I watched a substantial portion of the Republican National Convention and its nearly endless, repetitive, divisive and negative rhetoric. I can summarize the convention in one sentence: The RNC provided an ounce of truth, a pound of lies, a ton of distortions, yet not a trace of substance.
If these guys have all of the answers, why, at this critical stage of forming public opinion were they reluctant or incapable of giving the Americans listening even a hint of what those answers might be?
The speakers provided a constant stream of disdain for our president’s “failures,” without ever even suggesting that most of the blame for the country’s lack of progress lies not with the executive, but with the lowliest-rated, and most highly disrespected Congress in the country’s history. The Republican commitment to some mythical “no taxes ever” pledge to an egocentric political extremist has stymied all attempts at reasonable compromise to keep the country from a financial precipice. The country has no place for demagogues like Grover Norquist, and the Republican Party must return to the spirit of cooperation and compromise that existed under President Reagan and the first President Bush.
Why not suggest that returning the top marginal income tax rate to the 50 percent value that Republican hero Ronald Reagan instituted in 1982 (down from 70 percent under Richard Nixon) would almost, all by itself close the current federal budget deficit?
Why not suggest that the artificial cap on the Social Security payroll tax be removed, so that the 6.2 percent tax that employees pay on earned income is paid on all of their earnings, not a regressive limit to the first $110,100?
Why not even suggest that Medicare costs, whether it is under traditional Medicare or the new Affordable Care Act, can be very sharply reduced by requiring co-pays and making benefits partially needs based, so that seniors will shop for healthcare with the same attention to need and price that they apply to shopping for groceries, choosing a restaurant or buying a television? Why should a senior, with a nice car and home, pay absolutely nothing for a routine colonoscopy, or care for an avoidable heart attack, just because he has Medicare and a low-cost Medicare supplement plan?
Why not even suggest that Social Security benefits are actuarially unstable? When Social Security started, average life expectancy was age 67, so that payments would have to be made for an average of two years. Life expectancy for someone turning 66 in 2012 is 16 years for men and 19 years for women. Social Security benefits now last an average of almost 18 years, nine times more than when Social Security was originally implemented. To be actuarially sound, the Social Security tax would have to be at least 20 percent, not 6.2 percent. Obviously that would not be sustainable, so why not suggest that benefits be partially needs based, and full retirement age be advanced a year, every two years for the next few decades to slowly bring the system into fiscal balance without materially affecting people close to retirement?
In answer to the question, “Am I better off today than I was when President Obama took office in 2009?” I say that anyone who has stocks, bonds, a 401K or IRA, investments in gold, silver, oil futures or a home mortgage that existed before the runaway real-estate bubble created during the George W. Bush administration, yes, yes you are far better off.
Since January 2009, the Dow Jones Index is up 62 percent, the S&P 500 is up 65 percent, the NASDAQ index is up 101 percent, and gold is up 99 percent. The interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is half of the 6 percent rate that it was in January 2009, making a new home more affordable for the 90 percent of the young people who are working today than it has ever been since the end of World War II.
Besides bringing no answers to the Republican National Convention, the party leadership brought a ton of distortions, as well as the biggest lie of all. The work of the Obama-led government over the last four years has not only avoided civil and economic disaster, but has taken a major step toward returning our country to real prosperity.
Roy Rosner
Wellington
Right, don’t ask anyone, only your conservative friends to join in, that makes it a truly open and public forum! And also, Mr. Morelli, in your note above you chastise the writer for being “so angry and invective? Where is the tolerance for diverse opinions that progressives are supposed to have?”. Please reread your letter (and past letters) and note where you are so angry and invective, to the point of being rude, nasty and mean-spirited to the Democrats and Progressives…. but I guess Republicans were never expected to be “tolerant for diverse opinions”.
And may the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Who created all we see bless you (http://www.venganza.org/about/open-letter/)
Mr Rosen your opinion is noted. I’m praying that you find peace and contentment.
Mr. Morelli, 1) at this point you can call me Andy, I think we have gone back and forth enough for that, 2) I have peace and contentment and I wish the same for you (truly) and 3) did you at least get a chuckle out of the link I put in?
Mr. Rosner why so angry and invective? Where is the tolerance for diverse opinions that progressives are supposed to have?
I feel I should correct a misconception you may have. As I recall Reagan’s Tax Reform Act of 1986 cut the top marginal rate from 50 to 28 percent. Also did you know that Democrat Congressman Richard Gephardt and Democrat Senator Bill Bradley were also sponsors of the bill? And did you know that the 1981 tax reform put through by Reagan lowered the bottom tax from 14% to 11% so that poor families would have a leg up on their dreams to be homeowners?
The 1986 Reagan tax reform included eliminating $320 Billion [with a capital “B”] annually in loopholes for the rich. Wow that might be news to a lot of Democrats. And perhaps we should mention that the 1986 tax reform that Reagan pushed through also increased the corporate tax rate. Wow, that’s not what I have been hearing from Democrats!
While the 1986 bill did increase the lower tax threshold, it also taxed capital gains as ordinary income. In other worlds no tax breaks for the rich. Wow, I bet a lot of Democrats don’t know these facts.
And did you know that Reagan helped home ownership by increasing the Home Mortgage Interest Deduction? Wow, in other words a Republican wanted to help the poor afford homes! I bet not many Democrats are being told all this interesting facts by the national liberal media.
But getting to the Democrat Convention, I was surprised and disappointed that President Obama took the mention of God and Jerusalem out of the Democrat platform. Of course the Republicans and conservative commentators pointed out this omission by Obama, which I suspect was why a fight broke out on the floor of the Democrat Convention. I was shocked when the Arab delegates to the Democrat party booed God and Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. I am very glad this did not happen at the Republican Convention or I would be really surprised, and totally shocked; because, Republicans and the conservative media as small as it is supports Israel and will help defend her defend herself. Did you know that President Obama told Iran that if Israel attacks that the U.S. would not help Israel? In effect by saying that the U.S. would not intervene? Wow, I wonder how many Democrat Jewish voters like that idea?
Finally, I am also not pleased with the members of the United States Senate who have not approved a budget in three years. I agree that is a “lack of progress”. In fact I would call that a violation of the rules of Congress. At least we agree on something.
God bless you sir and God bless America.
And what is President Obama’s solution to saving Medicare and Social Security? What are his ideas for becoming INdependent of foreign energy, lowering gas prices, lowering food prices and uniting this country? He didn’t offer specifics at the DNC. It’s his same old rhetoric.
The solution is that both parties must work together. President Obama has not demonstrated the ability to work with other duly elected officials in America. He has shut them out. Democrat Majority Leader, Harry Reid, refuses to bring bipartisan bills; passed by both democrats and republicans in Congress, to the floor of the Senate for discussion and a vote.
We, as a nation, need capable leadership. President Obama has not demonstrated that. There is a difference between electing a ‘cool’ inexperienced person as Obama and a electing a capable experienced person as Mitt Romney. Romney has demonstrated his capability of competency, while governor of the democrat dominated state of MA and also as a business man. Romney’s success has been turning around failing businesses. He was the first governor to implement healthcare for his state. ObamaCare is based on Romney’s healthcare plan!
America is in need of a better economy. President Obama’s policies and programs have made us dependent on foreign energy, given us higher gas prices (and let’s not forget Obama’s own Secretaries of Energy (Chu) and Transportation (LaHood) both stated that the price of gas in the USA should equal the price of gas in Europe, which now hovers near $7 a liter!). We have higher food prices, there are no shovel ready jobs (the President himself admitted that!) and we need a unified country, not a divided country, which President has given us with his ‘arrogant’, ‘derisive’ and ‘divisive’ rhetoric. Those words were used by President Obama to describe America to a European crowd in 2007 during his run for the presidency.
We can not continue down this slow, sluggish path. We need to move quickly. We need a united country, not a divided country, and Mitt Romney has the fortitude, capability and experience to bring America out of this abysmal pit we are wallowing in. We can’t wait twenty years for an Obama turnaround.
Spoken like a true well informed conservative, whoever you are. Be not ashamed of your beliefs because you speak the truth and many of us recognize it. Also please ask your conservative friends to participate in this interactive public forum. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.