Debate Rant and a Modest Proposal

I shot this photo yesterday, of autumn flowers in a meadow. I'm posting it here in an attempt to brighten up things, but it's rainy season here in the Michigan and the markets are getting scary. Here's my lastest rant against the machine...

I’m disappointed. I watched the debates last night, hoping to either find out that one of our candidates has a clue to the economic mess we’re in or, at the very least, having some comic relief. I was disappointed on both accounts. Instead, they both clung like glue to their sound-bites and talking points. Watching the debate, I felt like I’d been married to the two of them for years and we were an old three-some, having a conversation on the sofa. As soon as either one of them said two words, I found myself finishing their sentences. The only really new things I heard is that McCain thinks it will be easy to find Bin Laden and to fix Social Security. We’ll, after seven years of looking, I’m sure it will come to some surprise to our military and intelligence community that the man with the most unkempt beard in the world is so easy to be found. I wish we could have heard some of the easy details of fixing Social Security. If you’re not going to raise taxes, the only other alternatives would be to drastically cut benefits or to increase the death rates of our older citizens, neither of which is an attractive option as I’m only 15 years away from my “golden years.” Although I felt Obama did a better job with the debate (at least he shows us he can prioritize when pushed to), I was greatly disappointed in his answer to the last question concerning what they don’t know. McCains answer, that he doesn't know the future, reassured me that at least he doesn't think he's a deity (I was beginning to wonder since he thinks its so easy to fix Social Security). Both of the candidates skirted the question about what they don't know, which I sad as I thought was the best question of the night.

A Modest Proposal: We’ve got one more Presidential debate to go and I have a modest proposal. Let’s resurrection the Gong Show! Anytime a candidate doesn’t directly answer the question, or if he throws out clichés or worn out campaign sound bites, he gets gonged. If he goes over his time limit, he gets gonged. If he uses an old joke, refers to everyone as a friend, or (heaven help us) winks, he gets gonged.

My lastest on Ms. Palin: Speaking of pit pulls with a wink, Sarah Palin and her husband released their income tax statements a few days ago. Although they are definitely not rich (I suspect McCain's wife spends more on clothes in a year than the Palin's make), I couldn’t help but gasp at the amount that the two of them gave away last year. Now I know I’m treading on sacred ground here and for most of us, what we give to churches and charities is between us and God and the IRS (who think they’re a god). Palin and her husband gave away (cash and in kind gifts) $3,325 in 2007 or 1.5% of their adjusted gross income. They did a little better in 2006, giving away 3.3% of their income. Still, this is way below the standard of a tithe, which is strongly encouraged in every Assembly of God church with which I'm familiar. I think it was Sam Jones, an old revivalist from the 19th Century, who said that he last thing converted is one's pocketbook. Maybe that's true for Palin.

According to a recent article I recently read on giving in America, Palin's family giving is ahead of all self-identified Christians households in the country, but her household would be well behind the giving (based on % of income) those who attend church regularly (as defined as 2-3 times a month). She is also well behind the amount which those in non-Christians religions give, but ahead of what those with no religious preference give to charity. On average, non-religious Americans give less than 1% of their income. In fairness, I tried to find what the other candidates gave. But after a few minutes with no results, I decided I really didn’t have time. Anyone seen such figures for Obama, Biden and McCain?