Conversations With The Enemy
The following are excerpts from a couple of my brother's conversations with "the enemy" and serves as a good model for the sorts of conversations we should all be having with those that are either not yet convinced about Kerry or are truly opposed to him. Note that my brother is a new convert to the party and has libertarian leanings
In response to a Nader voter who feels that it is completely unclear what exactly John Kerry stands for, my brother presented this specific 6 point outline of what John Kerry will do as president:
1. Cut middle class taxes: Let me be very clear: I will not raise taxes on middle-class Americans by one dime -- I will cut them, including tax cuts to make health care and education more affordable. 98 percent of Americans will pay less taxes under my plan, period.
2. Repeal Bush's tax cuts for the elite to pay for health and education: I will make health care affordable and accessible for all Americans and invest in education by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for individuals making over $200,000 per year.
3. Get government spending under control: I will restore the spending caps of the 1990s to ensure that spending -- outside of education and security -- does not grow faster than inflation.
4. End corporate welfare to reduce the deficit: I will push the McCain-Kerry Corporate Welfare Commission to eliminate wasteful and unnecessary corporate subsidies, and I will use the savings to reduce the deficit.
5. Reduce the corporate tax rate by 5 percent by ending tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas.
6. Provide significant relief to employers who offer their employees quality health coverage. Our plan will cover certain high-cost health cases and save families up to
$1,000 per year.
This was met with the following response from a conservative Republican:
Kerry is spouting the socialist mantra and I hope you can see that.
To which my brother replied:
"Ending tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas" is not socialism, I would say it is closer to Patriotism.
"Get government spending under control" is not socialism, to the contrary, it is closer to libertarianism.
"End corporate welfare" - true conservatives abhor corporate welfare, but Republicans, and Democrats too, will do almost anything for their big corporate donors so this would be a step in the right direction.
"Cut middle class taxes" Now here we go, he is proposing CUTTING taxes on the middle class, cutting taxes, this is something I would think ALL conservatives would support!
"Repeal Bush's tax cuts for the elite to pay for health and education" This may be where you're getting the "socialist" label but remember that you are so far right that you seemingly assign that name to everything across the aisle from you. But from my view, only those who do not believe in freedom (like the anti-gay, and pro-life religious types, as well as the universal health care, super union supporters) would I say approach socialism.) The fact of the matter is that mostly everyone, except for the fringe libertarians and conservatives, believe in progressive taxes where the rich should get a higher tax rate than the poor.
In response to a Nader voter who feels that it is completely unclear what exactly John Kerry stands for, my brother presented this specific 6 point outline of what John Kerry will do as president:
1. Cut middle class taxes: Let me be very clear: I will not raise taxes on middle-class Americans by one dime -- I will cut them, including tax cuts to make health care and education more affordable. 98 percent of Americans will pay less taxes under my plan, period.
2. Repeal Bush's tax cuts for the elite to pay for health and education: I will make health care affordable and accessible for all Americans and invest in education by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for individuals making over $200,000 per year.
3. Get government spending under control: I will restore the spending caps of the 1990s to ensure that spending -- outside of education and security -- does not grow faster than inflation.
4. End corporate welfare to reduce the deficit: I will push the McCain-Kerry Corporate Welfare Commission to eliminate wasteful and unnecessary corporate subsidies, and I will use the savings to reduce the deficit.
5. Reduce the corporate tax rate by 5 percent by ending tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas.
6. Provide significant relief to employers who offer their employees quality health coverage. Our plan will cover certain high-cost health cases and save families up to
$1,000 per year.
This was met with the following response from a conservative Republican:
Kerry is spouting the socialist mantra and I hope you can see that.
To which my brother replied:
"Ending tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas" is not socialism, I would say it is closer to Patriotism.
"Get government spending under control" is not socialism, to the contrary, it is closer to libertarianism.
"End corporate welfare" - true conservatives abhor corporate welfare, but Republicans, and Democrats too, will do almost anything for their big corporate donors so this would be a step in the right direction.
"Cut middle class taxes" Now here we go, he is proposing CUTTING taxes on the middle class, cutting taxes, this is something I would think ALL conservatives would support!
"Repeal Bush's tax cuts for the elite to pay for health and education" This may be where you're getting the "socialist" label but remember that you are so far right that you seemingly assign that name to everything across the aisle from you. But from my view, only those who do not believe in freedom (like the anti-gay, and pro-life religious types, as well as the universal health care, super union supporters) would I say approach socialism.) The fact of the matter is that mostly everyone, except for the fringe libertarians and conservatives, believe in progressive taxes where the rich should get a higher tax rate than the poor.
posted by Todd at 11:01 AM
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