Story Photos
 Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire share the podium during a campaign rally at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma on Sunday. John Froschauer / The Associated Press
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Biden defends Obama tax-cut plan in Tacoma
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 12:19 AM PDT
By Manuel Valdes
The Associated Press
Printable version
E-mail this articleTACOMA — Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden says a Barack Obama administration would help the middle class by cutting its taxes, answering Republican claims that Obama's plan represented redistribution of wealth.
Biden's remarks came at his first campaign appearance in Washington state — headlining a rally Sunday in Tacoma with Gov. Chris Gregoire and other state Democrats vying for offices. Thousands of supporters filled Cheney Stadium in this heavily blue-collar region about 40 miles south of Seattle.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain likened Obama to the socialist leaders of Europe on Saturday, saying Obama wanted to "convert the IRS into a giant welfare agency, redistributing massive amounts of wealth at the direction of politicians in Washington."
In response, Biden repeatedly linked McCain to President George W. Bush's tax policies, saying the wealthy and big corporations have received millions of dollars in tax cuts that could have gone to the middle class and small businesses.
"John McCain has been a party to the most significant redistribution of wealth in American history and it has been all the wrong way," Biden said. "There's not one fundamental economic issue that John McCain disagrees with George Bush on."
He cast McCain as someone who believes in "trickle down, government is bad, markets are right" economics.
"What John is proposing and what's been going in the last eight years are virtually no different," Biden said.
Biden's remarks focused on the economy and tax cuts, which have become points of debate between the two parties. But he also spoke about Sunday's endorsement of Obama by former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell of Obama's candidacy, saying there should be "no more questions" about his running mate's ability to lead the country.
"Barack Obama will be a commander-in-chief we can all respect," Biden said.
Biden noted the highlights of Obama's pledges as presidential nominee — universal health care, a new emphasis on "green" jobs and alternative energy, and tax cuts for the middle class.
He also went after McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, for a comment this week during a fundraiser in North Carolina that she loved visiting "pro-American" parts of the country.
"One-hundred-and-one of this state's soldiers have given their lives, have died for their country, so don't let anyone, not even indirectly, imply that there's one more patriotic part of the country than another part of the country," Biden shouted to the crowd. "It doesn't matter where you live, it doesn't matter your color, it doesn't matter your religion; we're all Americans."
Tacoma was the latest stop on West Coast tour by Biden. On Saturday, the senator from Delaware crisscrossed the San Francisco Bay area to headline fundraisers that brought in $2 million. He also made stops in New Mexico, a battleground state, earlier in the week.
Obama is leading the polls in Washington, which is seen as a safe state for the Democratic ticket. But several Democratic officeholders in the state, including Gregoire, are facing tough challenges.
Biden's speech served as a rallying point for her and others. Gregoire won the governor's mansion in 2004 by just 133 votes, after two recounts and a failed Republican court challenge. Polls show the Gregoire and Republican challenger Dino Rossi running very close this year, as well.
jollibee wrote on Oct 20, 2008 1:54 AM:
" Chris Gregoire going to lost believe me. GO GO GO DINO ROSI FOR GOVERNOR..McCAIN PALIN 08.. "
jibjab123 wrote on Oct 20, 2008 8:04 AM:
" Rossi may get the nod as Governor, but Obama will win this state for the Presidential election.......Obama Biden 08 & 12! "
Kem Cho wrote on Oct 20, 2008 8:25 AM:
" Watch out! We going to be ruled by Democrats all over. Governor, both US Senators, President, House and senate controlled by Democrats! Wow! If things are bad now, watch what happens to your pocket books in the name of fairness. If you are not on welfare, you are rich. We will take money from you and give to those poor souls, whom society has neglected so far. "
agro_vader wrote on Oct 20, 2008 8:29 AM:
" What's the over/under on the amount of recounts they're going to have to do this time? I'm thinking 3! "
bretharte wrote on Oct 20, 2008 8:56 AM:
" Middle class help and redistribution of wealth are two different topics! The more I listen to these yahoos the more I'm convinced that people running for office will say anything to get elected! The middle class has been paying for everything for years, and all of these politicos know it! Biden, McCain, Obama are a class of people that are above who most of us are! I will guarantee it, the middle class will still carry the brunt of paying for these people and their give aways, we are the only people that work day in and day out ane we are the only ones that get the least breaks when it comes to government help! I personally don't want their help, I want them out of the pocket book, and living like most of us do, responsibly. "
agro_vader wrote on Oct 20, 2008 9:05 AM:
" I love how people say things like "if you think things are bad now"! Yes, I do think things are bad now. And we have gotten this way while a Republican is in the White House. So people would like to see a drastic change. By electing more of the same, we can expect more of the same and that's not good news. Maybe putting democrats in charge of everything won't make things better. But we already know that sticking with what we have now is a recipe for disaster. "
Kelso Eagle wrote on Oct 20, 2008 9:13 AM:
" I don't know how he can characterize Obama's tax plan as anything but redistribution of wealth. The people who already don't pay much, if any, income tax will get a break at the expense of those who already pay the freight for the rest of the citizens. But, politicians can spin anything. "
Louie wrote on Oct 20, 2008 9:16 AM:
" Go Democrats go! Can it get any worse than our past 8 years under GWB? At least we can expect more forthcoming from an Obama/Biden ticket.
Vote Democratic! Lets get back to a better America, a respected America. "
Vote Democratic! Lets get back to a better America, a respected America. "
Lucky7 wrote on Oct 20, 2008 9:50 AM:
" Our governors race will be very close. I've recently decided to back Gregoire in this race even though I'd been leaning towards Rossi for some time. According to many reports I've read that our state's economy is somewhere between 2nd & 4th strongest in the country. This tells me Gregoire has done a lot of things right. I also had a recent discussion with a few of my children's teachers and they had a lot of information regarding education issue differences between the 2 candidates and Gregoire is by far the stronger supporter of education which is actually what swung my vote. Obama has had my vote for some time. Colin Powell hit the nail on the head! "
openeyes wrote on Oct 20, 2008 10:11 AM:
" There is no doubt of who the next president of the USA will be.. My most sincere congratulations to Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden.. you've won it and now it is your responsability to brings us bact to the top.
forget bush, forget the mediocre Mccain.. forget all you republicans..
Good morning to ya'll.. "
forget bush, forget the mediocre Mccain.. forget all you republicans..
Good morning to ya'll.. "
TDN Bad Boy wrote on Oct 20, 2008 10:17 AM:
" Lucky you are funny. You asked teachers who they support? Why they are in the union that has bought Da Tax Queen off. Their union benefitted from the UNFUNDED PAY INCREASES that she put in the budget forcing the Kelso District and other to cut programs like Special Education. Why wouldn't the teachers support here? Come on, think about it. Our economy is only doing well because of Boeing and that has nothing to do with Da Tax Queen. In fact, the Liberals have run Boeing headquarters out of the state. The real issue with Da Tax Queen that you skipped is the whopping $3.3 billion deficit that she is leaving us with. She came in with a surplus and ran us into a hole. How do you call that being a good governor. Even though you tried to say you have held off on deciding, it's clear that you would never vote Republican. So please, don't try to hide your Liberal status. Wear it proudly in shame. "
pangborn wrote on Oct 20, 2008 10:25 AM:
" If it redistubution of wealth its putting where it belongs.
The fat cats of oil, GM, etc have had far to much for far too long.
It's time to put the money where it belongs. Put it in the hands of those who need it.
If you don't want your taxes cut and want to pay income tax on your health benefits then go ahead and vote for Old John and Cariboo Barbi.
If you want to vote for Rossi be prepared for a push for state income tax
and a tax on chocolate cake.
I doubt that some of you are actually registered to vote. This is a plus for democracy. "
The fat cats of oil, GM, etc have had far to much for far too long.
It's time to put the money where it belongs. Put it in the hands of those who need it.
If you don't want your taxes cut and want to pay income tax on your health benefits then go ahead and vote for Old John and Cariboo Barbi.
If you want to vote for Rossi be prepared for a push for state income tax
and a tax on chocolate cake.
I doubt that some of you are actually registered to vote. This is a plus for democracy. "
Billy Hill wrote on Oct 20, 2008 10:29 AM:
" Oh man, I cant wait to vote myself a packet of goodies. Obama is going to give me over $1000.00 in cash in his stimulus tax cut and tax cuts (I dont pay any taxes now) and brakes for things I dont even know about. Its way past time that we punish "the rich" for stealing all the money from the poor. I know "the poor" dont have any money and thast because "the rich" steal it before they even get it. I just cant wait until President Obama takes office and then he can be like a father to us and we can be like his children and he will give great speeches and we will all feel good, we will have a bounce in our step and the sun will shine just a bit brighter. Oh man, I just cant wait. "
Gondolapete wrote on Oct 20, 2008 10:40 AM:
" I like how arrogant the liberals are...Rossi is making a strong showing in this state...Obama, even with all the media coverage proclaiming him the next president, is only up by 3 points in the latest gallup poll..almost matching the margin of error.he should be up by 30 pts...You libs need to study past history and look at Kerrys "lead" this same time in 2004..It's this simple, Obama is going to lose....Gregoire is going to lose...NEXT!!! "
DW wrote on Oct 20, 2008 10:54 AM:
" No. 1 If anyone out there thinks that they are going to get a tax break think again. No. 2 Have any of you ever heard of the "Bradly Effect"? We are going to get our backsides handed to us no matter who is elected tax wise. And I don't care what the polls are telling us, this election will be far closer than most people think. I wonder what the loonie lefties will say if McCain/Palin WIN the election. I hope McCain wins just so I can here another 4/8 yrs of sour grapes from the left. "
TheGenius wrote on Oct 20, 2008 11:02 AM:
" Maybe the reason the "poor" don't have any money is because anytime they have money, they spend it on cigarettes and lottery tickets. People rise and fall in America all the time, every day of the week. I'm not sorry I do well for myself and someone else isn't doing as well. That's a crap situation for them, but I have zero responsibility for their lot in life. It's pretty simple: you work hard, put money away instead of buying things that are not essential to your survival, and stay out of trouble, you will be rewarded. If you choose not to do that, you will not be rewarded. Or, you can sign up for welfare and let the government take care of you. "
Lucky7 wrote on Oct 20, 2008 11:10 AM:
" Bad Boy, It's not so much what Gregoire funded as to how Rossi has voted against education time & time again. I originally went to college to become a teacher, but decided there were more financially lucrative fields so I changed my major during my sophmore year, but I strongly support better education for our kids, early pre-K through college... I'm one of those educated folk that fully believe that educating our young people is the key to countrie's future. "
Diesel wrote on Oct 20, 2008 11:25 AM:
" With the tax breaks that Obama is touting who will be the big looser? He talks about those making 250k well that would be the small business owners. Take a look around and you will see who will be filing chapter 11. Small business will be destroyed. And remember that when W was trying to warn people in 2001 and 2003 about fannie and fredie your Mr. Obama was one of those who voted against doing anything. This dem will go with the republicans this time. "
lascelles795 wrote on Oct 20, 2008 11:36 AM:
" Pangborn: I seem to remember Gregoire stating that she was for an income tax on health benefits. Sure the liberals SAY they're going to cut taxes. They never say they're going to cut spending! That's the problem. That brings me back to about 4 years ago... When, during the debates, Gregoire stated that Washington didn't need any more taxes on top of the ones we already had... Right when she was "voted" into office, she then says, "Well... I never really said 'No Taxes'...." You pretty much know the rest of that story... $3.3 billion later.... "
lascelles795 wrote on Oct 20, 2008 11:39 AM:
" I also love how they're calling it "redistribution of wealth" instead of calling it by it's true name... Communism. "
AmericanGirl wrote on Oct 20, 2008 11:46 AM:
" Gondolapete I have noticed that all the dems are more then happy to accept gov hand outs and we Repubs are trying to keep the american spirit and Pride by working for what we need and want rather than saying someone owes us and ours. "
kalama river resident wrote on Oct 20, 2008 11:55 AM:
" pangborn-"If you don't want your taxes cut" How can you cut people's taxes when they don't pay taxes, 40% of the population not paying taxes,that is welfare, Obama just wants more people on the welfare roll, why work? why go to college? why do anything to better yourself or your kids future if the government will supply just enough so you can barely get by. Socialism is going to turn this country into a third world nation if it is allowed to advanced any further. The incentive to build wealth is what has made the USA the greatest country in the world. Who wants to build wealth, if Obama wants to take it away to give to those that enjoy a socialistic lifestyle! That is UnAmerican!! "
DW wrote on Oct 20, 2008 12:10 PM:
" The way I look at it, Obama wants you to live the American Dream until you make a certain amount of money. After that you are not considered "American" and you must be punished. So for all you dolts that make less than 250K you are patriotic Americans. At 251K you are the evil rich that have stolen all you have earned and the government must take your money and spread it around. Kind of like fertilizing a field. If you through enough crap on it, something is bound to grow. "
Sparkler wrote on Oct 20, 2008 12:42 PM:
" Seems to me that the last time this country was so throughly divided they called it the Civil War. "
DW wrote on Oct 20, 2008 1:49 PM:
" Louie, please, put down the glass and walk away from the Kool-aid. BHO (Barack Hussein Obama), or BO, since we wouldn't want to imply from his middle name anything muslim, is going to figure out real quick that "Louie" needs to be more patriotic and pay way more taxes. BO is also going to find out that we are not leaving the middle east militarily. BO will say that GWB left us in way worse shape than BO was originaly told, so BO is going to have to look us in the eye, like Clinton did, and say "my friends, all the problems I am dealing with as president are not problems I created. Therefore as your President", BO will say, "I must tell you that we will have to raise taxes on everyone that makes money in order to fix the problems that I was left will." BO will blame all the problems with the country on somebody else. At least BO is telling some of us up front that our taxes are going up. A true patriotic American makes less than 250K, unpatriotic Americans make more than 251K and must be punished. I think in order for BO to get what he wants he will find out that Americans become unpatriotic at something like 60K and must be punished. "
coco wrote on Oct 20, 2008 2:34 PM:
" to louie, yes it can get worse remember that four year paradise we got with carter. we need a president that communicates with us, gwb is a terrible communicator- im voting for savage in 08, or if palin drops mccain i would vote for her. "
Gondolapete wrote on Oct 20, 2008 2:41 PM:
" After reading most of the posts on here..I have a newly restored faith in the good people of this county..I believe as a whole we are conservative....sadly...it's liberalism that dominates the media and the headlines.... "
Louie wrote on Oct 20, 2008 2:54 PM:
" coco...why in the world would you vote for Sarah Palin? She is not in any way presidential material either mentally or experience wise.
Give her some more time as governor of the last wilderness state and see where she goes from there.
The only thing I will give her is she is very fashionable...end of story. "
Give her some more time as governor of the last wilderness state and see where she goes from there.
The only thing I will give her is she is very fashionable...end of story. "
El Gabilon wrote on Oct 20, 2008 3:14 PM:
" No matter what candidate wins, neither of them are going to be able to provide tax cuts. The bills have to be paid and they are going to be paid by the taxpayers in the middle class. Programs are going to have to be cut, government is going to have to become leaner, and taxpayers bellies will be reduced since they will have a hard time putting food on the table. Taxpayers are close to paying 50% of their income in taxes in one form or another. No one gets something for nothing. There is always a price. Being the saviour of the world, allowing business to get away without paying their fair share of taxes, as well as the rich is also contributing to this problem. We need to end the war, stop giving our taxes to foreign countries, and start paying our bills putting ourselves on strict budgets and increasing our savings, although we do not recommend saving in banks since they will only pay you less than a penny on the dollar for a year. "
Gondolapete wrote on Oct 20, 2008 3:16 PM:
" Hey Louie, maybe Obama,the least qualified, should take yer advice.. "
AmericanGirl wrote on Oct 20, 2008 3:22 PM:
" Would someone please list the experience verses lack of experience between Palin/Obama I for one am sick of it being all about looks when Palin is talked about.I would be willing to bet she has had her hands dirty more then Obama he seems to be the pretty boy. "
pangborn wrote on Oct 20, 2008 3:30 PM:
" I don't think its the liberals who arte arrogant I thinks its the people who don't understand liberal policies. I think the arrogant come from churches with political pulpits. I think the arrogant , who in face of all reason would still but for a republican. "
Happy Camper wrote on Oct 20, 2008 3:37 PM:
" For all of you who have Obama and Biden elected already, I sincerely hope you are right and that things get better. This is not a football game we're talking about, but the economic future of OUR country. It is quite possible that there will be a fillibuster proof congress democratic majority and a democrat in the white house. You will have two years. Lets see if thay can do something besides screw it up even more than it already is. "
lucky7 wrote on Oct 20, 2008 3:49 PM:
" You know bad boy I am actually considering changing my Independent voter registration to Democrat, big decision for me. The one thing I used to think I lined up with the Republicans the most on isn't what I'd consider a strong point point for them any more, and that is FISCAL RESPONSIBLITY! Another important issue now is the environment and the Dems definately support that better. Education - Dems. Abortion? while I'm personally against it I don't try to ram my beliefs down anyone else's throat and it's NOT enough of a reason for me to support The GOP. Heck John McCain is so wishy washy on abortion it's not exactly clear where he stands on that issue anyway. Gun control? I don't think hunters are goin to have to worry under either party - neutral. I'm actually trying to figure out what about the republican party actually might appeal to me and I'm not coming up with much. Sarah Palin as president, NO WAY! She... clearly to any Independent thinker IS NOT ready to lead our country! Is Sarah Palin really the best the GOP could come up with for VP? If you're looking for a PTA president, ok Palin might be ready. I'm actually shocked the polls are as close as they are given all of our current circumstances. I can't help but think the fact Obama is black is costing him 5-10% which is sad! "
Louie wrote on Oct 20, 2008 3:58 PM:
" I feel Obama's experience as a Community Organizer qualifies as experience. Plus he was the head of the Law Review at Harvard a prestigious item on a resume. He attended Punahou School in Honolulu, another plus on a resume. This candidate has some brains unlike those who are running on the opposite ticket.
'pangborn' is right on in his/her assessment of the mindset of many Republicans. Arrogant, in your face religious right who think they have right to legislate what a woman does with her body is beyond me. "
'pangborn' is right on in his/her assessment of the mindset of many Republicans. Arrogant, in your face religious right who think they have right to legislate what a woman does with her body is beyond me. "
DW wrote on Oct 20, 2008 4:19 PM:
" El Gabby, that's one of the first times I have read something you wrote and agreed with most of it. Right up to the point were you go off and say that corporations and the rich don't pay their fair share. American corporations pay some of the highest business taxes in the world. And the rich already pay WAY more than there fair share. The top 1% of taxpayers pay 23.6% of revenue to the feds. One of the reasons corporations run to other countries is because of low business taxes. Also, one of the other problems we have in this country is the American worker is pricing himself/herself out of the global job market. Unions and union workers need to react. Look at GM, Ford and Chryster. I will bet that if the auto workers in this country don't get a grip, one or two of these companies will no longer be in business within a year. It is a funny thing though that you can lower taxes on the top 5% of tax payers to a point, and the same top 5% pay more revenue to the government. The loonie lefties have never been able to figure that out because they think of wealth as a zero sum game. Wealth is not a zero sum game and the more wealthly indiviuals a country has the better off everone is. Just tell that to BO. "
Gondolapete wrote on Oct 20, 2008 4:31 PM:
" Hey Louie..thanks for that last reply!!!!!!! Ya just helped me with a project... "
CowlitzSounding wrote on Oct 20, 2008 4:40 PM:
" Thanks for coming to Washington, Joe. You have my vote. I will vote for Chris too. Republicans are enbarrassed, and should be. I'm an independent voter. The negative campaigning is disturbing. Rossi was wise to file as a GOP. He will be able to fool some of the electorate. "
AmericanGirl wrote on Oct 20, 2008 4:40 PM:
" Well I still see no good answers on Palin / Obama except that some have a problem with her being female. She has been a mayor and she is a Gov so in my book she has way more experience then Obama hell I don't think we could miss as many day's from work as him and still have a job. OH by the way I went to school in Hawaii and I am In no way ready to be President by the sounds of some of the post here they will count you out if you have any kind of relationship with God, Shame on me!! "
TheGenius wrote on Oct 20, 2008 5:00 PM:
" Wait a minute, so is the US Naval Academy just some run of the mill degree factory? Harvard is a great college, but I think the acceptance rate at Annapolis is a bit tougher. A fair counterpoint for those waving the Harvard flag for Obama. "
cheney119 wrote on Oct 20, 2008 6:14 PM:
" McCain graduated 894th out of 899 at the Naval Acedamy. Plus his father and grandfather were admirals, this makes him military royalty. If you were in the service you'd know what I'm talking about. Being military royalty he could not be refused admission to the Naval Academy. Do you get tired of being wrong about everything? "
Gondolapete wrote on Oct 20, 2008 7:37 PM:
" Obama is not qualified to lead a parade, let alone this country..NEXT!!!!!!!! "
Kem Cho wrote on Oct 20, 2008 8:00 PM:
" Teachers under Gregoire have done very well at the expense of budget deficits, increased debts and cut down of special needs at schools. Well, same Governor for4 more years and we will have same results. At that time, we sure can not blame every thing on Bush. Can we? "
Lucky7 wrote on Oct 20, 2008 8:18 PM:
" Yes Mr. Genius Senator McCain did graduate from the naval academy at Annopolis finishing #894 out of his class of 899. Senator Obama was the first black student elected as editor of the Harvard Law Review where The peers who elected Barack Obama as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review say he was a natural leader, an impressive student, a nice guy. Obama graduated magna c_m (sorry TDN filter kicked in) laude which at my college required a 3.70 GPA minimum amongst other things. Obama is a really smart guy! "
CowlitzSounding wrote on Oct 20, 2008 8:23 PM:
" Comparing Harvard to the US Naval Acad. is like comparing the Trojans to this year's Cougs. Harvard is wayyyyy harder to get into! What these students got out of their respective schools is unknown. Obama may be one of the most qualified presidents to come along in a long time. He is a great leadership fit for our nation. "
allaboutschools wrote on Oct 20, 2008 9:48 PM:
" What's wrong with upping the ante on those with 250,000/yr adjusted incomes? It don't make em any less American it just says hey guys you're siting real good and its time to share the wealth a bit. In terms of percentages the guy with the 250k will not betaking as big a pinch as the guy with 5 Million/year. "
allaboutschools wrote on Oct 20, 2008 9:52 PM:
" Rossi took back the voter approved funding for public schools. Rossi stripped teachers of their Cost of Living raises. Gregoire has built WA into aone of the strongest economies inthe nation. We are still in the black even while America is so deep in the Red that its pathetic. I'm going with Obama/Gregoire. "
Nom D'Plume wrote on Oct 20, 2008 10:30 PM:
" TDN Badboy: Why do you hate teachers so much? I have been waiting for months to find out what important job you do that makes you an expert on education. Fill me in. While you are at it, let us all know why your buddy Dino continues to spew the lie about a 3 Billion dollar deficit. If either one of you were interested in truth you'd let people know that the state budget must balance each year. THERE IS NO DEFICIT. There will be cutbacks during the next year to balance the budget accordingly. Bull-headed elitists may continue to butt heads with unions but perhaps they need to realize that without union workers making union wages there would be fewer folks able to purchase the products that keep businesses afloat. For those who question the positive influence of unions, remember that unionists brought you: Weekends, Holiday pay, Paid vacation, Bathroom breaks, and Benefits. Without unions we would be forced back into the dark ages of labor, where zealots like Andrew Carnegie could hire thugs to beat, torture, and kill laborers. The unions must survive. For the good of working families and of business. "
Old Charlie wrote on Oct 20, 2008 10:59 PM:
" One way to look at the 2008 presidential election, and you can take it to the bank, an Obama/Biden administration will mean the saction and tax funded killing of unborn children, loss of your Second Amendment rights, among a host of others, extremely high taxes, with a much smaller take home pay(if you are lucky enough to have job). And lets not forget the irreversible damage they will do through the selection of replacement judges on the Supreme Court. Honestly....... where is the difference between this potential presidential administration and Adolf Hitler's administration? "
mom of four wrote on Oct 21, 2008 12:49 AM:
" How can you people bash our president alone. There is congress to to blame. I don't hear you guys talking about how many people you helped today. You all like to bash on everyone and everything.
I'm not saying that GWB was the greatest president but he did not act alone. I'm sorry but I feel if you do not like the things that have happened you need to take a stand and fight for our country! Have your voice heard. If not you know where the door is! Personally I don't feel that either running is going to do a good job, it will be a draw out of a hat for me. "
I'm not saying that GWB was the greatest president but he did not act alone. I'm sorry but I feel if you do not like the things that have happened you need to take a stand and fight for our country! Have your voice heard. If not you know where the door is! Personally I don't feel that either running is going to do a good job, it will be a draw out of a hat for me. "
DW wrote on Oct 21, 2008 7:44 AM:
" allaboutschools I want you to answer a couple questions for me. How does raising taxes on someone that makes more than you do help you? I want you to think about that. Trust me, someone that makes 250K a year does not feel like they are rich. Also, if it's all about schools, how much does, say, the Longview school district get for each student enrolled? If you can even come close on this one I will give you a gold star and a pat on the head. "
TheGenius wrote on Oct 21, 2008 10:08 AM:
" Yeah, I'm wrong. The US Naval Academy is just throwing scholarships around to anybody. Doesn't mean anything if you graduate from there. Military royalty, eh? Growing up in a military family, I found that phrase to be a bit oxymoronic. Last time I checked, you have to earn everything you get in the service. So McCain's pops was an Admiral. If he wanted to use the old man for clout, I doubt he would have flown combat missions in Vietnam. "
TheGenius wrote on Oct 21, 2008 10:12 AM:
" By the way, I get the TDN.com needs to filter bad words and all, but you can't type magna c_m laude? I thought all the comments were reviewed prior to being posted. Doesn't context mean anything? "
DW wrote on Oct 21, 2008 10:47 AM:
" Lucky7, Where I come from there is a big difference between being educated, and being smart. A person can have a fabulous acedemic history, and still be a dumb as a box of rocks. Anyone who wants to raise taxes in an economic down turn, and on top of that say he's going to stick it to the producers of this country is not very smart. You should be careful how you vote. When BO finds out that 250K and up won't do it, and tells up that 40K and up will have to pay higher taxes to expand our government you will have yourself and your ilk to thank if he is elected. "
Happy Camper wrote on Oct 21, 2008 3:11 PM:
" Just to set the record straight, the only people who get free acceptance into any of the service academies are the children of a medal of honor recipient. Acceptance into one of the service academies is strictly based on SAT scores and nomination by a member of congress. There are also 100 or so reserve appointments. Typically 4,000 nominations are provided aeach year, however only 1,500 turn into appointments to one of the academies. "
kalama river resident wrote on Oct 21, 2008 3:43 PM:
" Whenever I hear a politician say he wants to give 40% of the population a check and they will not have to pay taxes, it reminds my of someone trying to buy votes!!! But somebody is going to have to pay back uncle sam $12.5 trillion. that is roughly $62,500 for everybody over 18. Still think Obama is telling you the truth, he won't raise your taxes!!! "
TheGenius wrote on Oct 21, 2008 4:05 PM:
" This is what I want explained to me: Obama talks about all these wonderful programs he is going to enact when he is christened as our next president. So, what is he going to cut to make that happen or how is he going to enact all these programs without raising taxes on everybody? "
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