Random Rambling: Political Commentary

So, I saw the VP debate last night… I unfortunately missed the presidential debate last week due to forgetfulness. I’ve got a few random comments on things that I found interesting, which you’re free to comment on or ignore.

• The candidates spoke mostly about what their running-mates would do, and not a whole lot about themselves. I didn’t feel like I got enough information about these candidates to decide between them specifically, although I suppose that that’s not how I’d be making a decision.
• The media tries to make things controversial.
  • The moderator tried a question to the effect of “Do you think that your opponent is personally responsible for the increased cost of health care?”, as well as other questions trying to get them to butt heads with and insult each other specifically. Luckily, the candidates didn’t really go for it and mostly stuck to the issues.
  • The media has polls and encourages questions like “Who do you think won the debate?”, as opposed to what I think would be the point, “Do you think that the candidates did a good job describing their views and where they differ?”.
• Cheney made a good point that I don’t think most Americans understand. He stated why tax cuts for the rich were a good idea. People tend to want “tax cuts for the middle class”, which affect them and make their paychecks bigger immediately. However, I think the better long-term plan is what he proposed, giving tax breaks to richer people. If the owner of the company where I work (who would qualify under “rich” for most definitions, I think (although of course, I don’t know for certain as I am not his accountant)) gets a tax break, then he has more money to grow his company. This means that he can hire more people and give me more raises. It really seems like a better long-term plan to me. And even with the cut, the rich people would still continue to carry the largest portion of the tax burden.