K; Danvers, $59K; Peabody, $55K and  Salem, $44K.  In Barnstable County, the average per capita personal income is $38K (2001).

            Obviously, most of the people in these communities essentially live from paycheck to paycheck.  They will be hardest hit by any behavior in Washington that threatens jobs, or that, promiscuously, adds to debt.

            It is axiomatic that high business taxes either inflate prices, or reduce profits, jobs and investment in new plant and equipment.  And it has been repeatedly demonstrated in deadly detail that the unaffordable expansion of the Welfare State since the 1960s is the fundamental cause of high levels of public debt that, if continued, represents the greatest threat to the solvency and power of the United States than any other financial issue, including the current liquidity problem in the financial sector. 

            Results will soon be in.  It is probable that Barack Obama will be sitting in the Oval Office in January 2009.

            Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iraq, Iran, Israel and all of Arabia are waiting in the Middle East.  Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea are waiting in the North, South and West.  The United Nations is waiting in New York.  They all wonder: What kind of president will Obama be? 

            He, the super-loyal Democrat, has seldom strayed from the party-line.  He belongs to the political party that has, for years, sponsored a cut-and-run policy in Iraq, that simplistically associates the War against Terrorism with the capture of bin Laden and that, through Rep. Barney Frank, currently recommends a 25 percent reduction in defense spending.     

            Will he suddenly reverse course and become the tough commander-in-chief that the times demand in the face of so many threats from near and far places, all of them made close by modern transportation and communications technologies?  Or will he be the United Nations poster boy who brings a weakened nation's problems to its Security Council, there to be eviscerated by Russia, China and other power-seeking rivals?

            Will the political party, led by Obama, which has resisted voter registration reform, and has been attempting, for years, to make registered voters out of everybody that moves, suddenly get tough on voting reform, or on immigration, legal or otherwise?  Will Obama resist the attempts of his party (and some Republicans) to allow amnesty to the 12-20 million illegals already in the country?  Will the border fence be completed or, if so, properly supervised?    

            When Obama, with no established preconditions, has his promised chat with Ahmadinejad in Iran, will he demand that the pursuit of nuclear weapons be stopped and that threats to Israel should cease?  And if he does, will Ahmadinejad love him?  And if he doesn't, will Israel trust him?

            Although not specifically stated on the Obama web site, presumably the Bush tax cuts will not be renewed and the Obama plan will be substituted. He has promised, among other things: Higher taxes for those who currently pay most of the   income, interest, dividend, capital gains, excise and estate taxes.  And (thanks to that raid on their income) a government check will be issued to the 40 percent of Americans who pay no federal income taxes at all, and to others who earns less than the variable amount that Obama and his people like to quote to different audiences, ranging from $120K to $250K. 

            Also, Obama promises lower tax rates for the "middle class," capital gains relief for small businesses, and an unending series of tax credits for college education, mortgage interest, low-income seniors and on and on and on and on. 

            Under the cover of words like "fairness" and "tax credits" Obama promises -- before your eyes -- a punishing expansion of the entitlement programs that have steadily impoverished America for a half-century.  And, on top of this, he will nationalize the most efficient healthcare system in the world.  Whew!  Under this onslaught, public debt will skyrocket. 

            Democrats have resisted tax decreases since President Reagan took office in the 1980s.  Will they change under Obama, a loyal Democrat?  Will taxes for the average American really be lower under his presidency?  Is the direct transfer of wealth from one class of Americans to another, through a filter created by and imposed by the federal government, desirable?  Is a larger federal government an attractive prospect?

            Will Obama lead those who created the Community Reinvestment Act to rethink their aggressiveness?  Will he lead Barney Frank and the others who for years protected Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac against reform attempts to a new way of thinking, which will motivate banks to eschew asset-base lending and return to safe income-based lending with its associated strictures?  Or will it be more of the same old same old?

            These are legitimate questions for the new president.  And perhaps they can be summed up in one comprehensive query: Will the North Shore, Cape Cod and the average American be benefited or harmed by Obama's idea of "change?"

6 comments
Blog posts and comments are entirely the thoughts and ideas of the people who write them and in no way represent the views of CapeCodToday.com, eCape, Inc., or its employees or owners.

11/02/08 @ 9:48 am
bittersweet [Member] writes:
Why don't we leave the rest of the world alone?
Stop trying to "Democratize" everybody.
Stop the quest for land,oil, and riches.
Just take care of this country and the people in it.
Maybe then we would not have so many problems that need a macho, killing-spree option.
11/02/08 @ 11:20 am
Ned [Member] writes:
I'm sick of 'tough'. Times are tough- time for the 'tough' to go.
11/02/08 @ 11:43 am
jobuli [Member] writes:
If he gets in let's bend over and kiss our ass' good-bye xx
11/02/08 @ 5:05 pm
Monponsett [Member] writes:
Voting against the party that doesn't have their signature etched on our wrecked economy, our two failed wars and our horrid world standing seems like a fair enough gamble.

As for this Untested stuff.... I'd rather have the guy who hasn't taken the test and who might pass it over the guy who has shown that he will fail it.

Chr*st, Robert... I'd love to bet sports with you sometime.
11/02/08 @ 5:08 pm
Monponsett [Member] writes:
"Voting for...*"
11/02/08 @ 6:52 pm
smahkcep [Visitor] writes:
Smart dark skinned intelligent & thoughtful guy over the angry white POW Bushie anyday...

Thankfully,

By a LANDSLIDE.
Please visit these local CapeCodToday sponsors:
Cape Destinations
Limousine Services, Corporate & Airport Transportation Weddings, Proms, Trolley Tours, Mini-buses for casinos, sports, concerts. (Harwich)
Newbury Street South Salon & Spa
An ideal place to escape! Our commitment is that our team of professionals will provide the highest level of service for hair, nails, facials, massage, waxing and more. Specials available. (Harwich)
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR COMMENTORS & BLOGGERS: CapeCodToday now requires a one-time validation of your account email. When logging in or registering for the first time, you will be emailed a link to click that will validate your email and complete your login. The link in the email must be clicked in the same session when you are logged into the site for security purposes (i.e. retrieve the email right away and do not close your web browser).

This is a one-time-only process (or if you change the email on your account), and will help CCToday keep out the spammers. If you cannot validate your email because it is invalid, and you are a legitimate user, feel free to contact us and we will update your account to your current email.

Please Login or Register to leave a comment. There are 3,352 registered commenters!

CapeCodToday requires readers register an account with us in order to post comments. Become a trusted commenter and receive the benefits of posting instantly throughout the site. It's quick and easy!

Please note: If you are a CapeCodToday registered blogger, you can use your blogger login. Your login for the blogs is separate from your CapeCodToday main site login (if you have one).

Previous/Next posts in this blog

About This Blog

kellyRobert Kelly is a journalist, novelist and thinker who writes on issues which concern his conscience. His published non-fiction works include Baseball's Best, Baseball for the Hot Stove League, National Debt from FDR to Clinton and countless short stories. He can be emailed here.

Subscribe to Conservative's Conscience by Email

- site sponsors -


CCT Blog Tools

Login to comment or manage your blog:

Username: 

Password:     

Become a CapeCodToday Blogger!

Are you passionate about your community? Do you blog or at least harbor thoughts of doing so?

If so, CapeCodToday.com would like to host your blog on our CapeCodToday weblog publishing platform.

Blog Newsfeed

CapeCodToday uses standard web "newsfeeds" (RSS) to automatically update the latest blog entries in your browser or newsreader.

Use any of the links below in your newsreader or web browser to get "Conservative's Conscience" postings delivered to you, or use the RSS icon in your browser's address bar.

RSS 2.0 Atom 0.3