Americans Already Spread The Wealth

Ok, I know I usually write about sports, but with the Presidential Election just one week away, I felt it was necessary for me to put my opinion out there. There are many reasons that I support John McCain in this election, whether it is abortion, taxes, gun control, or the war, I believe he is the more qualified candidate. The McCain campaign has been making a concerted effort to portray Barack Obama as a Socialist in the closing weeks of this campaign, and if you believe the polls, it appears to be working. I wanted to take a look at this issue because it is a frightening thought. If you look at some of the people Barack Obama associates with, you will see a definite anti-America thread throughout their beliefs. Whether you take Reverend Wright’s "God Damn America" quote, or if you look at William Ayers and his past terrorist acts, you have to question Obama’s judgement. It scares me when a man running for President of the United States receives endorsements from such Anti-America establishments as Hamas, Hatem El-Hady, The New Black Panthers, William Ayers, FARC, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega, Arab American Action Network, Rashid Khalidi, Moammar Qaddafi, Kim Jong Il, and Louis Farrakhan. I don’t want to condemn the man based on his friends alone, though. No matter what terrible things they have said or done, and no matter how much I question Obama’s judgement, I want to look at him and his actions to understand him better. When I do that, I see a man who is considered the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate based on his voting record. I see a man who willingly endorsed an openly Socialist Senator (Bernie Sanders). I see a man who not only attended a party in honor of former PLO Operative Rashid Khalidi, but he also toasted the man. I see a man, who, in his own words thinks, "when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody." This was Obama’s answer when asked if he was going to raise Joe the Plumber’s taxes. It’s the whole Robin Hood thing, take from the rich and give to the poor. Even though I am one of the many middle class citizens struggling to make ends meet, I believe this idea is fundamentally wrong.  On the surface, it seems like a good idea.  If those who have plenty give to those who have less, how can that be wrong? It isn’t. That is what happens in this country already. In 2007, according to the Giving USA Foundation, Americans donated $306.39 billion to charities. That is the highest number on record. In fact, all subcategories of public charities saw an increase in donations in 2007. Each subcategory received the following donations and increases in 2007:

Religion: $102.32 billion, up 1.8 percent after inflation

Education: $43.32 billion, up 3.4 percent after inflation

Human Services: $29.64 billion, up 5.4 percent after inflation

Health: $23.15 billion, up 2.4 percent after inflation

Public Society Benefit: $22.65 billion, up 2.9 percent after inflation

Arts, Culture, and Humanities: $13.67 billion, up 4.8 percent after inflation

International Affairs: $13.22 billion, up 12.9 percent after inflation

Environment and Animals: $6.96 billion, up 7.7 percent after inflation

This is true patriotism and a patriotism I will subscribe to, not Obama’s version of patriotism which apparently includes paying taxes and associating with people who hate America. What is wrong is the government forcing you to give. Apparently, $306 billion is not enough to Barack Obama. Barack Obama seems to think you are not giving enough. Perhaps that is because between the years of 2000-2004, when the Obamas earned between $207,647 and $275,123 per year (which qualifies under Obama’s idea of those who have more), their charitable donations only equaled about one percent of their total income. I believe people tend to project themselves onto others. A thief thinks everyone is a thief and a liar thinks everyone is a liar. Perhaps Obama is doing the same. Maybe because he doesn’t step up to the plate and donate, he thinks you aren’t either. Obama did not increase his charitable donations until he began his run for the Presidency. This is a little shocking for a man who believes it is better for everyone when you "spread the wealth around." Now, to me, if the government is going to "spread the wealth around," that sounds like socialism. So, in closing I would have to say the generous nature of the United States of America does not need a socialist government to force the rich to help the poor. This is what makes our country great. When someone is in need, the people step up to the plate and take care of each other, we saw that in 2001 following the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and again in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina destroyed the region. U.S. citizens felt they needed to help and they did. We don’t need Barack Obama to take our money and "spread the wealth around" because we already do it the way it should be done, on our own. What we need from our government right now, is for it to keep us safe from further terrorist attacks and for it to fix our economy. You don’t accomplish that by emboldening the terrorists by abandoning the war effort and by raising our taxes. We need to win these wars in the Middle East and we need to create more jobs at home. John McCain will do that, Barack Obama will not.