McCain/Palin are proven leaders that will do their best to reform our government and LEAD!

If McCain thinks Obama is a tax and spend liberal, that is better than borrowing from foreign countries to spend beyond our means. At least with the taxation, we won't owe any foreign country that we may even dislike for one reason or another.

What I would like to see in the next Presidency is to stop foreign and military aid to other countries until the Americas

needs are taken care of. I'm particularly against grants to foreign countries. Since 1948 the US Govt in grant form gives annually to Israel $1400.00 per year for every man, woman and child living in that country. It also includes the Arab-Israelis who actually receive no benefits from this grant. I believe Israel does well on the US stock markets, and I can't see any reason in providing additional funding to that state.

Obama is the epitomy of a tax-and-spend Democrat! He's constantly rattling off how much money he's going to throw at a particular problem to fix it. That does not seem like "change" to me, its same-old, same-old, tax-and-spend philosophy that gives Democrats a bad name. I'd rather hear

more constructive ideas; money isn't always the answer.

I am a die-hard conservative deficit hawk. If you view deficit spending as a tax increase on future generations, Bush raised taxes by $4 trillion, and Clinton raised them by $1 trillion. No sound argument can be made for "conservative" Republicans on the fiscal discipline issue. "Conservative" in the finance/accounting world means hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. It means that, when in doubt, underestimate revenue, and overestimate expense. True "conservatives" would have spent the last 8 years preparing for the baby boomers' retirement, not increasing the national debt by $4 trillion.

Also, on the issue of progressive taxation: of the $863 billion increase in household income from 2002-2006, $626 billion went to the top 1% of households ($42 million per household); and the bottom 90% of households got only $42 billion (at $304 per household). So by that metric, 1% of households should be paying 72% of taxes.

Crying Wolf @siebecker

For the love of God don't cry wolf! Palin will swoop down in a blackhawk helicopter and shoot it!

I have to go with Obama on this one. My income says I'm solidly middle-class. Not upper middle-clas. Not lower middle-class. Just middle middle-class. Calculations show I will most likely get close to a $1000, or more, tax cut. McCain's plan shows that my taxes will most likely go up $300 or more. Now, $300 may not seem like much to some but it is a lot to me and my family given that our healthcare deductible from my employer-provided healthcare is $2000. And McCain wants to tax that employer-provided healthcare?

Now, you tell me. Who should I vote for simply on the issue of taxes? My family and I are betting on Obama. While it is true we do not know if he would be able to get his tax plan passed (may we PLEASE get rid of Reid and Pelosi?) I trust him one hell of a lot more than I do Johnny "Bomb Bomb" McCain and that Evangelical-from-hell he has riding on his coat-tails.

-- underanothername

How did you figure your tax under the two plans? Given your apparent prejudice against all but the farthest left contingents of the Democratic Party, you'll forgive me if I maintain some healthy skepticism as to how you made your calculation.

I have one word for you. FILL-A-BUSTER!

For the love of God don't cry wolf! Palin will swoop down in a blackhawk helicopter and shoot it!

I have to go with Obama on this one. My income says I'm solidly middle-class. Not upper middle-clas. Not lower middle-class. Just middle middle-class. Calculations show I will most likely get close to a $1000, or more, tax cut. McCain's plan shows that my taxes will most likely go up $300 or more. Now, $300 may not seem like much to some but it is a lot to me and my family given that our healthcare deductible from my employer-provided healthcare is $2000. And McCain wants to tax that employer-provided healthcare?

Now, you tell me. Who should I vote for simply on the issue of taxes? My family and I are betting on Obama. While it is true we do not know if he would be able to get his tax plan passed (may we PLEASE get rid of Reid and Pelosi?) I trust him one hell of a lot more than I do Johnny "Bomb Bomb" McCain and that Evangelical-from-hell he has riding on his coat-tails.

McCain rightly portrays Obama for what he is and any promise for a middle class tax cut is as hollow as Clinton's tax cut. I can promise all kinds of things, but it amounts to nothing if I have no proof I am truly in favor of it and all he has to do once elected (Obama) is claim he can't do the tax cut because of the mounting deficit and because he is so serious about balancing the budget. By doing this, yes men like those at Salon will back it up and fall in line.

The real problem with McCain's statement is it is hypocritical to the point of not funny at all. Is what he is saying the McCain of today or yesterday? Not real sure. Does he support Bush's tax cuts because he likes them, or because he thinks it is what voters want to hear, just like why Obama is saying it.

Furthermore, both of them are sitting Senators, so do it NOW. Why must we wait for after the election. Democrats control Congress and have for two years, so do it NOW!

But the real issue is spending and always has been. Tax cuts have nothing to do with out of control spending. And while politically, it is fun to blame, "the last 8 years of republican rule" and I wouldn't disagree, it is disingenuous at best, especially in light of the last 2 years, when the democrats had a golden opportunity to knock the GOP out forever.

So McCain is right about Obama, but how it doesn't apply to himself, I don't know. But more importantly, Alex would do better pointing out that neither side cares much about spending or is willing to do anything about it. But that would require throwing his man under the bus and that wouldn't be expedient for him.