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Friends, the time has come to tell you a bit about myself. I'm in my 50's and long since divorced, with no kids. I live alone, and make just about enough money to provide the necessities of life (smokes, alcohol, food, and rent.)
Over the last forty-odd years, I have paid over half my income in taxes (federal, state, and local) to support the vote-buying tactics of various politicians. I've fed and housed several generations of those on welfare, provided child care and education for other people's children, subsidized mortgages, bailed out saving and loans, and generally supported other people while living the proverbial "one paycheck away from being homeless."
As I look at the tax proposals of the two major presidential candidates, I see that Al Gore is going to give me tax credits for all the things I don't have, like kids, a wife, and a house. Under his plan, I'm right back where I started--supporting people who have more than I do. George Bush, on the other hand, actually has something to offer me--NO INCOME TAX AT ALL! Under his tax plan, my piddling income would land me in the 0% tax bracket.
All of Gore's tax credits and new bureaucracies have to be paid for by someone. He'd have you believe that the "rich" people (which, by his definition, would include a union plumber married to a school teacher) will foot the bill. In fact, the major burden will, as usual, fall on the lower income, single taxpayers. Gore is fond of claiming that Bush's tax cuts would favor the "rich" over the middle class. In terms of actual dollars, he has a point. But when it comes down to the percentage of income paid in taxes, and the impact on take-home pay, the people with the most to gain under Bush's proposals are the middle class and the working poor, and the only ones who lose are those who believe in big government.
Did you ever wonder why Al Gore is running for President? Actually, it was his mother's idea. After Al Gore Sr. (then the junior Senator from Tennessee) was passed over in favor of Estes Kefauver (the senior Senator from Tennessee) as Adlai Stevenson's running mate, Al Junior's mother decided that her son was the best hope the Gores had of getting a family member into the White House. Junior was groomed from an early age to be a politician. Although he grew up in Washington hotel rooms and boarding schools, his mother made a point of having him spend his vacations at the family estate in Tennessee, so he could claim Middle American roots he really didn't have. From his school days to the present, he has been building his resume in preparation for a run for the Presidency. His entire life has been devoted to the campaign which ends this Tuesday. Hopefully, his dream will end as well.
And now, some kind words about a liberal.
I was greatly saddened to learn of the death of Steve Allen. Not only was he very funny, he was also a very thoughtful and intelligent man. I have read some of his books, and, while I don't generally agree with his conclusions, he raises many valid points, particularly regarding the coarsening and dumbing down of our society. His Meeting of Minds was about the best show I've seen on PBS. For many years, he wrote a song a day, and several books a year. Although I did not share his political philosophy, I've always admired and respected him as an artist, an entertainer, and a genuinely decent person. We'll missyou, Steverino.
This being (obviously) my last column before the election, I'd like to leave you with a final thought. If the candidate you vote for loses, you have a right to complain about the victor's policies. If the candidate you voted for wins, but breaks his campaign promises, you also have a right to bitch. But if you didn't bother to get off your butt and vote, you have given up your right to beef about anything the G may do. Voting is a right most people in the world would die to have. Don't take it lightly.
VOTE!!!
Cowboy
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