Synchronized presidental debating

Did you watch all the debates? Got the feeling you're hearing the same thing over and over again? Check this out:

http://www.236.com/video/2008/watch_synchronized_presidentia_9857.php

I don't know what it means and you can see that the author had to do some editing, but wow.

Sorry, I'm having trouble embedding the video here, so I just posted a link to the original. Trust me, you want to see this.

A letter from Ken and my response

This was a letter I received from Ken on Wednesday. I appreciate the time he took to write it, and I thought it deserved equal time considering it, and answering. Below is his letter and my response:

Gary,
We live in a democracy, we're part of a community, we make common decisions. It's sad but you guys seem to think that individual material gain is what matters. You may not realize this but you're mocking democracy. Where's your sense of solidarity and community. An atomized society flys in the face of democracy, it's shameful.

Kenneth, I also share my wealth by buying Thanksgiving dinner for people (7) of them this year, donating to charities, paying for lunches, dinners and tickets for people who can't do it themselves, and sponsoring people to baseball games who otherwise couldn't go. I also sponsor two scholarships for $4,000 and gave $3300 to a school to honor my mom and dad; money that would help for better education of students.

None of that money comes from the government; it comes from me despite the government's efforts to take more and more from me as a producer. Without people like me, the democracy, and particularly the representative democracy which puts them in power doesn't exist. Without my money and other producers like me who have bought into them representing me and you, they are nothing. They produce nothing unless I provide them with the means. My compact with them includes respecting my choices, and making decisions that respect the way I do business as a taxpayer, but more importantly a producer in this country.

When I and people like me stop producing, those who live off the fruits of those labors that are given money by our representatives will receive no more. Do not lecture me about democracy, which by the way means "people power" from the old Greek term. Do you think that meant we should have the power, or just the few representatives whose track record is far worse than most American households where we produce each day?

As far as my sense of community, each member of the community should be doing their best to contribute in some way to, and should not be whining about what the government can do to give them more or perpetuate dependence; rather should be fostering their own independence. That will certainly help the solidarity, togetherness and bond within any community.

Best regards,
Gary Sutton

Redistribution of wealth--Progressive or Regressive

The following is a reprint of a response I had in an earlier post. It is not an attenpt to be a revisionist historian to Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" which I have read. Rather, it is to discuss the benefits and merits of a concept. Debate it rather than just offer up names. Here it is:

The idea that government should choose who the winners will be and who the losers will be is anathema to the whole principle of free choice, isn't it? Progressive taxes? Repudiation of the Bush-Cheyney policies? Come on.

The ultimate job of government is to get out of the way so that individual initiative can have a chance to realize goals if pursued by the individual. It is, or was, based on a society that believed in independence and work. The only "fairness" that we worried about was to try as much as possible to have a level playing field for all in this country.

I do believe that there must be stricter regulation and oversight for situations that we have seen in this financial crises. When power and wealth are abused, especially in a way that takes all of us with them, there must be safeguards in our system of freedoms. People make bad choices, and illegal choices. They must be held accountable.

Having said that, what is progressive about any tax? Government produces no money, but takes it from those that do, then make them pay progressively more than those who don't???? What is progressive about that? How does that provide greater incentive for people to create wealth in this country? How does a 35% corporate tax keep business in this country when every other industrialized country offers less of a strain on earnings? Senator Obama is right in the sense that wealth is built "from the ground up." When you start at ground level, don't you want to achieve higher status financially. What a goal to look forward to when you know that your efforts will lead to a "progressive tax." How is that progressive for success?

Lessen the tax confiscation, tighten the spending, and find an equitable way to provide tax cuts for 100% of citizens in this country; not just 95%. If you nwant to create a nanny state of dependency where we whine for fairness defined as what I can get, I believe we go opposite the very tenets on which we were founded.

An Obama Radio Interview from 2001--Redistribution of wealth.

This has become the great dividing point in the Election of 2008. Where do you come down?

The Election Night Hoe-Down at WOW!

I want to encourage everyone to come out to WOW on Election Night, eat some great food, and take part in some great conversation. We'll also be blogging throughout the evening. I will be there from 6-9 or so. Please plan on stopping by and taking part.
Most importantly, you'll get a chance to hang out with Jay. What could be more awesome? GS

Governor Richardson and Friday's Show

Governor Bill Richardson was supposed to be my guest on yesterday's show, but he stood me up. After waiting 1-1/2 hours to tape the interview, and with much help from an Obama aide, Ebony Meeks, we finally threw in the towel. Sorry. I like the Governor, and was looking forward to his insights. (Sorry especially to RB.)

Friday, we have Chris Markowski, "The Watchdog of Wall Street" from 6:10 to 6:25. This guy is sharp, and he'll be getting into analysis on gas prices, candidates' gas plans, and abolishing 401k tax breaks. Check out his website at http://watchdogonwallstreet.com/tv.html

We also have Dr. Terry Madonna from Franklin and Marshall College who will be talking about the new Franklin and Marshall/Hearst-Argyle Presidential Poll. Find out more at http://www.fandm.edu/x2217.xml

Our 8-9 Call-In Hour will focus on "What changes you would like to see to future presidential campaigns and elections" plus "When it comes down to it in the simplest terms, what is this election really all about?"

Join us 6-9am on York's Morning News.

Wednesday's Show

Guests on 10/22 show:

Barbara Comstock on "The Fairness Doctrine." You can find her article on the Fairness Doctrine at http://article.nationalreview.com (Archives) 10/20/08 date written.

Harold Holzer on Lincoln as a leader and what he would tell our candidates today as one gets ready for the presidency. Has written new book, "Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-61 (Simon and Schuster, October 21, 2008, $30 .

Attorney Norman Shabel on corporate greed and what to do about it. Has written book, "The Corporation" which deals with greed.

TOMORROW:

GovernorBill Richardson will be on the show @ Obama and his take on the election.

Brian Aderson on the fairness doctrine and his new book, "A Manifesto for Media Freedom."

Monday's York's Morning News

Our guests today on York's Morning News are :

Gary Gagliardi of The Science of Strategy Institute on the topic of ACORN (The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.) If you care to follow up on his work, go to www.scienceofstrategy.com . 6:00 hour.

Joe Mahoney is an investment advisor with Edward Jones Investments in York, PA . He is discussing the financial bailoout and the progress on it in the 8:00 hour.

Thanks for listening--Comments are welcomed here! GS

Just taking a stroll down Main Street

Hey, my tiny amount of free time has shriveled up like a salted slug. That's why you haven't seen much in the way of tech tips and my I-hate-everyone, curmudgeonly political posts and comments.

Once things settle down here (hah!), I plan to work with Gary to make changes to the site to make it a better home for Main Street. I'm looking at a forum format and Gary is interested in making himself available for live chats and even gatherings here at my restaurant.

Speaking of which, is there any interest in an Election Night gathering here? We can put election coverage on the big TV's here.

New poll: Election night hoe-down at WOW?

New poll: Wanna do an election night hoe-down at WOW?

See above post -- Gary and I are thinking of having an election night gathering at WOW. Any interest?

And no, I'm not sure what a "hoe-down" entails. I'm not up on the lingo kids use today, because I'm old. So very old.

Poll results: Who won the VP debate?

Poll results: Who won the VP debate?

Sen. Biden - 23%
Gov. Palin - 53%
Neither - 11%
There was a debate? - 11%

Did anyone win in Debate 3?

Joe the Plumber was probably the biggest winner with some great publicity for business. I thought the introduction of this guy put the conversation on a "Main Street" level that people could understand in concrete terms. Using this point, McCain finally stumbled into differentiating between "spreading out the wealth" by the government, and the individual keeping his own money and making choices as to where it will go himself. This is the ultimate difference between the two.

What did you hear in the last debate?

NEW Candidate??

A staggering development.


CLICK HERE!!

Bailout or Rescue???

Now that the bill has become a law, has your anger faded? Maybe it was never there if you think it is ok for the same entity that lackedd oversight, and took part in this mess is the same one we choose each time to bail us out. Is this not the insanity that Einstein spoke of at an earlier time? Why do we distrust our institutions and individual ingenuity so much?

Maybe this vote was right for the moment, but what about the long-term; what about the future of our free enterprise system? Have we safeguarded our individual liberty, or have we altered the state of our economic system? Our problem is that we all think we need something new, but we are not willing to suffer through hard change to do it. We weren't willing to say "No" to our president and our Congress and face the prospect that change could come about with the result of market correction, not government direction. We are afraid of returning to our principles, which is why we seek the cocoon and comfort zone of letting government ride to a faux rescue using our real money.

We need change, but not the kind offered by Obama that wreaks of socialism, or McCain's which has only the policy du jour that will make him popular for the moment.
The change will only come from us in an ideological revolution. I know that this is totally idealistic which is why it doesn't work because we have lost our idealism, except in shallow speeches only geared to being elected. We are lost in our innocence of daily life, manipulated by those who have the power; that's government.

Forgive my negativity, but it is what I see, and the outcome is not one that is postive, at least from these eyes. Your thoughts....

New poll: Who won the VP debate?

New poll: Who won the VP debate?

Poll results: Who lost the 1st debate?

Poll results: Who lost the 1st debate?

Sen. McCain - 25%
Sen. Obama - 35%
Neither - 12%
America - 25%

Is America ready to elect someone from Main Street?

Realizing that the VP debate is a sideshow to electing the presidential candidates, I was struck by a thought ; Is America ready to put someone from Main Street close to the presidency? It seems to me that it was not so much a debate last night as a statement of principles. Fairness for Biden and Individual liberty for Palen. More importantly, Palen was the object of perception it seemed to me, while Biden was much more concise as the Washington insider. Main Street language like "Doggone it," "Darn Right," and "God Bless him" were there to connect depending on who said it. So what did the debate do for you, if anything.

VP Debate Drinking Game

MIT's paper The Tech presents: The VP debate drinking game! A sample of some rules:

When Biden begins the “I take the train home everyday story” being drinking. Don’t stop ’till he finishes.

When Palin insists that governing a small town in Alaska is in fact experience: Give your friend a shot glass of beer when he/she asks for a pint and insist it’s the same thing.

Have fun and remember you have to work tomorrow!

Link to VP Debate Drinking Game (from MIT's The Tech)

Just a little bit of history and timeline on the financial mess

Just thought I would post some points since the "Elite media" seems to want to forget whose negligence, and involvement helped get us into this mess.