n/t - political

[michaelmars]

John G. is 63 years old and owns a small business. He's a life-long Republican and sees his dream of retiring next year has all but evaporated. With the stock market crashing and new taxes coming his way, John assumes now that he will work to his dying day.

John has a granddaughter. Ashley is a recent college grad. She drives a flashy hybrid car, wears all the latest fashions, and loves to go out to nightclubs and restaurants. Ashley campaigned hard for Barack Obama. After the election she made sure her grandfather (and all other Republican family members) received a big I told-you-so earful on how the world is going to be a much better place now that her party is taking over.

Having lost both roommates, Ashley recently ran short of cash and cannot pay the rent (again) on her 3-bedroom townhouse. Like she has done many times in the past, she e-mailed her grandfather asking for some financial help.

Here is his reply:

Sweetheart, I received your request for assistance.

Ashley, you know I love you dearly and I'm sympathetic to your financial plight. Unfortunately, times have changed. With the election of President Obama, your grandmother and I have had to set forth a bold new economic plan of our own” The Ashley Economic Empowerment Plan." Let me explain.

Your grandmother and I are life-long, wage-earning taxpayers. We have lived a comfortable life, as you know, but we have never had the fancier things like European vacations, luxury cars, etc. We have worked hard and were looking forward to retiring soon. But the plan has changed. Your president is raising our personal and business taxes significantly. He says it is so he can give our hard earned money to other people. Do you know what this means, Ashley? It means less for us, and we must cut back on many business and personal expenses.

You know the wonderful receptionist who worked in my office for more than 23 years? The one who always gave you candy when you came over to visit? I had to let her go last week. I can't afford to pay her salary and all of the government mandated taxes that go with having employees. Your grandmother will now work 4 days a week to answer phones, take orders and handle the books. We will be closed on Fridays and will lose even more income.

I'm also very sorry to report that your cousin Frank will no longer be working summers in the warehouse. I called him at school this morning. He already knows about it and he's upset because he will have to give up skydiving and his yearly trip to Greenland to survey the polar bears.

That's just the business side of things. Some personal economic effects of Obama's new taxation policies include none other than you. You know very well that over the years your grandmother and I have given you thousands of dollars in cash, tuition assistance, food, housing, clothing, gifts, etc., etc. But by your vote, you have chosen to help others -- not at your expense -- but at our expense.

If you need money now sweetheart, I recommend you call http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/;

You yourself told me how foolish it is to vote Republican. You said Mr. Obama is going to be the People's President, and is going to help every American live a better life. Based on everything you've told me, along with all the promises we heard during the campaign, I'm sure Mr. Obama will be happy to transfer some stimulus money into your bank account. Have him call me for the account number, which I memorized years ago.

Perhaps you can now understand what I've been saying all my life: Those who vote for a president should consider the impact on the nation as a whole, and not be just concerned with what they can get for themselves. What Obama supporters don't seem to realize is all of the money he is redistributing to illegal aliens and non-taxpaying Americans (the so-called "less fortunate") comes from tax-paying families.

Remember how you told me, "Only the richest of the rich will be affected"? Well guess what, honey? Because we own a business, your grandmother and I are now considered to be the richest of the rich. On paper, it might look that way, but in the real world, we are far from it.

As you said while campaigning for Obama, some people will have to carry more of the burden so all of America can prosper. You understand what that means, right? It means that raising taxes on productive people results in them having less money; less money for everything, including granddaughters.

I'm sorry, Ashley, but the well has run dry. The free lunches are over. I have no money to give you now. So, congratulations on your choice for "change." For future reference, I encourage you to try and add up the total value of the gifts and cash you have received from us, just since you went off to college, and compare it to what you expect to get from Mr. Obama over the next 4 (or 8) years. I have not kept track of it, Ashley. It has all truly been the gift of our hearts.

Remember, we love you dearly....but from now on you'll need to call the number mentioned above. Your "Savior" has the money we would have given to you. Just try and get it from him.

Good luck, sweetheart.

Love Grandpa

[kcjenkins]

And in one form or another, that letter is going out to a lot of kids these days. Maybe not as a letter, email is cheaper and easier if Gramps already has a computer. You can bet the kids do, although few of them bought it themselves, with money that they earned. And with the money taken from SS to give more to "the poor", there will be more next year. Funny, isn't it, that SS is called an 'entitlement' and so is 'welfare' and 'food stamps', but we had to pay into SS all our working lives?

[cred65]

Gramps could have saved considerable time and effort by sending her a one way ticket to France with a note "have fun you Commie b*#ch"

[joanmcq]

The issue really isn't Obama, or entitlements from the government, it's that Ashley's grandpa enabled her profligate spending by bailing her out in the past. And apparently neither her parents or grandpa ever taught her good money management.

So she can either downsize to an affordable apartment, or sleep in the fancy car. Small businesses aren't considered the 'richest of the rich'....if you are a small business owner and your PROFIT (if a sole proprietor), or SALARY if a corp is over $250,000 you are doing pretty well for yourself.

This has been spun to make it seem as though it's the businesses gross income is what is driving the definition of 'rich'. Even here in sunny, high cost CA, $250,000 a year PROFIT or SALARY would do me just fine.

[kcjenkins]

Joan, that would surely depend on how many kids you had, and what ages? I had only a few CA clients, but they were all in the computer industry, and all made around that much. However, only one of them was 'fine', the rest had comfortable but not excessive homes, and the cost of their kids and school, etc made them always 'on the edge' due to the high taxes, huge gas prices, etc. No, they were not 'hurting', but neither were they anywhere close to 'rich'. Now here in AR, that kind of salary would for sure put you in the 'fine' category. :D

[joanmcq]

Even in San Francisco, you'd be fine on $250k. With kids. In SF or San Jose or LA, you might not live anywhere fancy and your kids might go to public schools, and your car's a bit older, but you'd be fine. It has to do with living within your means, and not someone else's.

You'd be shocked on what I lived in NYC on in the 80's. Now I was young, but I even managed to save money! On $20K. Now when I first moved there and was making $12K, I did go hungry...but also managed to save money.

[kcjenkins]

Depends on how you define 'Fine', doesn't it. I did say they were not hurting, just not rich, which is what I took 'fine' to mean. I do agree with you, tho, that most people do tend to live beyond their means, and don't value savings enough either. Our society today does not put much respect on living within your means, it aggressively pushes consumerism and values 'looking rich' over almost everything else.