Eek!

 

The crossword puzzle clue was, “Spend, (out).” Three letters.

I wrote “Eke.” That was wrong.

I wonder what Mitt Romney would first consider as an answer to that.

I wish every voter would ask themselves how they would fill in the three squares.

Do I want a president that has never in his life, ever, needed anything he couldn’t have?

Even though he has never been in dire financial straits, our country is. And he feels he is the guy to fix it. But he only knows what he knows. His money comes from interest income, capital gains and bonuses that are taxed at a reduced rate. In his mind, to help people you need to lower taxes on those sources of income so people can keep more of their money.

To balance that reduction in Federal revenue by not taxing money coming in, he proposes closing tax loopholes. His idea of  loopholes are deductions people take on money going out, like mortgage interest, or college tuition.

It is a very clear and basic difference. So it should be easy to choose, on this issue, which candidate would better serve you.

If you are about to sell a bunch of very pricey stuff and are worried about capital gains tax, vote for Romney.

If you make a ton off of interest income, vote for Romney.

My situation, on the other hand, is a tad different.

I don’t have any big pricey things I can sell for a big profit. So my savings on paying less tax on zero dollars coming in doesn’t add up to much.

I tallied up my interest income as it was spilling out of my Wells Fargo savings account. It was . . . one penny. Really.

.01

That is what they added to my account. So, when I had $13.74. After the bank poured into my account the interest income, I had $13.75.

The good news then is when Romney is president I will not have to pay tax on that windfall of profit. And in return for that gift I only have to give up deducting from my tax bill the thousands of dollars I paid out in mortgage interest.

So, if you make a ton off interest income, vote for Romney.

If you are planning on liquidating some large assets and want to pay less tax on it, vote for Romney.

But, if paying less tax on a penny, or if in your case it might be in the dollars, vote for the other guy.

And, if the deductions he calls loopholes, like mortgage interest, or college tuition, will hurt you if they go away, vote for the other guy.

What is the three letter answer to, “Middle class reaction to Romney as president?”

EEK!

Cameron Castle

Copyright, Oct. 2012

Do You Ever Feel LIke Your Vote Doesn't Count?

Do You Ever Feel Like Your Vote Doesn’t Count?

Do you ever feel like you vote doesn’t count?

Try this on for size. There are still electronic voting machines in places like, ah, OHIO, that have no paper trail. The have no hard copy. They have no way to verify if the totals match the voter’s selections. 

Ohio. The state that, once again, might be the Florida of our presidential elections.

So . . .

If you are in Wyoming, or Hawaii, or, where I live, Washington, and feel your vote has little or no effect on the outcome of who will lead our country for at least the next four years, don’t feel bad. Because every voter in the country is in the same boat.

It has come down to swing states. Then it will, most likely, come down to Ohio. But in Ohio there are electronic voting machines with no paper trail. Okay, save trees. No verifiable system to match up voter’s intent with the vote count.  

So, if the machines were to malfunction (You are now thinking, “That’s impossible. I have a computer and it has never, ever once, failed to perform perfectly.”) we, The People, can swiftly turn to those in charge of the machines to make sure any anomaly, glitch, or hiccup is quickly rectified.

Should we worry that those in charge of retrieving the vote tally’s, checking for irregularities, and tasked with making sure that the paperless machines will function properly are up to the task?

Heck no.

Because the company that owns those machines is a mega-successful company that has proven through the years that it can take on tough jobs and excel through adversity.

Bain Capital won’t let us down because . . .

What?

Huh?

Bain Capital?

You mean the company responsible for reading the information on the microchips that represents the votes that might decide who is President is, is, is . . . the same company that one of the candidates worked for?

And was paid a gazillion dollars while there?

And this company would benefit HUGELY if that particular candidate won the election?

That company?

That company is counting the electronic votes?

Wait.

Sorry for the delay, but my computer just froze up and when I tried to fix it, gave me a bunch of garbled, nonsensical warnings. I had to shut it down and re-boot. I’m back. Sorry. Where was I? Oh, yeah.

The company in charge of making sure the Ohio paperless, electronic voting machines give an accurate count is Bain Capital?

That is worse than having the votes being on scrapes of paper piled high in Sasha and Malia’s bedroom floor.

“The country awaits while the two girls work tirelessly to tally the votes.”

Reporter: “Sasha, how is it coming so far? Does it look like you father is ahead?”

“Can I have some chocolate milk, or Strawberry Quik? My dad won’t let me have Strawberry Quik. He wants me to have orange mango juice, but not before bed. Then it is just water. Did you see a pile of papers over there? Behind me. Oh well. Can I have some Strawberry Quik?”

Bain Capital. Counting votes with no hard copy record. No recount. No hanging chads.  Just, “Yup. We won.”

Are you mad?

Please.

Be mad.

Cameron Castle

Copyright October, 2012

Here is a link to the report on the electronic voting machines.

http://truth-out.org/news/item/12130-will-hig-owned-e-voting-machines-give-romney-the-white-house