McCain campaign fires back at Obama

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has shifted his position on taxes to win the hearts of American people, when in reality he has voted 94 times to raise taxes, according to Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard. The McCain campaign held a teleconference with Fiorina and others in response to statements from the Obama campaign which said the Illinois senator would reduce taxes on the American people.

Fiorina said that Obama would institute $863 billion dollars in new spending programs if elected president. In addition, she said Obama has asked for nearly $1 billion in earmarks. Fiorina concluded by saying that the top five percent of wealthiest Americans will see the bulk of tax increases.

John Taylor, a Professor of Economics at Stanford University, said that with an economic recession looming, now is not the time to raise taxes on the Americans. He also said that McCain's primary economic focus is about creating jobs for the American people. Taylor agreed with Fiorina that Obama has shifted his position a number of times in order to earn more votes.

McCain at NAACP

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain discussed education, government spending, and the economy at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. In his remarks, McCain said his opponent democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama “an impressive fellow,” saying Obama has been able to inspire many Americans and that Obama has made historical strides for the United States.

McCain defended school voucher programs, asking where failing schools leave families and children in need of a good education. He said no bureaucracy should deny a child’s right to an education and that Americans are of dangerous schools with unqualified teachers. McCain also proposed aiding study outside of school by putting $500 million towards virtual schools and the expansion of online courses. He noted educational reform has been a goal of the NAACP, saying that despite the best efforts of teachers, blacks are among the most likely to drop out of high school. He criticized Obama’s opposition to educational programs in lower class neighborhoods and Obama’s decision to ignore public support for private school vouchers.

McCain said government spending has increased 60 percent in the last eight years, advocating reduced taxation as a method to ease Americans’ struggles with a hard economy. If elected, McCain told the conference he would double tax breaks for dependents and build 45 new nuclear plants as a method to develop alternative energy sources and to provide Americans 700,000 additional jobs. McCain closed by saying he needs counsel and goodwill from the NAACP to effectively help the United States.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) Doesn’t See the Light at the End of America’s Dark Economic Tunnel

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) interrogated Dr. Keith Hall, Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, before a Joint Economic Committee hearing focused on reviewing the problems with the current American employment situation.

Cummings hammered away at Hall, backing his stance with a barrage of statistics about the job market. The Congressman also offered a harsh critique of the recently passed Bush Administration stimulus package and the “shocking” state of less-than-adequate infrastructure growth our nation is experiencing.

Dr. Hall acknowledged that while manufacturing and retail employment was down, he refused to say that America was entrenched in full economic recession. Hall’s opinion was that the American economy was “flat” but not yet experiencing the “broad losses” generally characterizing an economy dealing with full recession. Hall noted that health care employment continued to expand, proving that not all areas of the job market were struggling as much as others.

Regardless of Hall’s optimism that America still can hopefully escape recession, Cummings’ dissatisfaction painted a dark portrait of a weak economic future he cautioned our country will likely face, should our government not work to provide more jobs for needy Americans.