Friday, April 17, 2009

Who's A Working American?

This is an important thing to know, because Obama keeps talking about how he's going to help out 'working Americans'.  But are you one, or not?

On tax day, when hundreds of thousands of people gathered at tea parties large and small, Barack Obama was making a speech about taxes. Not once did he mention the protests going on around him. Not once did he acknowledge that Americans across the country are fed up with his policies and the policies of all tax and spend politicians. Not once did he mention that the tax burden was too high for all Americans and that the debt he was leaving us will be crushing.

No, he didn't mention any of that. Instead, he mentioned over and over again how his plan would help "working" Americans. The problem is that Obama has a very strange definition of what a "working" American really is. In his socialist viewpoint, a "working" American is someone who needs a government handout... someone he can point to and say, "See that other guy? He owes you, because he is successful." Obama insults the American spirit by singling out only a portion of working Americans to suit his definition. Well, Mr. Obama, I know plenty of "working" Americans, and they should all be treated fairly and with respect.

In Obama's speech on taxes on April 15, he used line after line and sentence after sentence to divide and label Americans. Rather than uniting the country and treating everyone with the same policies, he chose to divide America so that he can impose his agenda before people have a chance to realize what's happening.

In talking about the people who joined him at the speech, Obama said, "Many have lost a job; many are fighting to keep their business open.  Many more are struggling to make payments, to stay in their home, or to pursue a college education.  And these Americans are the backbone of our economy, the backbone of our middle class." Why is it that only the middle class is the backbone of the economy? What about the lower class, struggling for any type of work? What about the upper class who actually run companies and hire people?

Obama continued by saying, "They need a government that is working to create jobs and opportunity for them, rather than simply giving more and more to those at the very top in the false hope that wealth automatically trickles down."

Let's stop right there. An entire paper can be written about that one sentence. First of all, we don't need the government to create jobs. That is not the role of government. Jobs are created by the private sector in response to the demand for goods and services by the citizens. In addition, his statement about "giving more and more to those at the very top" is typical class warfare and has no business in American political discussion. Those at the "very top" are not being "given more and more." Quite the contrary... those at the very top are targets for the government to TAKE more and more. Folks making a large salary aren't being given anything... they are earning it, and it has nothing to do with the government.

OK, next Obama quote: "And that's why my administration has taken far-reaching action to give tax cuts to the Americans who need them, while jump-starting growth and job creation in the process.  We start from the simple premise that we should reduce the tax burden on working people."

So, Obama wants to give tax cuts to "Americans who need them." Of course, it is completely up to Obama and the liberal elite to determine which Americans fall into that category. Rather than treating everyone fairly, they will decide who gets and who gives. Then, he hits on my all-time hot button phrase. He wants to reduce the tax burden on "working people."

My dad was a blue collar worker his entire life. He died when I was just 15 years old. During the last few years, he primarily worked as a pipe-fitter. He wore a uniform similar to what you'd see from a service station attendant: dark blue pants, a light blue shirt, and work boots. Each morning he'd leave with a perfectly clean uniform, and each evening he'd return completely filthy. His clothes were brown from the dust and dirt, and you couldn't even make out the original color of the uniform. He'd work long and hard and come home exhausted. Sometimes he'd be too wiped out to play with us. Would you consider him a "working" American? I certainly would.

I also know many people who have gone through college like I did. They worked extremely hard and were constantly putting in the extra time to advance their careers, so they could do better for themselves and their families. They succeeded, not because they were "fortunate" as Obama likes to label people (as if only luck had to do with those who become successful), but because they were smart and worked hard. These friends became doctors, lawyers, engineers, traders, and business owners. I have seen many putting in 60 and 70 hour work weeks... coming home exhausted with little energy for their families at the end of the day. Are they "working" Americans? They certainly are.

The fact is that anyone earning an income is a "working" American. By definition, it's as simple as that. And all working Americans should be treated fairly. Those who make more, will pay more in taxes. Why? Because they make more money! It is reprehensible that our tax system does not treat each and every working American the same. No one should be forced to pay 30 or 35% of their income to the federal government. And Obama wants to see those rates go up? Every working American should be treated equally.

I'm a working American. I know many working Americans. Some make a lot, some make very little. All should be treated with respect. All should be treated equally. And all should be viewed by our government as citizens of a great and thriving country. That may not be the Obama way, but it is the American way.

This is a brilliant illustration of how liberalism categorizes people and self-righteously picks the winners and losers.  Liberals say that only certain Americans who work are 'working Americans' because they meet some vague liberal definition of being poor and downtrodden.  Liberals look at people as classes and groups that can be exploited, and the worse off they are, the more exploitable they are.

On the other hand, conservatives look at all Americans who work as 'working Americans'.  Conservatives say that when laws, regulations, and standards are applied, they should be applied to everyone.  If you want 'fairness', how is that anything other than fair?  Conservatives look at people as individuals who are each worthy of respect and dignity, and should be rewarded according to their individual effort and ability.

Which philosophy do you think is better for America?  Personally, I'd go with the one that built America from scratch, through the fires of revolution and war, and has stood the test of time.  That ain't liberalism.

There's my two cents.

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