My Choice is Mike Huckabee
– Kyle Farinella
Ok, I know it’s rare around here, but I am a Republican; born and raised in Medford. Voters have a plethora of options in this Presidential election; from the far-left and far-right, all views seem to be covered. However, not all of our personal views rest with one candidate. This is a common issue; it is rare to have a candidate that you agree with completely. We need to look at the issues that mean the most to us personally, as well as the country’s biggest issues, and then choose.
It looks like history will be made in this election as well. All polls point to there either being the first black candidate or the first woman candidate to ever be nominated by a major political party in our history. That’s great; America has come so far in a relatively short period of time in regards to equal rights for all. We have always had them in writing, in the Constitution and amendments, but as the saying goes, actions speak lauder than words.
To my choice, Mike Huckabee; hear me out before you roll your eyes. My major issues are economic policy, health care, and foreign policy. The working people of this country are being treated unfairly under the current tax code and it needs to be fixed. Mike Huckabee’s tax reform plan consists of kicking the IRS to the curb and replacing it with a Fair Tax, Consumption Tax, is a great way to give working people a fair chance. Today, drug dealer, bookies, the guy who mows the lawn and all other “under the table†workers reap all the benefits of social programs but put nothing into it. With the Fair Tax, everyone pays the same – sounds fair to me. Get real; if you had to write a check to the IRS every year instead of having it taken out of your paycheck upfront, you would be outraged. Can you tell me how much you make before taxes each pay period? Probably not, but I bet you know how much you take home.
Health car is a major issue and needs to be address by my generation in particular; I’m 29 by the way. We are paying into a social security system that will not be there when we need it. Why? Because we are paying for the Baby Boomers’ Viagra! Health care has become a joke. If you smoke, and get an illness because you smoke, why should I pay higher premiums for you? If you weigh 350lbs, why should I pay higher premiums for your bad eating habit – no exercising correlated illness? If you do harmful things to your body, you should pay higher premiums and visa versa; just like auto and life insurance. Mike Huckabee addresses these issues.
This is Massachusetts, so I won’t even try to change most of the local views on the war on terror. I will say this, how many attacks have we had since 9/11? None. A strong national defense is important, don’t be naïve.
Above all, GET OUT AND VOTE; and don’t forget, in the end we are all on the same team, we just have different views.
Kyle Farinella is a Medford resident supporting Mike Huckabee. Want to write about your favorite candidate? Email news@insidemedford.com.Â
[Full disclosure: I am an active Democrat and am supporting Barack Obama in the primary.]
Mike Huckabee’s Fair Tax is neither fair nor good for the country. Poor and working class people would bear the brunt of it, the federal government would lose millions (what will be cut? clearly not military spending, if Huckabee is in charge), and enforcement would still be a drag (not to mention the increase in black market crime). And all this is being proposed by someone who significantly increased taxes and spending while governor of Arkansas. See http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2007/12/huckabee-fair-tax-fallacies.html for a good analysis of all this.
As for healthcare, the reason that you should subsidize the costs of people less fortunate than you (whatever the reason) is that someday you may be the less fortunate one and need the help of someone else. That’s how insurance works, by balancing the risk across people. Besides, don’t you think that the 350-pound guy you mention likely has enough problems in his life (health issues, social stigma, self image, etc.) without going bankrupt, leading to problems with his family, lack of adequate care for his children, deterioration of his home, and all the effects this would have on you, me, and the rest of his neighbors? I have no objection to insurers charging a bit higher premiums for people with health risks (that’s how free market insurance works), but to say it’s every man for himself doesn’t seem like much of a solution to improving people’s quality of life.
As for Mike Huckabee, he has no plan to improve health care. His solution is basically more of the same. His minor suggestions, like limiting liability and working with people to solve the problem, are vague and unlikely to do much of anything that hasn’t already been done by everyone else who has promised the same things.
Mike Huckabee in the White House will not make Medford a better place to live or make most Medfordians’ lives easier. Instead, it’ll be more of the same thing we have now: more and more government control of our lives (and spending) in the name of “security,” while we make no progress on the important social issues like education, health care, and the economy.
Maxim
First, thanks for responding to my views, presentation and debate of issues if very important. That said, I am confused as to why you think the poor and working class would bear the brunt of the Fair Tax initiative. Under the plan, the low income earners would receive a rebate on the tax they spend. The working class would be given the freedom to choose where they spend their money. For example, do I buy that flat screen T.V. or pay down a credit card. Today, we do not have these options because, as you know, the money is taken from our checks without our say in the matter.
I am well aware of Governor Huckabee’s record in Arkansas. What you failed to mention is that he governed with an overwhelmingly Democratic Legislature that did not take well to tax cuts, but he still got some through. Also, Arkansas was ordered by the courts to spend more on education. The people also voted to raise taxes in order to improve their roads. Like all things, we need to look at things critically before we judge.
As for heath-care, your Socialistic philosophy of everyone taking care of others is not for me. You can’t FORCE others to pay for other people’s problems.
How would Mike Huckabee make government larger? I have no idea what you are saying with that. Has he proposed new programs that I am unaware of?
To debate your last few words:
Education – Fixed and improved Arkansas’s education system, higher test scores.
Heath Care – Promotes people to be proactive towards their health by educating them on how to be healthy before becoming sick.
Economy – Eliminate the IRS and implement the Fair Tax; these will even the playing field for all Americans.