[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by onlydarksets

It's an op-ed, not an article - big difference. It's typical for an op-ed, too. Light on substance, long on rhetoric.

Not too much rhetoric in the article, just reasonable predictions of what will likely happen.

- Universal health care: Yes it costs. It's worth it. We take health care for granted, but many can't afford it.

From the article..ooops, op-ed: "According to the Lewin Group, the gold standard of health policy analysis, the Obama plan would shift between 32 million and 52 million from private coverage to the huge new entitlement." This is similar to a program the state of Hawaii just cancelled where people who had insurance were dropping it to pick up the "freebie" from the government.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't take my health care for granted and pay a good amount each year for it. I'm willing to make that sacrifice for my family, why should I be penalized by higher taxes or worse coverage administered by the government, because others don't care to make the same sacrifice. Also there are other government programs available for people with low incomes to access health care.

- The business climate: Is the author actually arguing that Sarb-Ox is a bad thing?

There are/were unintended negatives to Sarbanes Oxley (as with most government programs)

Does Sarbanes-Oxley Hurt Shareholders and Hide Poor Management? - Knowledge@Wharton

- Taxes: Taxes will rise for 2% of Americans and fall for 98%. I really don't have a problem with that. And I'm part of the 2%.

I don't believe that for a second. Obama voted for tax increases on single filers making $ 42K and families making $ 90K. Of course he'll come to the center to win the election but if he wins, all bets are off especially with a liberal supermajority. Even if what he says is true, the top 1% already pay approximately 34% of the taxes in the U.S. 40% of the U.S. households pay no federal income tax. Not to mention the capital gains increases Obama has proposed, up to 28% I believe. Tax increases will only slow the economy, not help it. Who creates the jobs in the U.S., the top 2%. Tax them more and they'll cut jobs and not increase their business production, hurting the economy and the very people Obama and the dems claim to be helping. Also lifting the cap on SS & Medicare will affect folks making over $ 102K, if I'm correct.

- Free speech and voting rights: This is classic - "Increased access to the polls favors the Democrats". Seriously - is that an argument?

No conservative that I've heard has talked about restricting access to the polls, but election day voter registration makes the opportunity for fraud very easy. IMO this is a very serious and important argument. How would you verify the identities of the Dallas Cowboys when they're registering to vote with the local McDonalds as their address.