Those dependent on Government

Carey wrote regarding her disability with Parkingson's disease and her need for Social Security and medicare

Dear Carey, I truly feel for you as someone depending on the solvency of the government to meet your needs. Each year since 1969, Congress has spent more money than its income. The Treasury Department has to borrow money to meet Congress's appropriations. The total borrowed is more than 10 trillion and growing. Even when government officials claim to have a surplus, they still spend more than they get in. We pay interest on that huge debt. Social Security alone is expected to need an additional 12 trillion as the baby boomers drain an underfunded system. Soon the interest payment on the debt will be bigger than any other item in the budget. Eventually, all you can do is pay the interest payment. This situation is known as bankruptcy. I sincerely hope you vote for a candidate that will stop corruption of the system by both sides and reduce excess spending or I believe the solvency of our govenment is in severe jeopardy and unfortunately your need for help

Politics and the truth. Incompatible?

There is a battle going on between Capitalism and Socialism. Both systems seem to be flawed. It appears our system is a hybrid with a battle going on inside of it. Let's look at the recent financial bailout and get a basic overview.

Freddie and Fannie were robbed by Capitalists who bought lobbyist and politicians. Who then allowed them to rob the system in exchange for money and power. In order to keep their power they went back to the same well over and over again. The government was paid "lobbied" to both ignore institutions and deregulate institutions. Both parties take a lot of money in exchange for power. I blame them both. Whoever had more money at the time, Dems or Repubs, ie. power got their agendas promoted. Both sides got parts of their agendas accomplished. Unfortunately at different times and with different results.

Let's look at Fannie and Freddie and their link to Wall Street.

Fannie and Freddie existed to promote low income housing and increase homeownership, part of the American dream. Fannie and Freddie were ignored and left unchecked despite warnings going back to the Clinton years. Wall Street lobbied hard for no regulation and was allowed to take the money, paper mortages, from Freddie and Fannie and repackage it in to financial products they could sell to investors. However, the financial product would only work if houses continued to sell and increase in value. When that stopped the "shit" hit the fan because the mark to market, the amount of money you could leverage had been deregulated to the point where Wall Street was overleveraged. AND they had falsely assumed that the mortgages from Fannie and Freddie were backed by the government because they had been told the Institution was sound by the government officials they had bought. Wall Streeters lied and said they were stable and more money poured in to try and prop up a house of cards.

Fannie and Freddie's attempt to spread socialism through the mortgage system failed miserably. I think both the "Capitalist" who then robbed the system and any government official that allowed them in exchange for power should be convicted and thrown in jail for life. We may agree this one. Maybe not.

However, I am very distressed that now the government has nationalized and bailed out the mortgage system and Wall Street.

If you own your own business, or are part of a business that allows you to grow. and our financial system allows you to prosper by letting you keep much of the money you earn through low taxes, this I believe in.

My fear however, is the subtle and slow loss of our freedoms to the point where we don't see it happening. I am for a free capitalistic styled society where we do pay taxes to help educate, keep our country free, help those in need, ect. Taxes are as close as I want to get to my idea of "socialism". At one time in my life I used to pay 50% in combined Federal and State taxes in California, The Federal was 39% for high earners and state 11%.

Personally the philosophy of power of Lenin, Marx and Saul Alinsky, our own American version, are not my cup of tea HOWEVER, I will also agree that the philosophy of power of the greedy capitalist is disgusting as well.

I would like to see us as a capitalist free society which is "governed" and the government can not be bought. If we just keep swinging from left to right and both sides are willing accomplices for their "greed" of power. Then we are in a heap of trouble. I am sure many realize when the Social Security bill comes due and all the baby boomers start collecting en masse. There is not enough money anywhere to bail us out of that one.

The bailout of Freddie Fannie and Wall Street only provides liquidity to the markets to lend money. It still does not address the issue of the individual home mortgage owners facing foreclosure. They are really gonna be pissed when they realize the bailout doesn't help them, it may if they are able to "qualify" for a new loan. But no more no money down, interest only. These foreclosures will have a continued devastating effect on our economy. Neither party has addressed that yet.

I personally think it's a healthy debate to look at this. I would be interested in in anyones thoughts as to if government can provide all the solutions to this problem or if individuals need to take responsibility along with responsible government and perhaps we need government oversight as well.

The concept of one person, one vote and the voice of American being heard is far from the truth. Large corporations, interests groups and lobbiest control the government. We the people need to form the largest lobby of all. Anyone caught abusing our freedoms or giving or taking money to oppose the will of the people should face serious criminal prosecution.

Can Obama change things? Highly doubtful. Can McCain? Well his own party and the other party are afraid of him that he might expose some of this. Campaign finance was shot down like a duck in hunting season. They said money equals free speak. WELL, guess who argued that point? The one with $$$$$$$$$$.

What are we going to do about all this? We face many choices. And our children's children's children will be saddled with the bad choices we make. We need to demand that government run like a sound business run by honest businessmen. Not greedy Capitalists that want to steal our wealth nor Socialists that want to redistribute our wealth.

Help!!!!!!!!!!