Politics and Culture

It seems that Senator Obama needs a remedial course in economics.

We’re hearing lots of political ads here in Ohio, running up to our primary on March 4th.  There’s an Obama ad they keep playing over and over, which says something like this:  “Barack Obama will close corporate tax loopholes so he can give tax breaks to the middle class and help companies create jobs.”

Huh?  Either he doesn’t understand how things work, or (more likely) he assumes that the citizens of Ohio are ignorant of such things.  If you raise taxes on corporations and give tax breaks to the middle class, it will not help companies create more jobs.  It will have the opposite effect.  Companies will do more outsourcing and lay off more workers in an effort to pay the higher taxes.

The ad also points out that corporate C.E.O.s make more in 10 minutes than the average worker makes in a year.  OK.  So what?  What are you going to do Mr. Obama?  Limit how much corporate C.E.O.s can be paid?  Sorry, that’s not the President’s job.

It seems he’s running on the tired old theme of class warfare.  Let’s all hope and pray that he’s as successful with it as Michael Dukakis and John Kerry.

Jason over at “out here in the middle” has a great post regarding a stupid statement by Michelle Obama.

Read it HERE.

Have you heard about Adam Shepard?  He is the author of the book Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream, which chronicles his attempt to pull himself up out of self-imposed poverty and live the American Dream.  He did this, in part, to disprove Barbara Ehrenreich’s thesis in her book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, that the American Dream is dead.  He believes that Ehrenreich went into the project with the end in mind — that it’s impossible to pull yourself up out of poverty.  And of course, she “proved” her point.

Adam also went into the project with the end in mind — that the American Dream is still alive and well.  And he succeeded.  He started by living in a homeless shelter with only $25 in his pocket, with the goal of having a car, an apartment and $2,500 saved at the end of a year.  After 10 months, he had a car, an apartment and $5,000 saved.

Check out more about Adam (including an interview) HERE.

I (almost) always enjoy reading Camille Paglia.  I found today’s column to be especially good.  Here’s a great quote about John McCain:  “Who needs a weird old coot with a short fuse in the White House?”

Read the entire column HERE.

Yes, I stole one of B.O.’s campaign lines for the title of this post…

This blog is changing!  Instead of a one man show, it is becoming a consortium of Conservative thinkers and writers.  Here is the new description:

“We are a fellowship of bloggers with a bit of interest in Politics & Culture. We are Pastors, Businessmen (and women), Educators, Engineers, Factory Workers, Administrative Assistants, and Students.  We have some strong opinions, but we try to stay open-minded.”

There you have it!  Stay Tuned!

Check out this Drew Carey video on America’s middle class.

h/t: Mick Wright

h/t to Greg.