With the
2012 election under a year away, it's shaping up to be a roller coaster ride. As the 2010 mid-term elections went towards the Republicans, we are seeing the aftereffects now. As President Obama has tried to push through programs that would help the economy and country, the Republicans and their Tea Party members have put up a roadblock on every corner.
While the president has been forced to give in to the destructive demands of the Republican party, the GOP has simply pointed the finger of blame at President Obama when they should be pointing that finger back at themselves. Here are five of what could be a very long list, of reasons you must vote for President Obama and the Democrats in 2012.
1. The Economy and the destructive Tax Code - For the last 30 years, the United States tax code has helped destroy the American economic climate.
It began in 1980 with the election of
Ronald Reagan, one of the worst Presidents we have seen in our country's history.
Reagan lowered the top tax rate from 70% to 28% during the eight years he was in office, and raised taxes that primarily hit the middle and working class eleven times. As he managed to triple the national debt, Reagan borrowed from the Social Security trust fund to make up for his reckless tax policies. The economy began to pick back up as President Bill Clinton raised the top tax bracket back up to 39%. When George Bush was sworn into office in January of 2001, on the top of his "to-do" list was to bring taxes back down.
With the start of the "Bush Tax cuts,"
the rich got richer and the rest of the country began to struggle. With dangerously low capital gains rates, more loopholes for big oil and gas companies and wall street running wild, the economy finally felt the pressure and crashed in 2008. As President Obama continues to try to bring the economy and country back on track, he can't do it with the Republicans overwhelming him in congress. The destructive tax code and our economy are at the top of the list for reasons to vote for President Obama and the Democrats in 2012.
2. "Entitlements"- The big three as they are known, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, are three of the most successful programs that Americans have relied on for decades.
While the Republicans want to privatize these programs and put them in the hands of the private sector so they can gamble and continue to add to their profits,
President Obama and the Democrats want to preserve these programs and help them become stronger. Republicans often spew out unfiltered false information about these programs, calling them broke, un-American or a Ponzi Scheme. Social Security itself has a $2.6 trillion dollar surplus and can pay out 100% of its benefits until 2037, and 80% of its benefits until 2057.
Currently, there is a cap on Social Security. Those who make over $106,800 a year don't pay into the Social Security tax on their addition income. A person making $1 million a year would pay around 10% of their income into Social Security, while the average household making around $50,000 a year, pays 100% of their income into Social Security. The president and Democrats want to raise the cap, having the wealthy pay their fair share, adding more money into the fund to make it solvent for decades longer. As the
Republicans try to raise the retirement age and send these programs into the hands of the private sector, The president wants to keep it in the hands of the people.
3. Wars - The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a toll on America. Whether it's the trillions of dollars it has taken from our economy or the thousands of lives that have been lost, the cost is too high.
George Bush jumped the gun with false information and invaded Iraq that, almost a decade later, we still sit and try to rebuild To his credit, President Obama has removed the majority of the troops from Iraq and with even more to come home within the next two years. The idea of invading Afghanistan was somewhat tricky as we were attacked on
9/11 by a terrorist group, not a country. However, a major part of that terrorist group was from Afghanistan so the idea of invading that country was so what more warranted. However, just months after the US entered the country, the George Bush led military had
Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden, on the run in Tora Bora. Somehow, the beaten down old man with a cain found his way out through the mountains.
Fast forward almost a decade later, President Obama takes troops out of Iraq, loads them up in Afghanistan and finally brings down the mastermind of those horrible attacks, Osama Bin Laden. President Obama has gotten involved in strikes in Libya, but those are not direct wars with the US, but partnerships with the United Nations. While the hypocritical Republicans talk about cutting spending they don't seem to ever want to cut where the biggest fat is, military spending. The president plans to pull troops out of both unwanted wars and cut money from unneeded projects.
4. Civil Rights - The world is changing and people's views change with the times. However, not everyone seems to have changed their mind.
The conservative mindset still punishes people for not fitting an exact line of thinking. Whether it's the utter hate of homosexuals, minorities, African-Americans, women and many others, the Republican Party has taken a stance towards bigotry. The first bill that was passed by the Obama administration was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, that gave women the right to be paid at the same rate as men.
In addition, Democrats around the country have rallied for same-sex equality, getting its greatest victory in New York, with the legalization of same-sex marriage as well as the official overturn of Don't Ask, Don't Tell that now lets gays and lesbians serve openly in the military. The conservatives have also taken a hard stance on abortion, making their voice heard that a woman must be forced to give birth to her unwanted baby, and sometimes even in cases of rape and incest. In order to keep the ball rolling on equality,
Democrats must be voted back in office or the Republicans will turn back the clock on our country's progress.
5. Simple Science - Science is something that should be embraced not denied.
Whether you are a person of faith or not, turning away from science because it might not fit in with your religious beliefs, is a handicap on your brain. Teaching young children to deny scientific facts and knowledge that are accepted by nearly 99% of the scientific community is nothing short of irresponsible parenting. As the Tea Party has pulled the Republican Party to the political right, they have stepped all over science in doing so.
With their denial of man-made Climate Change and their ludicrous and dangerous stance on evolution, the Republican Party has proven that if they gain anymore power that the teaching of facts might be a thing of the past.
Now, President Obama and the Democrats have their faults. Not everything they do you might agree with, sometimes you might heavily disagree.
However, the difference between the two major political parties are very clear. Voting to put more Republicans in charge will only bring the country to the break of failure.
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