Obama: a moderate with vision
Athena Torretti
Issue date: 2/5/08 Section: Commentary
Senator Barack Obama is a different sort of democrat than America has seen in past elections, which could be good for the Democratic Party. He is a fascinating object to the American public and has been featured in magazines such Vogue and Oprah (some speculate because he is a better looking candidate than any of the others). During the New Hampshire debates he was calm, cool and collected despite Sen. Hilary Clinton's attacks. He is a democrat in an older style, and some say that if Jefferson or Hamilton were alive today they would resemble Obama. Obama is a supporter of a strong central government, though for a more limited brand than most modern democrats advocate.
Obama's fiscal, economic and welfare policies are all moderate in comparison with most of his democratic counterparts. He advocates a Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which aims at cutting down pork and other wasteful spending. Part of this act would mean that lobbyists could only add riders 72 hours or more before Senate votes on the bill. Economically, Obama wishes to encourage businesses, especially ones just starting out, relocating or expanding. He also wants to limit government regulations for investments in the private sector and decrease property taxes. Limits on welfare would be kept in place.
One controversial cornerstone of the Obama economic plan is the idea to increase income tax for those who make more than $75,000 a year and decrease the tax for those who make less than 75,000. Citizens claim that this punishes the breadwinners of society. However, the plan aims does not aim to punish the rich. Rather it should undo the tax cuts for the rich that went into effect under the Bush administration. This is in response to the increased discrepancy between rich and poor in recent years and the fast disappearance of the all-important middle class. If such a movement continues, the rich people will stay rich, while poor people will become poorer-that smacks of feudal society.
Obama's fiscal, economic and welfare policies are all moderate in comparison with most of his democratic counterparts. He advocates a Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which aims at cutting down pork and other wasteful spending. Part of this act would mean that lobbyists could only add riders 72 hours or more before Senate votes on the bill. Economically, Obama wishes to encourage businesses, especially ones just starting out, relocating or expanding. He also wants to limit government regulations for investments in the private sector and decrease property taxes. Limits on welfare would be kept in place.
One controversial cornerstone of the Obama economic plan is the idea to increase income tax for those who make more than $75,000 a year and decrease the tax for those who make less than 75,000. Citizens claim that this punishes the breadwinners of society. However, the plan aims does not aim to punish the rich. Rather it should undo the tax cuts for the rich that went into effect under the Bush administration. This is in response to the increased discrepancy between rich and poor in recent years and the fast disappearance of the all-important middle class. If such a movement continues, the rich people will stay rich, while poor people will become poorer-that smacks of feudal society.
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