–The 13 key election issues and the single most important one

Mitchell’s laws:
●The more budgets are cut and taxes increased, the weaker an economy becomes.
●Austerity is the government’s method for widening the gap between rich and poor, which leads to civil disorder.
●Until the 99% understand the need for federal deficits, the upper 1% will rule.
●To survive long term, a monetarily non-sovereign government must have a positive balance of payments.
●Those, who do not understand the differences between Monetary Sovereignty and monetary non-sovereignty, do not understand economics.
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Actually, there are dozens of election issues, and depending on your situation, some will be more important to you than others. But the following are those I believe have had the most press and will influence the most voters.

13. The federal deficit and debt. I made this #13 only because it is a factual non-issue, though the mainstream press, politicians and economists talk about it incessantly. There is not one good reason to reduce the deficit and debt, and many great reasons not to. This entire blog discusses those reasons, so no need to belabor the point here.

Both candidates have been on the wrong side of this issue, though Romney’s Tea Party, right-wing influence puts him more in the wrong.

12. Social Security and Medicare. Being Monetarily Sovereign, the U.S. easily can (and should) pay for Medicare for every man, woman and child in America. Obamacare is a small step in the right direction. Romney’s vouchers are a large step in the wrong direction.

Similarly, Social Security benefits should be increased while that dreadful, regressive FICA is eliminated. Neither candidate has demonstrated any understanding of this. Can we get a 3rd party candidate, here? Anybody?

11. Economy/Unemployment. This relates to #13., deficit and debt, in that deficits are absolutely, positively necessary to grow the economy, which in turn, would reduce unemployment.

Again, Romney’s Tea Party and religious-right connections are a negative. He says his business experience would reduce unemployment, though his successes came from firing people. The business world does not need a businessman to run businesses; it needs a President who will allow businesses to grow.

Romney’s desire to reduce business taxes is a big plus for him. Taxing business is like stealing corn from the goose that lays the golden eggs — in short, stupid.

10. Trust, integrity, the law. Romney has changed positions on most, major issues, has refused to reveal his earlier tax returns (probably for good reason), has presented a phony tax return (to be revised after the election) and has told some of the most astounding whoppers in recent Presidential elections. Trust?

Obama began his career with a crooked real estate deal, and with the connivance of Timmothy Geithner, has not prosecuted a single criminal bankster, but rather has rewarded their criminality.

The dishonesty award goes to Romney in a photo-finish, partly because he wants to get rid of regulations. In essence, he wants to stop crime by cutting back on police.

Frankly, I’m not sure honesty is much of a criterion for the Presidency. It’s results that count.

9. Foreign Policy. Romney’s experience is nil, and his dopey trip overseas was an embarrassment of yesteryear, gunboat bluster. The “Ugly American” rises again.

Obama began where Romney is now. His naive attempts at even-handedness between our enemies and our friends has gained us enemies and lost us friends. Iran, North Korea, Israel/Palestine, Afghanistan/Pakistan – all are policy disasters.

I lean a bit toward Obama’s newly acquired experience, but it’s a grudging lean. Both candidates are weak.

8. Supreme Court. This actually is one of the most important issues, though it hasn’t received enough emphasis from the candidates. It also is a no-brainer, in that the thought of adding a couple more 16th century Scalias and Thomases to the Court, should make your skin crawl.

Civil rights? What civil rights? And what’s wrong with money buying elections?

Because Justices rule “forever,” a right-wing President nomination and even more right-wing Court, would be an ongoing disaster for the underclasses.

A huge plus for Obama.

7. Education/Science. This should be one of the most important issues, but no one is saying much about it. Romney wants to get rid of Public Broadcasting. As for Obama: ???

NASA languishes. R&D is being cut. Where will the progress come from?

Here’s another area where we could use a 3rd party candidate before we become a 3rd world country.

6. Immigration. If Romney had his way, only wealthy, doctor WASPs would be allowed to enter the country and everyone else would be deported. Obama’s more liberal policy is more in keeping with the poem on the Statue of Liberty (“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me”). It’s what this great nation is all about.

America is not overcrowded, and immigrants are an economic plus. We need a reasonable path to citizenship for the millions who already live here. Obama is a bit closer to that reality.

5. Energy. Romney is of the “drill-baby-drill” school. Obama is adrift in a sea of indecision. For fossil-fuel sources, I give a huge edge to Romney. For alternative fuels, no one has an edge.

Point goes to Romney.

4. Global warming / Environement Romney doesn’t believe that billions of tons of CO2 added to the atmosphere causes global warming. As a true right-winger, he really doesn’t care about the environment. He’d allow every forest to be cut, every acre to be mined, and every lake to be polluted, if the Koch Brothers asked him.

Obama cares, but has no coherent, overall policy. So you take your choice: Bad policy vs. no policy.

3. Gun control: The NRA has won. Though more Chicago residents — 228 — have been killed so far this year in the city than the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan – 144 — over the same period, neither candidate has shown any stomach for fighting this battle.

The right-wingers love their guns and religion (funny how those two always go together) more than do the left-wingers. So vote according to your conscience and on whether you want to kill your neighbor before he kills you.

2. Leadership/Courage/Chutzpah: For someone having the power of the President of the United States, Obama has shown remarkably little leadership. His signature achievements – Obamacare and killing bin Laden, were done with minimal input from him.

Members of the Democratic party complain about Obama’s lack of push on major issues. Romney prefers to lead from behind, as he will adjust his beliefs to suit his audience.

Neither candidate has demonstrated courage, but in one area, Romney is supreme: Chutzpah. He shows no embarrassment whatsoever in taking both sides of any issue.

And now, for the single, most important issue facing the voters – most important because it affects the most people, and will have the longest-lasting implications for America as we know and love it:

1. The gap between the upper 1% income groups and the lower 99%. The moral issue is clear. We should not allow the 1% to trick us into blaming the victims – into believing the poor are responsible for their poverty.

The 1% like to blame poverty on sloth. That is a lie. The so-called “food stamp mother” is a false caricature designed to demean the have-nots.

Much of success is good fortune. The rich always seem to feel they worked harder, but the truth is, every successful businessman was aided by a huge helping of luck, plus a helping hand from others. Few people want to be poor; they just don’t see a path out of poverty. America should provide that path, for their sake and for America’s sake.

The economic issue often is less clear, but more important. As the gap widens, a nation loses its character and its progress. Economies grow from the bottom.

The Saudi approach (a few rich; all others, poor) does not lead to national success. Economic progress requires the 99% to pursue the American dream, and that pursuit requires the reasonable possibility of achievement.

As the gap widens, resentment builds, pride shrinks and revolution looms on the horizon. The 1%, living in blissful economic apartheid, do not realize their own greed and disregard for fellow Americans, eventually will be their undoing.

Romney’s notorious “47%” speech succinctly revealed his true character – or lack of it. While Obama has taken only tentative steps toward helping the underprivileged, Romney will be a disaster for the 99% and for the American dream.
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There are myriad issues, and each is most important to one group or another, but the bottom line issue is this: What is the America that will make you proud to say, “I am an American and this is the American way”?

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Monetary Sovereignty

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Nine Steps to Prosperity:
1. Eliminate FICA (Click here)
2. Medicare — parts A, B & D — for everyone
3. Send every American citizen an annual check for $5,000 or give every state $5,000 per capita (Click here)
4. Long-term nursing care for everyone
5. Free education (including post-grad) for everyone
6. Salary for attending school (Click here)
7. Eliminate corporate taxes
8. Increase the standard income tax deduction annually
9. Increase federal spending on the myriad initiatives that benefit America’s 99%

No nation can tax itself into prosperity, nor grow without money growth. Monetary Sovereignty: Cutting federal deficits to grow the economy is like applying leeches to cure anemia. Two key equations in economics:
Federal Deficits – Net Imports = Net Private Savings
Gross Domestic Product = Federal Spending + Private Investment and Consumption – Net Imports

#MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY