It’s an odd thing about socialism. Here I’ll try to relate it to Union rights. Some years back, I was being interviewed for a job related to avionics for the F-5 or its F-20 variant. I did the interview and got the usual ” we’ll keep your application on file, etc.” Knowing the workings of the corporate mindset, I said to the lady, as she was leaving the room (ahead of me), ” oh, do you have a Union shop here? I like to fight my own fights and I don’t want to have to join a Union.”
She said wait here a minute. Ten minutes later I had a job.

For those interested, the F-5 was the squadron of black “Russian Migs” facing Tom Cruise in the movie “Top Gun.” Very slick lower altitude fighter.

Despite the tax reform described in Joe’s column, McBush constantly tells all who will listen that Obama will raise their taxes.  Not one word about the $250K factor. All the dupes and cretins in the crowd begin to boo as if McBush’s drivel about tax increases applied to them. In addition, Shrieking Sarah Palin is still talking about Ayers starting Obama’s State Senate campaign beginning in Ayers’s living room when in fact it occurred at a “coffee” in a Ramada Inn including other attendees. These two clowns just believe that if anything false is repeated often and endlessly, the rubes will buy it and other bilge and eagerly vote against their own interests.

From this article, I have no idea what constitutes a “negative” coverage.
If John MkKKain and is rabid (but well dressed) pet beaver say something stupid, racist, untrue, or all of the above and the media reports on it - is that a negative coverage?
Well then duh!
I am surprised they are much further in the lead in that race.

Someone told me that Obama was not born in Hawaii but in Indonesia so I said to the man do you think Obama’s stepfather married his mother when she was pregnant and then had his sister years later, I said I think not and besides how can he run for president if he is not an American citizen, McCain was not born in the United States but in a Naval Hospital, but was born of American parents.

I think that the side thought is “he is not one of us”.

If people would only think before they say something then these falsehoods would go away.

When Democrats do it they call it socialism, so maybe when Republicans do it we should call it fascism.

Hearing Joe the Plumber denounce you Commies as socialists, I thought I’d give him a call for his profesional opinion on my flooded cellar. I called and said, “Joe, I gotta leak in my cellar. He replied, “go ahead buddy, it’s your house.”  I’m a little disappointed in Joe. Is he a real plumber?

(thx to Dangerfield)

John McCain’s clearly off his rocker when he accuses Obama of socialism in his tax policy, but the question of fairness in tax code is, regardless of label, a tough one to answer.

Adam Smith wrote that people should pay “in proportion” to the revenue they receive. But what does “in proportion to” mean? Does it mean that if Joe pays $1 on his $10 income that John should pay $10 on his $100? If so, then an income tax that is a fixed percentage (10% in this case) is proportional and fair.

The argument that John should pay a higher percentage isn’t nearly as easy to make. It relies on an assumption that Joe’s quality of life will be too severely reduced if both he and John pay the same percentage and the govt. continues to provide the same level of service.

The fact that we need to charge progressively higher rates is a reflection of the high cost of government services and the wide gap between rich and poor. Fairness in this case has to be stretched to fit the economic realities of how much money is needed and who has it.

Not only is McCain’s current position on taxes in conflict with Adam Smith, Ronald Reagan, and earlier versions of his own self, it is also in conflict with his supposed hero, Teddy Roosevelt. In short, Sen. John McCain is incoherent on the economy.

Joe Conason: Thanks for your post of October 22. Adam Smith did provide unregulated free markets with its enabling myth - BIG MYTH - utter nonsense. That “the unseen hand of providence will guide a man seeking his own self interest to protect that of others”. I would say that God, in his Providence, doesn’t get involved in these matters. We are given ontological freedom to pursue self interest, either with regard for others; or without it. Only an enlightened government, imbued with the ethos of the Preamble to The Constitution (the general welfare - the common good)is strong enough to represent the general welfare. Smith’s unseen hand never was.
Erv Steinberg

MkKKain is really pinning his comeback on a 10-second discussion Obama had with a guy that, under any other circumstances, john would not give a moments notice? He has done nothing for Joe the Plumber (or any of the other middle and lower class icons they are trying to create), he does not plan on doing anything for him and Joe would only be allowed in any of his 7 (or is it 9, or 11) houses to plunge the toilet. And then, only if he were a non-union plumber.
How about some feedback from the thousands of real plumbers, waitresses, barbers, dental hygienists, etc. out there??? Anybody really buying the crocodile tears old John is shedding for you? Anybody worried about how horrible life will be when you finally make it to the big time and are making more than $250K/year???
More mindless crap from the least intelligent duo ever to run for high office.

Don’t you get it?
For those of you who think MkKKain is superior to Obama on a moral basis, please explain to us how he could abandon his first wife, shack up with some rich adulteress and have the moral high ground on anyone. To me, family is the most important thing in anyone’s life and how you handle those relationships shows your true moral fabric. Obama has a wonderful relationship with his beautiful wife and clearly loves, and is loved by his daughters.
For those of you who think he is the next coming of Ronald Reagan (another adulterer, but I digress), you should know that the Reagans despised John for his treatment of his first wife and even hired her to work for them because they loved her and felt so bad for her.
For those that buy the “guilt by association” theory, consider that old John pals around with a guy who gave instructions on how to kill federal agents (aim for their heads as they will be wearing body armor) and had targets set up in his backyard labeled with the names of the Clintons. That guy WAS convicted of (some) of his crimes and continues, unrepentantly, to spew his doctrine of hatred of minorities and liberals - G.G. Liddy.
Nice guy that old John - certainly not a hypocrite!

I find it very disingenuous of the McCain Camp to charge Obama with socialism when it was Gerald Ford that enacted the EITC in 1975 and Reagan enhanced it. I also find it troubling that the mainstream media does not report on or explian the existence of the EITC. I know that republicans prefer an uninformed electorate but I expect more from our media.