Posted by
Sean Engmann on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 6:08:16 AM
It's sad to say, but Ronald Reagan is probably turning in his grave right now because of what's happening to this great country. Reagan devoted his whole life to defeating communism abroad and preventing socialism from taking hold in the United States. On the eve of what could be a landmark election in more ways than one, America teeters on the edge of socialism, and the Russian bear has reawakened in Vladimir Putin. The only man standing in the way of this impending disaster is John McCain, a man who likely understands the situation, but not necessarily its gravity.
To put it simply, if Barack Obama gets elected, we will no longer be a nation grounded in risk and rugged individualism, rather, we'd be a socialist country in the model of Western Europe. Replacing a generation of entrepreneurs will be a generation of bureaucrats, instead of equal opportunity, the government wll strive for equality of outcomes. To those who don't believe that electing Obama will change the country dramatically and others who think that an Obama presidency isn't necessarily a bad thing because it will allow the GOP to reorganize, think again. Obama will with near certainty have large majorities in the House and Senate, possibly even a filibuster proof 60 Senators. Consider the two major social engineering experiments of the 20th Century, The New Deal and The Great Society, which have built the foundation of the nanny state that Obama seeks to build. How many new government programs or departments that were created and permeated society have been repealed? How about zero. Once a bureaucracy is created, particularly an entitlement agency, it is virtually impossible to eliminate. Social Security was a grand experiment, but by private sector standards, it's failed miserably and added considerable complexity to the tax code. Consider also welfare and Medicare. If Obama establishes universal health care, as he promises, that program will forever be with us.
At the heart of Obama's plan is his myth of a 95% tax cut to working families.
As the Wall Street Journal explains Obama's plan is very deceptive and actually counts as a tax cut refundable tax credits to people who pay no taxes. This plan creates disincentive to work, as people see a significant marginal tax hike as their salaries go up and they lose their tax credits. America has never been about income redistribution and the American Dream has always been about hard work paying off. Obama's plan represents a fundamental lack of faith in the American people as he seeks to "Make government cool again" by doling out handouts.
In addition to the policy impact, consider what could happen to our courts. Obama will make appointments to all courts on the basis of ideology, appointing activist judges by litmus test. With clear majorities in Congress, there will be no oversight. What would stop Obama from doing what FDR wanted to do during his Presidency after Supreme Court decisions he didn't like, and simply appoint two more judges to the Supreme Court to give him a 6-5 majority?
John McCain needs to attack Obama's tax plan and make a renewed call for traditional American values in order to win this thing. He needs to call a spade a spade and tell America about the threat it faces if we elect the hip and cool Senator from Illinois. Here's to hoping he starts in the debate on Wednesday.