Gotta Have Faith

So we voted in Obama, and now it is March, but the country is still not "fixed." I think what we really need is to have faith in our government system. Note how I said government system, and not government. I'm a small government kind of person who is always wary of big brother. While I am glad that our president is working hard to repair relationships with other nations and cut taxes for the poor while bringing us new programs, I suppose I'm selfish, because in the end I want to know where this leaves me. During his candidacy he talked a lot about how families making under 250K will not be taxed much, while those making over 250 will be taxed more. I thought to myself, that's awesome because I make no money and will not be making money for quite some time, but that will suck for me if I marry another doctor. I did some calculating: as is, if I make over 150K, I more or less instantaneously lose half to federal and state taxes. I don't think I like that idea. Now when I think about if I were married and we filed our taxes together, we would lose even more of our hard earned money to taxes. I know that everyone has to pay their fair share, but how is that fair? I'm not saying we should go to a flat tax (although I do think a more flat tax would be fair - a percentage is a percentage, right?), but I hardly think that losing half or more than half of your hard earned wages is fair.

However, as I was saying, we need to have faith in our system of governing. There are two parties for a reason. While Obama's plans for taxes include cuts for the needy, it also unncessarily punishes anyone who makes any sort of comfortable living. He proposes to reduce tax credits for charitable donations, tax deductions for having children, etc. I hardly find that fair, considering a millionaire with no children lives quite differently from a millionaire with three children. Luckily, Republicans along with a few Democrats have blocked the whole reduction of tax credits for charitable donations.

I have always been pretty staunchly a fiscal Republican, but now that I am spending so much time with a flagrantly liberal Democrat (he lies and says he is Independant -- HAH!), I am starting to understand things a bit better. The ideal Republican believes that in taxing less, the people will have more money to spend on philanthropic interest. Meanwhile the ideal Democrat believes that by taxing the rich, there will be money for great programs. However, the truth is, people are too damn greedy to give enough of their money to charity, and most programs are abused and broken. Which brings me to my original point: the balance between both will bring the best of both worlds. Perhaps I am becoming the Independant my boyfriend thinks he is...

Now on the subject of non-economic politics, I really can't say! In terms of health care reforms, there are quite a few issues that I feel strongly about, but that is a whole other episodic rant right there. I feel that Republicans have truly lost their way outside of finances -- What ever happened to seperation between Church and State?! I do not even want to touch all the other aspects plaguing our country today.