If there is one positive thing I can say about Barack Obama is that he is an honest man. He wants to change the game in Washington and want change in America. He means it. Here’s some of the changes I think we will see if Obama becomes President:

Take Home Pay

If you are a hard-working, responsible American, especially if you have a family and both parents work, Obama will change your take-home pay, by raising the taxes on your income, your capital and your retirement.
If you are un-employed, irresponsible, lazy and have a general entitlement mentality, Obama will promise to raise your take-home pay by taxing the rich and funneling millions into failed social programs.

The Price of Gasoline

Actually change here is likely to stop. Obama is very likely to freeze gasoline and other energy prices in an effort to attack the profits of energy providers and placate those who feel big oil is an enemy of the state. Unfortunately what will change, is that the supply will dwindle, and although you may be able to buy a gallon of gas for $3, there won’t be much of it around to buy.

The Environment

Obama is going to be an environmental crusader. No doubt about it. His global warming policies are going to change life in America. Most of us who run profitable small businesses today, (because we currently operate under reasonably responsible, economically viable environmental policies), will probably go out of business. Food prices will skyrocket and supply will dwindle, because the economic ecosystems that support our food supply will crash, and it will be Obama’s Carbon Footprint policies that do the crushing.

Obama is a SOCIALIST. Socialism feels like a good thing, but it has failed miserably whenever it has be tried and ruined many a society and country. The only ones that benefit from Socialism are the elites who cling to power at the expense of the people and the misfits who feed at the government trough without adding anything to the economy. Obama is an honest man. He will bring change. Unfortunately, it will be change for the worst.

Michael - have you seen the idiots graduating from school today

Yes, and I've also seen the brilliant students who are graduating from public schools today. The system is broken, but that just means it should be fixed, not junked.

I understand the "logic" behind public schools and all contributing since it takes a village but why not tax those with children in public schools (as opposed to no kids or kids in private school) at a slightly higher rate - it makes people (at least most people) think about the true cost of having children a little more.

Believe me, parent's don't need any more help realizing the cost of having children.

Don't parents have the biggest incentive to ensuring their kids are well educated?

I don't see how, other than a parent's desire to do what is best for their children.

And, thanks for the insight that people who use this shorthand aren't talking to people like me. I mean, my lord. That's insight that's hard to come by.

So, Chris, which group are you in, the 'common, ignorant group', or the 'educated' group. If you were in the educated group, then my comment was appropriate. If you are in the common, ignorant group, then you just admited you are ignorant.

My response would be: Touche. I am a little bit in the 'common/ignorant' group in the sense that before today, my definition of socialism was a little soft, though in principle it leaned in the right direction. I'm glad to have been better educated in the last couple of hours.

Still, there is still a good argument that Obama embraces certian principles that have been associated, historically with communist institutions: More governemnt run social services, more income re-distribution, and more government control of industry. These principles may not define socialism or communism, but the association it too strong to ignore based on a simple academic definition.

Actually, Chris, there's a big difference between socialism and communism

I'm not sure what your point is. I never equated socialism with communism. I characterized it, somewhat loosely, as something between US style capitalism and Russian style communism. I also qualified the statement by saying that this wasn't a textbook definition, but rather the common perception, and that its the common perception that matters. You can argue that my definition is not the 'common' perception, but I challenge you to go out into the street and randomly ask people to define socialism and see what you get.

Any why does the common perception of what socialism means, matters? I admit, in the circle of those commenting on this article, we should be familiar with the definition of socialism, so maybe my original comment was out of place.

However, when pundits, demagogues and politicians are accusing Barrack Obama of being socialist, they are not talking to you, they are communicating with people that associate socialism with something closer to communism than we are right now. An effective counter argument is, "Obama is not anti-business and not anti-individual and this is why . . ." An ineffective counter argument (when dealing with the average person) is to raise your nose, print off your wikipedia entry, read the TRUE definition of socialism.

To always ensure that other countries listen to us - look what happen when the last round of BRAC came out - at first Germans wanted us out and then they realized what would happen to all those employed directly and indirectly by the DOD and are now upset. NATO and non-NATO members love doing exercises whenever they can with us. Money talks. whether this is sound fiscally is another matter but having military throughout the world ensures the spread of US interests in those countries whether those countries want to admit it or not.

As a libertarian minarchocapitalist, this makes me very sad.

Onward. Through the Endarkenment.

>nod

<sigh> Yes, the greatest empire the world has ever seen, an empire built on the most virulent form of rapacious capitalism ever witnessed. Just a bunch of communist pussies.

I guess what they say about the American education system is true. Was about to comment on that when I realized where the comment came from.

Geebus. It's like living in a zombie movie.

Not when it comes to principles.

I understand that that very concept is anathema, now, but that makes no difference to the facts.