A Political Poll - Just For Fun

[Scout]

I agree it will take longer to fix what the previous president screwed up
i'd like to have a beer with Obama!

[lovemykidstoo]

i'd like to have a beer with Obama!

I wouldn't walk across the street to see him.

[Country Kids]

My husband and I choose not to vote.

Glad to see I wasn't the only one who said this.

[lovemykidstoo]

Glad to see I wasn't the only one who said this.

Did either one of you vote last time and if you care to answer who did you vote for that time?

[Country Kids]

Did either one of you vote last time and if you care to answer who did you vote for that time?

No, we didn't vote last time, nor the time before or the time before that. Lets see I think the one and only time I voted was maybe 1990.

[momofboys]

I don't know how to respond the way you did, so I will just number them off...

3. Again, I don't know your personal student loan situatin. I do know that under President Obama's student loan overhaul, payments are capped at 10% of income rather than 15; at 20 years unpaid balances are forgiven as opposed to 25 years and 10 years for pubic service employees.http://content.usatoday.com/communit...tudent-loans/1

4. Yes, he really did say to let the auto industry tank; fortunately he isn't the president so that didn't happen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/opinion/19romney.html?_r=1

5. Yes, he really suggested that the foclosure process proceed. Fortunately, again, he was not in power.

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/romney-dont-try-and-stop-the-foreclosure-process-video.php

6. I understand that his 13% is bigger than mine. Even Warren Buffet, one of the wealthiest men in the country disagrees with the inequity of tax rates.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/08/15/news/economy/buffett_taxes/index.htm

7. I don't want his religious issues in my government. Yes, I know we all have our beliefs and Presidential power is limited. If I agreed with his politics, I might overlook his personal beliefs, but I don't agree with either.

8. The last was more of joke.

Wow, when I graduated from college I paid all my student loans in FULL. I am not THAT old (just turned 40) & had all my loans paid off within 5 years of graduation. Personally I think this is the big problem with our country - wracking up debt like crazy - not being responsible for our debts. Since when is it okay to not pay your bills & who is making up the difference for what isn't paid??

[jen]

I have a question about the student loans. After 20 years the balance of the loan is forgiven. Who do you think is going to pay for all of those balances? Ummmmm, WE ARE!!! Do you think they just disappear?

As far as the auto industry, I'm not sure I agree with them bailing them out either. Since when does the gov't step in and save a privately owned business?

I hear what you are saying regarding student loans; there are a couple more considerations. Individuals who obtain college degrees make signifciantly more than those who do not...and those who make more money, pay more taxes. Individuals with college degrees are more likely to have health insurance, and are less likely to burden the economy through the use of government programs.

When our country supports young people in their quest for education, we are investing in ALL of our futures.

As for the auto industry, even Mitt can't make up his mind on that...

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/From-the-Wires/2012/0214/Is-Mitt-Romney-flip-flopping-on-the-auto-industry-bailout

[jen]

Wow, when I graduated from college I paid all my student loans in FULL. I am not THAT old (just turned 40) & had all my loans paid off within 5 years of graduation. Personally I think this is the big problem with our country - wracking up debt like crazy - not being responsible for our debts. Since when is it okay to not pay your bills & who is making up the difference for what isn't paid??

This problem:


Here are three salient facts about tuition and fees. Over the last 30 years, the average sticker price at public and private American universities has accelerated upward. Since 1981 the list price level of tuition and fees has risen sixfold while the consumer price index has only increased two-and-a-half times. This fact is well-known, and it fuels much of the talk about a crisis in higher education.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/01/rising-cost-education-opinions-best-colleges-10-feldman-archibald.html

[momofboys]

I hear what you are saying regarding student loans; there are a couple more considerations. Individuals who obtain college degrees make signifciantly more than those who do not...and those who make more money, pay more taxes. Individuals with college degrees are more likely to have health insurance, and are less likely to burden the economy through the use of government programs.

When our country supports young people in their quest for education, we are investing in ALL of our futures.

As for the auto industry, even Mitt can't make up his mind on that...

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Electio...dustry-bailout

My husband & I both have 4-year-degrees & while we are not poor we have 3 children & my income is not very substantial. We probably get more back than we put into the system simply because we have 3 kids & primarily live on my DH's income (which despite our college degrees still puts us in very low middle class - we would qualify for reduced lunches at my kids' school if we applied but I know there is always someone who is in need more than we are!). I do realize the cost of education has skyrocketed - I want our boys to go to college. But if that means they have to go to comunity college for 2 years I am fine with that. They also will have to get wonderful grades and/or excel at a sport (scholarship, etc). If that does not happen then college may have to go on the backburner because honestly I don't think it is right to enter into something thinking you can get out of paying for it. Simply put - if you can't afford it then don't go. I am all for individuals excelling & being the best they can but education is not free. JMHO!

[SilverSabre25]

See, I'm kind of with the "don't vote" camp. I haven't worked up the courage to do it yet, instead choosing between dumb and dumber most of the time, but my problem is this: at it's heart, I do not agree with the current American political system and therefore, I have a very, very hard time bringing myself to support it by voting. "MY" voice is only "heard" IF I happen to vote for the side that "wins". That solves nothing.

Even voting for someone other than Republican/Democrat, still, to my mind, is contributing to a system that fundamentally is NOT working anymore.

I continue to vote, election after election, because I get ****ed into the hype of "It's your civic duty!" but I don't like it. I don't like the system. I think it's broken and inefficient and absolutely not what this country was founded to turn into. But, there's no where for that side of my voice to be heard.

[crazydaycarelady]

32 million on food stamps four years ago, 47 million on food stamps now??

Yeah, going with Romney. We can't stay on this path!

[momofboys]

See, I'm kind of with the "don't vote" camp. I haven't worked up the courage to do it yet, instead choosing between dumb and dumber most of the time, but my problem is this: at it's heart, I do not agree with the current American political system and therefore, I have a very, very hard time bringing myself to support it by voting. "MY" voice is only "heard" IF I happen to vote for the side that "wins". That solves nothing.

Even voting for someone other than Republican/Democrat, still, to my mind, is contributing to a system that fundamentally is NOT working anymore.

I continue to vote, election after election, because I get ****ed into the hype of "It's your civic duty!" but I don't like it. I don't like the system. I think it's broken and inefficient and absolutely not what this country was founded to turn into. But, there's no where for that side of my voice to be heard.

[Willow]

I don't know how to respond the way you did, so I will just number them off...

1. A direct result of the Affordable Care Act (Obama care). I'm not sure how you can say that doesn't have to do with Obama.

"Coverage for Young Adults: Under the Affordable Care Act, young adults under age 26 can stay on their parent’s health insurance plan until age 26 – a change that has already allowed 3.1 million young adults to get health coverage and given their families peace of mind."


While the idea that it's helping your individual family specifically right now is I'm sure a reassuring one, are you aware of who PPACA is coming at the expense of?


2. I don't know your personal housing situation but we were able to refinance under the Making Homes Affordable program. I thank President Obama for that program.

Making Homes Affordable was as backward as a program could be.

Your family may have been helped temporarily, but my children's children's children are going to be paying back the BILLIONS of dollars needed to bail out those lenders (GMAC, CitiMortgage etc).

And this is exactly the problem with America's economy today. It was spritzing a garden hose on an oil rig fire. It's a fix for today, and only today, and only for a select number of people.....at the expense of millions of people generations down the road.


3. Again, I don't know your personal student loan situatin. I do know that under President Obama's student loan overhaul, payments are capped at 10% of income rather than 15; at 20 years unpaid balances are forgiven as opposed to 25 years and 10 years for pubic service employees.

So who ultimately pays the final bill for all of those unpaid forgiven balances?

And if they're capped and people are paying less on them isn't that going to push more into having their balances forgiven too?



4. Yes, he really did say to let the auto industry tank; fortunately he isn't the president so that didn't happen.

People took a single sentence and and fluffed it up to epic and ridiculous proportions.

Obama did EXACTLY what Romney suggested, and look at what happened.

It is the only economic success Obama has had during his term and it wasn't even his to claim.


5. Yes, he really suggested that the foclosure process proceed. Fortunately, again, he was not in power.

That's not what he said. He suggested we let it run it's course, yes, but only to avoid, once again, adding to our skyrocketing federal deficit and tanking economy.

The program was designed to help 4 million people avoid foreclosure......but do you know how many it actually did?

1.

Last I checked 25% is not a passing grade.


And again, at who's expense did this occur?

It's a program my children's children's children are going to someday still be paying for.

I may have lost my home but at least my kids and theirs aren't going to have to pay for it.

6. I understand that his 13% is bigger than mine.


The above is all that matters.


The reason why many (notice I didn't say all) people don't care to get off their duffs and work to pay for what they have and want is because in this country people that try harder and accomplish more are expected to pick up their slack.

IMHO, people that accomplish more and contribute more deserve some credit for that.

7. I don't want his religious issues in my government.

Agree with you there.

And I already gave one example of how Obamas preferences are treading all over mine.

Thanks for the civil back and forth, I love talking about this kind of stuff

[jen]

My husband & I both have 4-year-degrees & while we are not poor we have 3 children & my income is not very substantial. We probably get more back than we put into the system simply because we have 3 kids & primarily live on my DH's income (which despite our college degrees still puts us in very low middle class - we would qualify for reduced lunches at my kids' school if we applied but I know there is always someone who is in need more than we are!). I do realize the cost of education has skyrocketed - I want our boys to go to college. But if that means they have to go to comunity college for 2 years I am fine with that. They also will have to get wonderful grades and/or excel at a sport (scholarship, etc). If that does not happen then college may have to go on the backburner because honestly I don't think it is right to enter into something thinking you can get out of paying for it. Simply put - if you can't afford it then don't go. I am all for individuals excelling & being the best they can but education is not free. JMHO!

Yep, and I respect that. Personally, I want my kids to go to college (actually, I have one in college) and I want them to go when they graduatefrom HS . I want that for them, and I want it for our society. I get that you personally don't contribute to the system at this point, but the fact is, college grads statistically DO pay in more.

"Earning more also means paying more taxes. A College Board report in 2007 claims that a college graduate will pay 134 percent in federal income tax and 80 percent more in federal, state and local taxes than someone who does not graduate high school. This amounts to $60,000 over a lifetime."

"The report titled "The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings" (.pdf) reveals that over an adult's working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor's degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master's degree, $2.5 million.

Persons with doctoral degrees earn an average of $3.4 million during their working life, while those with professional degrees do best at $4.4 million."

[Willow]

Poor proctor, he looks so frustrated.

I thought the same thing ::

I swear I could hear his thoughts when Romney said he liked PBS but planned on cutting funding for it.....pretty sure he lost one right there