US Presidential Elections 2008

[Lou]

^^ Okay, I watched the videos and I see nothing wrong with what Obama said.
Coal DOES pollute the air, whether you agree with global warming or not. Also, dangerous for miners to mine.
Same with Nuclear Power if we have no way to safely store or dispose of it.

He didn't say let's "drive up power prices" he said he wanted to make it so it wasn't easy to keep making coal power plants so that people would WANT to instead make more solar or wind power plants. OR start looking to find ways to make coal have less of an effect on pollution and ways to store nuclear waste better. Both of which, may not be possible NOW, but DNA is still very new. There's nothing saying someone couldn't find a way to make it less of a pollutant. People come up with new ideas all the time.

Being idealistic and headed toward a better way seems a LOT smarter to me than just saying, "Let's keep on going the way we're going and see what happens."
I'm not saying I think he's gonna find a way to "clean" coal in the next week. But, I also don't think he's gonna shut down all the coal plants in the next week either.

Neither candidate is going to be able to impliment all their ideas right away or maybe ever. But, I see no point in continuing the same old bad ideas over and over to see if maybe, eventually, something new happens.

 

[Superstar]

Here's a little tidbit that is lost in all the other issues of the election.
First off, I predicted (as soon as I heard about the bailout package last month) that this rescue plan was a terrible idea since it did not address the true cause of the problem; impending foreclosures and REOs. I insisted that the banks and homes facing foreclosure should be allowed to fail to clear out the toxic debt crap giving a much shorter recession period instead of full on depression. This is the true economic solution.

I don't think people have had a chance to really see what is going on with the mortgage restructuring yet as endorsed by the Wall Street "Genius".
When they do, some people are going to be very unhappy. Basically it's a 5 year payment deferment plan. Meaning the banks still receive 100% of the total income they were expecting instead of penalizing for bad practices and rewarding taxpayer "generosity" of a salvage that should never have occurred in the first place.

Explanation: if your mortgage was 2k per month they might lower it to 1k for 5 years, then revisit it for a re-raising to 3k per month for 5 years (or 2.5k for 10 years) to make up for the deferment.

In a failing economy (especially under an Obama economic plan) this plan is going to backfire like a firecracker held in a fist.

----------------
The suggestion for this aspect of the bailout to forestall impending foreclosures I sent in to my presidential candidate of choice back when this idea was being devised and had the restructuring of the mortgage to the affordable rates they should have been as condition for taxpayer assistance. It also had the difference in price between what it is restructured to and what payments were already made on their loan applied as a credit on principal. This would thereby save the homeowner on interest payments on a lower owed principal for the remaining life of the loan (ultimately thousands of dollars of interest saved along with the applied principal credit). The actual loss to the bank is the loss of additional principal payment interest on the loan spread out over the back end years of the loan; essentially an automatic built-in return on taxpayer money straight to the taxpayer directly; taxpayer money which was used to bail out the bank in the first place.

A small penalty to pay for a rescue that should have never occurred in the first place in a Capitalistic society, especially since it would not be realized as a true loss to the bank for many years. A nice guaranteed and indirect replacement for some 401k losses to the taxpayer.

My much different solution to the existing REO problem and current Wall Street Guru plan of purchasing them to hold for years waiting for the market to recover was also sent.

Having Wall Street Gurus work out rescue plans and hoping for a return on taxpayer money when the economy eventually does recover just shows where their true loyalties are.

 

[nerd4hire]

^^ Okay, I watched the videos and I see nothing wrong with what Obama said.
Coal DOES pollute the air, whether you agree with global warming or not. Also, dangerous for miners to mine.

Check these facts. See if what I'm saying is true. It they are, the issue is more complex than what you suggest.

* Coal supplies 50% of America's non-transportation energy.

* Alternative energies such as Wind and solar only function 20% of the time. The rest of the time they must be supported by conventional energies such as coal. Alternative energies are not ready to supplant coal as an energy source supporting the American economy.

* Actual pollutants in coal can be pretty much cleaned during the refining process of at least coal to liquid.

* The problem with cleaning coal comes about when you want to segregate carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is not toxic in any levels man is capable of putting into the atmosphere. It's a vital gas of life like oxygen.

* CO2 segregation might be possible, but environmentalists are against it. Nobody's sure exactly why?

* America is the Saudi Arabia of coal (you've got lots of it), and if pollutant (not CO2) cleansed coal was used it would be a great benefit to the economy. Actual pollutant-free coal is not what Obama means by 'clean coal' though. He means CO2 free.

Same with Nuclear Power if we have no way to safely store or dispose of it.

We do though. In fact even green activists are starting to come around to the use of nuclear.

Jennifer Marohasy Nuclear Power Reality Check: A Note from Roy Innis

A Renegade Against Greenpeace | Newsweek Future Of Energy | Newsweek.com

Mark Lynas: the green heretic persecuted for his nuclear conversion - Times Online

He didn't say let's "drive up power prices"

Oh yes he did. In fact here's exactly what he said...

"Under my plan of a Cap n Trade system, electricity prices would necessarily sky-rocket

 

[eponinethen]

I'm a left wing Swede – obviously both Obama and McCain are way too conservative for me. But I did vote Obama in the poll above, 'cause well, I'm really hoping he's gonna win.

I really wanted to stay up all night and watch the election tonight (it's on TV from 2am to 6am in Sweden), but I have a huge exam tomorrow at 10 so I have to be in bed sleeping 🙁

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

Well I read the news today that will pretty much give Obama the victory.

I say this because there will be a large group of swing voters who are swayed by the VERY recent death of Obamas Nana.

It is sad that this happened, even though I personally wouldn't vote for him I imagine a victory for him will be bittersweet as he won't be able to live it with Ol' Nan, but I can also imagine he will get more votes because of him - heck, I've already spoken to three undecideds today who have said that now they will vote for him because they feel sorry for him.

Oh well, President Barack Hussein Obama. I guess we should be at least happy of 2 things.

1) The US has shown true progression in the last 60 years
2) Palin won't EVER have her hand on the button and now she can move away from Politics and become a Pin-Up(what, I think aside from that mad woman is a very attractive lady)

 

[goldenboy]

heck, I've already spoken to three undecideds today who have said that now they will vote for him because they feel sorry for him.

Now that's disturbing. Voting, not on the future, but as a gesture of condolence...lots of capricious people out there.

2) Palin won't EVER have her hand on the button and now she can move away from Politics and become a Pin-Up(what, I think aside from that mad woman is a very attractive lady)

Regardless of this election, she'll be a force in American politics going forward if she chooses to be, I bet. There's too much natural political acumen there...even if people think she's a ditz or a kook at this point.

 

[hannahfngrl26]

I am all for Obama. Heres hoping 🙂

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

Now that's disturbing. Voting, not on the future, but as a gesture of condolence...lots of capricious people out there.

Tell me about it. Again, I do feel sad for him but this is not the time to let sympathy dictate one of THE most important decisions ever.

Regardless of this election, she'll be a force in American politics going forward if she chooses to be, I bet. There's too much natural political acumen there...even if people think she's a ditz or a kook at this point.

Yes, but the ONLY chance of Palin becoming President is if she gets in with McCain now.
OR at least THIS Palin.

 

[Blondie Bear]

Funny news on NPR this morning: the first town to get to vote (somewhere in New Hampshire) elected Obama by a landslide - 20-6 (or something like that; I don't remember the exact numbers). And there were 2 write-in votes for Ron Paul. Heehee.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Come on Ron Paul! come from behind victory.

After Ross Perot I gave up on any independent getting in.. if not him, who?
dang pie charts!
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Edit:
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Again, I do feel sad for him but this is not the time to let sympathy dictate one of THE most important decisions ever.

Is it not irony that Obama said "I can no sooner disown Reverend Wright than my white grandmother" and then he goes and disowns Rev. Wright? Does anyone besides me and me silent partner find humor in this?

 

[yellowcrayon]

Some thoughts on Obama and his grandmother's death. There are quite a few people I've met who are giving him the "pity" vote. That shows a distinct lack of intelligence on the voting field, in my honest opinion. It's a logical fallacy - appeal to pity.

Frankly, I don't think that Obama should be going on about this. His grandmother shouldn't be used as a campaign strategy. He already used her as such, with Reverend Wright. I'm sorry he lost his grandmother, but at the same time... he did say that he could "no sooner disown Reverend Wright than he could his white grandmother." Yet what do we find? He's gone and disowned Reverend Wright. What does that say about his character?

So yes, I am sorry for his loss. At the same time, I hate seeing the poor woman being used to help him win. I feel it's dehumanizing. I know that I wouldn't want to be used that way, and I am not sure if Obama would want to be slung around that way before/after he died. Most people don't.

Well, I voted absentee. In the meantime, I must be paying attention to another race as well... the Congressional House of Representative race for Maine, because if my candidate wins, Congress will have one h*** of a new Representative. (He dresses as if he's in the Roarin' 20s and is brutally honest, quotes Monty Python, Spartan Kings, Edmund Burke and Thomas Jefferson)

So, my 2 cents for now. 🙂

 

[Blondie Bear]

Scobro: Is that a direct quote? Cause if so, I'd find it very interesting that he'd specify the race of his grandmother. >.>

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Scobro: Is that a direct quote? Cause if so, I'd find it very interesting that he'd specify the race of his grandmother. >.>

"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother "” a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."
Barack Obama
Regarding inflammatory racial remarks of his Pastor, Rev. Jeremiah White, speech on race, March 18, 2008.

 

[Blondie Bear]

Aha. Okay. It was in the context of a racially charged remark. Gotcha. Not quite so "hmmm," then.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Aha. Okay. It was in the context of a racially charged remark. Gotcha. Not quite so "hmmm," then.

Sorry, didnt mean to say his remarks about her were meant to be 'wrong' just I thought it was ironic.

 

[Blondie Bear]

^ Oh, so did I. It just could have been MORE ironic if the racial context wasn't already present.

 

[Lou]

N4H-While I can't speak to the all the statistics on Solar Power, I can say that I called my friend in Wisconsin last night to make sure and she has some stats. Like her parents new house that has solar meant their power bill went from $400 a month in the winter to $85. And in the spring and fall times, is nothing.
She said she's never heard them mention it not working or being unreliable.
Where just cutting the coal industry WOULD raise power prices, it won't if we're given other options. They work a few more years on solar or wind power and this could be a VERY viable option.
It's really not like Obama or McCain can wave a wand and say, "Okay, this and this happens". So, he couldn't really get into office and say, "Let's do away with coal all together". Neither candidates "ideas" may ever make it to fruition.
What I DO want is someone working toward a better solution.
The idea of solar power being more viable and coal being less sounds fabulous to me.
As for nuclear.....if someone WERE to attack us or something were to go wrong, I'd MUCH RATHER live near a solar or wind power grid than a nuclear one. Someone bombing a wind mill tract seems a heck of a lot less dangerous than bombing a nuclear one. But, that is just me.

 

[randiann]

I voted today for *sigh* Obama, and my choice came down to one thing. Palin. Had McCain not had her on his ticket, I would have voted for him. There is no way in h-e-double-hockey-sticks that I want her to have any shot at being president. I think both candidates have their flaws, but ultimately she became the deciding factor. I mean, McCain's nearly 80, and will be the oldest person ever to be elected if he wins, and Obama's already had at least 2 assassination attempts (although both were foiled before they could be realized). So the VP candidate carries alot of weight in my decision. Who would you rather have in office, Biden or Palin?

 

[LizzieRainbow]

Im not american but i realli think obama would make a good president......i really hope he wins 🙂

 

[Veyron]

No vote for me as I'm English, but it's got to be Obama all the way.