Any benefit I may have recieved b/c of reduced federal taxes are gone b/c of the higher prices of necessities and increased local taxes to handle the cost of educating the local population.

 

I am also concerned about how much it is going to cost me to send my son and daughter off to college.

It's a great question to ask.

 

I remember Reagan really winning with landslide proportions on just asking it twice. Once in 1980 (Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?) and again in 1984 (Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?).

 

The "No" by the many in 1980 signaled the end of Carter and the "yes" by man in 1984 signaled the landslide end for Mondale.

 

As to my answer. I have to say, "no."

 

Will it be a deciding question for me? I don't know. Bush isn't running. McCain is. And I have always thought more of McCain than Bush. I see differences in the 2 that others do not. I don't know who I will cast a ballot for but it won't be easy either way.

It doesn't matter who is running for President. College costs are going up and I don't see Obama and his party or MCcain bringing the costs down (remember, most of us are middle America). I don't want to hear about the free aid either because middle America does not qualify.

I am about the same, but my customers are hurting and have had to lay people off. I have had to travel further and work harder to develope new business to make up for existing customers orders being down. But hey, that's life.

Obama's proposals:

 

Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Obama will also ensure that the tax credit is available to families at the time of enrollment by using prior year's tax data to deliver the credit when tuition is due.

Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application.

 

McCain's proposals:

 

 

Prepare for the 21st Century in Higher Education

America is facing increased competition from overseas like never before. Higher education is as much a part of that competition as the job sector, and we must rise to the challenge and modernize our universities so that they retain their status as producers of the most skilled workforce in the world. The answer is not to impose more regulations on institutions, but to encourage the government to support innovative approaches to education, removing regulatory barriers that prevent us from moving forward with new ideas.

Improve Information for Parents

Institutions report on hundreds of factors to the U.S. government every year, but the government does nothing with the information. Making this information available to families in a clear and concise manner will help more students make more informed choices about higher education.

Simplify Higher Education Tax Benefits

The existing tax benefits are too complicated, and many eligible families don’t claim them. By simplifying the existing benefits, I can ensure that a greater number of families have a lower tax burden when they are helping to send their children to college.

Simplify Federal Financial Aid

Too many programs and a complicated application process deter many eligible students from seeking student aid. The number of programs also makes it more difficult for financial aid officers to help students navigate the process. Consolidating programs will help simplify the administration of these programs, and help more students have a better understanding of their eligibility for aid.

Improve Research by Eliminating Earmarks

Earmarking is destroying the integrity of federally funded research. Billions of dollars are spent on pork barrel projects every year; significant amounts come from research budgets. Eliminating earmarks would immediately and significantly improve the federal government’s support for university research.

Fix the Student Lending Programs

We have seen significant turmoil in student lending. John McCain has proposed an expansion of the lender-of-last resort capability of the federal student loan system and will demand the highest standard of integrity for participating private lenders. Effective reforms and leveraging the private sector will ensure the necessary funding of higher education aspirations, and create a simpler and more effective program in the process.

My parents (65 & 75 years old) are much, MUCH worse off.

Any benefit I may have recieved b/c of reduced federal taxes are gone b/c of the higher prices of necessities and increased local taxes to handle the cost of educating the local population.

 

I am also concerned about how much it is going to cost me to send my son and daughter off to college.

 

You can attribute part of the higher prices on necessities to the rising of the minimum wage, pushed through by Dems. The grocery stores and food processors that pay these wages are forced to raise their prices when the gov't forces them to pay a certain wage.

I believe most local taxes are put on a ballot for public approval. To fight these, get more involved in local politics and campaign for lower taxes and fiscal responsibility. The downside to doing this is you become a target for the Dems because you're stepping on their toes.

You can attribute part of the higher prices on necessities to the rising of the minimum wage, pushed through by Dems. The grocery stores and food processors that pay these wages are forced to raise their prices when the gov't forces them to pay a certain wage.

 

I will acknowledge that there is some truth to that, but the vast price hikes have more to do with the cost of energy and the general economic slowdown (less demand) than paying what amounts to a few workers a couple of cents more an hour.

You can attribute part of the higher prices on necessities to the rising of the minimum wage, pushed through by Dems. The grocery stores and food processors that pay these wages are forced to raise their prices when the gov't forces them to pay a certain wage.

I believe most local taxes are put on a ballot for public approval. To fight these, get more involved in local politics and campaign for lower taxes and fiscal responsibility. The downside to doing this is you become a target for the Dems because you're stepping on their toes.

 

 

I shop at Krogers who always (in our community at least) paid their workers higher than minimum wage, and I am sure that in an economy with only 4% unemployment that not many people are paying minimum wage or they would be losing workers all the time.

 

I think you are mistaken if you think that grocery stores and food processors were paying more than minimum wage to begin with.

 

If I get involved in a local ballot initiative it will be to oust the irresponsible senate leadership in Kentucky who sat by and did nothing to generate more revenue which led to a decrease in school funding and the elimination of 40 jobs in my community many dealing with literacy in the county school system.

 

The local school boards must raise taxes to offset what they lost from the state and I am not complaining about it. To say Bush gave us tax cuts only means that we are paying more in other areas.

I'm better off with the tax cuts than without them.

It would be interesting to know which political party controlled the state and local governments in the areas where the people who claim to be worse off today than they were 8 years ago. In my case, the answer in both cases is the Republican Party. People who really believe that George Bush is the cause of all of their problems need to take a deep breath and take a step back from their situation.

My wife and I are immensely.

My wife and I are immensely.

 

Just curious - how old were you on January 20, 2001?

My parents (65 & 75 years old) are much, MUCH worse off.

 

My Mom is doing ok. She's 82. Medicine is covered. She hasn't been in a hospital or nursing home. (We have been very blessed)!

My Mom is doing ok. She's 82. Medicine is covered. She hasn't been in a hospital or nursing home. (We have been very blessed)!

 

 

The medicines are a huge issue for my father. After his heart attack last fall, he was put on several medications. The insurance company decided one of them (the most expensive one) wasn't warranted and they won't pay for it. He is on 8 different medications alone right now. I don't even know how many my mother is on, but I think it's only one or two. So, to stretch things out, my dad now only takes the medicine that insurance won't cover every other day, instead of every day.