Why I am Voting for XXXX
I imagine that anyone paying attention to the political noise of the last 4 months is getting quite tired of either Barack Obama being called a Socialist or Mitt Romney being called a Liar, or both. So much of what I have seen and heard on the media and the internet has been partisan shouting on one side vilifying the other side for wanting to lead the country in the wrong direction, or being vague about having specific plans to help the country, or displaying a hundred other faults.
Everyone in this country must agree that we need to improve the economy, and a core way of doing this is to create jobs. We also all must agree that one of the great things about the United States is our freedom.
Neither candidate seems to grasp how our economy really works. I am not a Harvard educated economist, but I have started and successfully run 2 businesses, both of which are profitable and have provided a living for a number of people. ZOO-INK, the older of the two, has been in business for 40 years, and AG Systems has been profitable for 26 years. Over 100 workers have collected wages through my companies, and not one dollar has been outsourced. I am not rich, yet I get great enjoyment from the work of running a business, and I like supporting my employees and helping our clients.
What have I learned in the School of Hard Knocks? I create jobs for people when there is demand for our products and services. I do not invest my savings to create jobs. I started ZOO-INK with a $400 investment, and AGS was bootstrapped by the cash flow of ZOO-INK. We do not need millionaires to create jobs for us. The call to "increase investment" rings hollow. Few entrepreneurs will invest resources in a business if they believe there will not be demand for their product or service.
How is demand created? By spending, of course. You have heard the phrase that we vote with our wallets. If you give $100 to a poor family, they will spend $100. Give $100 to a millionaire, and it will likely end up as an investment in a mutual fund. The economy is strong when money circulates fast, and parking funds in a Swiss bank account does nothing to help the employer down the street hire more workers.
We hear lots of talk of the deficit, and how we can't do this or spend that because we don't have the money. We live in a capitalist world (think international corporations). The history of a free market has been one of a boom and bust cycle. To counteract this cycle, and minimize the pain of the recessions, the government can play a corrective role and SPEND MONEY when times are bad, and PAY BACK THE MONEY IT BORROWS when times are good. Reducing spending during a recession aggravates the pain, and the deficit can be reduced dramatically when the economy is good and money is flowing. Why is no one paying attention to history? Why are so many people looking only at the short term?
What good is a strong economy without love? I believe that any actions a society takes should be in the direction of promoting MORE love on this planet. If 2 people want to get married, that should be encouraged, regardless of what your "scriptures" say. I do not believe that any 1 god is more right than any other god, or that we even need a god in order to foster love. All the gods I have met want more love on this earth, not less.
When love grows beyond our friends and relatives, we can have a greater sense of community. Most religions teach that it is a virtue to help the poor, and I see no reason why our society should reject the notion that we are all in this together. We can answer a "higher calling" if we recognize that the government can be an efficient vehicle to provide a safety net for the disadvantaged and to help people in time of need.
Freedom. We hear so much from both sides how this is the greatest country in the world, because we have freedom, liberty, and self-determination. When people live together, there must be standards of behavior that will impinge on our possible actions. We are not allowed to run a red light or steal from our neighbors, so by necessity our freedoms are limited. Laws should not be passed that limit freedoms without a benefit to society that is greater than the individual freedom that is lost. The government should have no say in how a woman treats her own body, pregnant or not. The government should not prescribe how one receives their medical care. And the government should keep its nose out of our personal business. And religion should play no role whatsoever in how our elected officials make their decisions.
There are good arguments for less government in some areas, and good arguments for more government in other areas. This debate should be ongoing, and always kept in the context of what our values are and what we want the future to look like for us and our descendants.
I base my decision on who to vote for by hearing what the candidates have to say, researching their past records, and understanding their plans for the future. I also read editorials, follow internet links, and study the results of fact checking. I strongly believe that electing President Obama to a second term in office will be in the best interests of the People of the United States of America.
--- Alan ---
Why I am Voting for XXXX
I imagine that anyone paying attention to the political noise of the last 4 months is getting quite tired of either Barack Obama being called a Socialist or Mitt Romney being called a Liar, or both. So much of what I have seen and heard on the media and the internet has been partisan shouting on one side vilifying the other side for wanting to lead the country in the wrong direction, or being vague about having specific plans to help the country, or displaying a hundred other faults.
Everyone in this country must agree that we need to improve the economy, and a core way of doing this is to create jobs. We also all must agree that one of the great things about the United States is our freedom.
Neither candidate seems to grasp how our economy really works. I am not a Harvard educated economist, but I have started and successfully run 2 businesses, both of which are profitable and have provided a living for a number of people. ZOO-INK, the older of the two, has been in business for 40 years, and AG Systems has been profitable for 26 years. Over 100 workers have collected wages through my companies, and not one dollar has been outsourced. I am not rich, yet I get great enjoyment from the work of running a business, and I like supporting my employees and helping our clients.
What have I learned in the School of Hard Knocks? I create jobs for people when there is demand for our products and services. I do not invest my savings to create jobs. I started ZOO-INK with a $400 investment, and AGS was bootstrapped by the cash flow of ZOO-INK. We do not need millionaires to create jobs for us. The call to "increase investment" rings hollow. Few entrepreneurs will invest resources in a business if they believe there will not be demand for their product or service.
How is demand created? By spending, of course. You have heard the phrase that we vote with our wallets. If you give $100 to a poor family, they will spend $100. Give $100 to a millionaire, and it will likely end up as an investment in a mutual fund. The economy is strong when money circulates fast, and parking funds in a Swiss bank account does nothing to help the employer down the street hire more workers.
We hear lots of talk of the deficit, and how we can't do this or spend that because we don't have the money. We live in a capitalist world (think international corporations). The history of a free market has been one of a boom and bust cycle. To counteract this cycle, and minimize the pain of the recessions, the government can play a corrective role and SPEND MONEY when times are bad, and PAY BACK THE MONEY IT BORROWS when times are good. Reducing spending during a recession aggravates the pain, and the deficit can be reduced dramatically when the economy is good and money is flowing. Why is no one paying attention to history? Why are so many people looking only at the short term?
What good is a strong economy without love? I believe that any actions a society takes should be in the direction of promoting MORE love on this planet. If 2 people want to get married, that should be encouraged, regardless of what your "scriptures" say. I do not believe that any 1 god is more right than any other god, or that we even need a god in order to foster love. All the gods I have met want more love on this earth, not less.
When love grows beyond our friends and relatives, we can have a greater sense of community. Most religions teach that it is a virtue to help the poor, and I see no reason why our society should reject the notion that we are all in this together. We can answer a "higher calling" if we recognize that the government can be an efficient vehicle to provide a safety net for the disadvantaged and to help people in time of need.
Freedom. We hear so much from both sides how this is the greatest country in the world, because we have freedom, liberty, and self-determination. When people live together, there must be standards of behavior that will impinge on our possible actions. We are not allowed to run a red light or steal from our neighbors, so by necessity our freedoms are limited. Laws should not be passed that limit freedoms without a benefit to society that is greater than the individual freedom that is lost. The government should have no say in how a woman treats her own body, pregnant or not. The government should not prescribe how one receives their medical care. And the government should keep its nose out of our personal business. And religion should play no role whatsoever in how our elected officials make their decisions.
There are good arguments for less government in some areas, and good arguments for more government in other areas. This debate should be ongoing, and always kept in the context of what our values are and what we want the future to look like for us and our descendants.
I base my decision on who to vote for by hearing what the candidates have to say, researching their past records, and understanding their plans for the future. I also read editorials, follow internet links, and study the results of fact checking. I strongly believe that electing President Obama to a second term in office will be in the best interests of the People of the United States of America.
--- Alan ---