Slacker Uprising & The Youth Vote

Michael Moore’s latest expose on American politics, titled Slacker Uprising, has been released on the internet HERE. The flick is free to watch and download, so there is little reason NOT to see the damned thing. Moore’s film focuses on his attempt to mobilize the 18-29 year old demographic during the 2004 Presidential Election with a tour of college campuses across the nation. Moore recognized the power of the young buck voter & how we are untouched by the Reagan Era politics of our parents, therefore we are more likely to vote as Lefties. This upcoming election promises to prove to the rest of the nation just how right Moore is about that. Basically, George Bush’s presidency has scared the shit out of us & forced our political awakening. This time around, the Democrats listened & have given us a candidate we can get excited about. If any of y’all are still on the fence or are still apathetic about the election, let’s review the candidate’s positions on the shit we care about, that way you don’t waste your vote! Or worse yet, assume it doesn’t matter as so many falsely did in the last Presidential election. 

**** The Economy: fuck the stock market & even the housing market, since most of us don’t have investments or property. BUT we are affected by unemployment or under-employment, dwindling federal & state financial aid for students, and budget cuts to other social programs we depend on to keep our heads above water (See an interesting take on the financial crisis from the POV of a fellow broke American HERE to see what I mean) . What are the candidate’s planning on doing for us in the lower echelons of the economic ladder?

Obama / Biden:  According to an analysis of his tax plan by the Tax Policy Center, Obama would cut taxes on the 95 percent of filers who make less than $227,000 per year and raise taxes on the 5 percent whose incomes exceed that amount. Compared with current policy, Obama's tax plan would increase government revenues by $627 billion over the next 10 years. Obama has criticized globalization that "favors only the few" and has called for amending NAFTA, if necessary, in order to protect American workers. He also favors closing tax loopholes that reward companies that offshore jobs, supporting firms that create U.S. jobs and improving transitional assistance for workers displaced by foreign trade. Also, the Boys in Blue advocate a $50 billion emergency economic stimulus plan. The money would go toward 1 million jobs for rebuilding infrastructure and schools, and helping local governments avoid budget cuts. The plan would create a $25 billion "Jobs and Growth Fund" to invest in infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, and to save jobs. He also called for a temporary lifting of taxes on unemployment insurance benefits as a way of giving more relief to families, a suspension on tax penalties for early withdrawal of retirement funds, and an immediate extension of unemployment insurance for an additional 13 weeks to help families that are being hit hardest by the downturn. Barack Obama’s camp also proposes a Homeowner and Financial Support Act. "First, it will provide capital to the financial system. Second, it will provide liquidity to enable our financial markets to function. And third, it will do what I've been calling for since I supported legislation on it early last spring, which is to get serious about helping struggling families to restructure their mortgages on more affordable terms so they can stay in their homes," he said during a September speech. In his own words…

 

McCain / Palin: McCain would make Bush's "temporary" tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans permanent. His plan would cut taxes on top earners by $23,000 per year. He would cut taxes for all other Americans as well, but his cuts would only be deeper than Obama's for those earning between $112,000 and $227,000 -- about 20 percent of the population. Compared with current policy, McCain's tax plan would decrease government revenues by $595 billion over the next 10 years, meaning that new spending cuts would be necessary to avoid growing the deficit even larger. He supports current trade policy & insists that trade is all about opportunity, that NAFTA has had an "unambiguously" positive impact on the U.S. economy, and that the status quo must be continued. McCain has called for the creation of a Mortgage and Financial Institutions Trust (MFI) to help companies avoid bankruptcy while protecting their customers. The money would also help consumers restructure loans so they can keep their homes. During the second presidential debate on October 7, McCain unveiled a proposal aimed to ease mortgage troubles for many Americans. The plan would direct the federal government to buy up bad mortgage loans from banks and homeowners. They then would be converted into low-interest loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration. He proposes that withdrawals from tax preferred accounts -- IRAs and 401(k)s -- should be taxed at the lowest rate of 10 percent in 2008 and 2009. The policy would apply to the first $50,000 withdrawn from such accounts each year. He suggested ending the taxation of unemployment insurance benefits for 2008 and 2009 and proposes increasing the amount of capital losses which can be used in tax years 2008 and 2009 to offset ordinary income from $3,000 to $15,000 and reducing in the maximum tax rate on long term capital gains to 7.5 percent in 2009 and 2010. If you don’t know what a “capital loss” is, this plan doesn’t apply to your broke ass. The Senator’s thoughts on the economy…

**** The War in Iraq: Since it’s our peers over there fighting this Rich Man’s War, what exactly do these guys plan to do as Commander in Chief, when they hold the lives of these men & women in their hands?

                   Obama / Biden: From the beginning, Barack opposed the use of military force in Iraq. The Obama campaign says their proposed schedule of withdrawal would remove them from Iraq within 16 months and be complete by summer 2010, but would maintain a residual force to perform specific missions in Iraq, like targeting remnants of al Qaeda, protecting U.S. service members and diplomats, and supporting Iraq's security forces. He has pledged to commit $2 billion toward an international effort to support the more than 4 million displaced Iraqis & has made it clear that the United States seeks no permanent military bases in the region. Obama has helped pass laws designed to assist homeless veterans and improve care for wounded veterans. He has received an 80 percent approval rating from the Disabled Veterans of America and a B+ rating from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

 

                   McCain / Palin: McCain has famously declared that the United States will remain in Iraq until "victory" is achieved -- even if it takes another 100 years.He has long refused to name target dates for troop withdrawals, claiming that it would be tantamount to giving terrorists a timeline for defeat. More recently on the campaign trail, however, he has claimed that Iraq can be "won" by 2013. Still, he has said he reserves the right to reassess the situation upon taking office. McCain's record on veterans' issues is abysmal. He was given a D rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Disabled American Veterans reports that he has voted for legislation benefiting veterans only 20 percent of the time. McCain voted against health care funding for veterans in 2003, '04, '05, '06 and '07. And unlike Obama, McCain refused to support the Webb GI Bill, which was critical to ensuring that soldiers who enlisted with the hope of eventually going to college would be able to do so. Check out this Oops! Moment where he admits it’s all about oil…

*** Health Care: I don’t know about you, but I’m piss-ass scared to get sick! That is simply something that I cannot afford. Since I live in such a wealthy nation, my fear shouldn’t be ok with the candidates. Right?

                 Obama / Biden: Obama has stated that he believes health care should be a right. Obama's plan would drastically reduce the number of uninsured (from 47 million to about 18 million) and would require children to be covered. Obama would create an additional social safety net: a public health plan that would give people without access to insurance through an employer or entitlement program like Medicare guaranteed coverage with the same comprehensive benefits that members of Congress now enjoy. He estimates the cost at between $50 billion and $65 billion, to be paid for by eliminating Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000. His plan would allow Americans to purchase medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower than outside the United States. Says he would repeal the ban that prevents the U.S. from negotiating with drug companies.

                 McCain / Palin: McCain has stated that health care is a responsibility. McCain's plan would have little effect on the uninsured population. He would place a $3.6 trillion tax on workers over the next 10 years and use revenue from that tax to give people a credit ($2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families) to purchase insurance on the open market. The trouble is, the average family policy costs $12,000, and it's much harder for an individual to negotiate good prices than an employer. His plan would increase awareness and promote the use of existing children's health insurance programs while expanding community health centers & he says he would foster greater competition in the drug markets "through safe re-importation of drugs and faster production of generic drugs."

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