Republicans Gone Wild
The greatest myth perpetrated this election cycle is that the nasty, bitter Democratic presidential campaign will leave the party divided this fall. Sure, supporters of the losing candidate will be angry and disappointed and may sulk a bit, but any notion they will go for Sen. John McCain in November is Republican fantasyland.
When the Democrats leave Denver in August, their presidential nominee will have a double-digit lead and the “battle” over lapel pins and Bosnian snipers won’t even be a blip on the voter radar honed in on Iraq, the economy and eight years of Republicans Gone Wild.
No matter how many times McCain says “my friends,” he will have few of them among general election voters when they give unbridled attention to his position on issues they care about.
Soaring gas prices, stagnant wages and the housing collapse have our economy in tatters, and McCain concedes this isn’t his strong suit. Our failing economy is one of the casualties of the Iraq War that McCain continues to strongly support. At long last, the media are beginning to ask some hard questions about the cost of the war.
As has been pointed out numerous times, Iraq is the first major war that this country has fought by transferring the entire cost to future generations through government debt. President Bush never proposed raising taxes to pay for the war. Worse, in 2003 he substantially cut taxes, unprecedented in war time.
Expect more of the same from a McCain administration. McCain has endorsed tax cuts that would cost more than $300 billion a year, including reduction of the corporate income tax from 34% to 25%. And he wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, another $110 billion.
A constant worry to families across America is our deteriorating health care system where rising costs leave nearly 50 million with no insurance coverage and millions more underinsured. The current system cherry-picks the healthy and tells those with chronic diseases to get lost.
McCain says he would give people with preexisting conditions “an extra tax credit” to help pay for insurance funded by savings in the Medicaid program. Where does McCain think the Medicaid savings will come from? Does he mean cutting benefits to poor people who depend on Medicaid for health care? Or from middle-class families who rely on Medicaid to pay for nursing home care?
Real issues like these keep people awake at night, and only the Democrats offer real solutions. I think I’m really going to enjoy the fall campaign.
Victor Kamber • via email
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When Sally Pomante walked into the spotlight at the Leelanau Sands Showroom to claim the title of Miss Grand Traverse last month, it was a familiar moment. After all, she had won the same bodybuilding title as the “best of the best” 11 years ago.
Today, Sally, 51, looks rock-solid and ripped from her long hours in the gym and months of an extreme diet. At the April show, she won the masters 35-and-older class as well as the ‘short’ class in order to take the top title. Not bad for the mother of two grown children, Jen, 17, and Sara, 22. “In fact, I’m also a grandma, since Sara has two boys, ages three and one,” she says.
A resident of Kalkaska, where she lives with six pet dogs and operates her Champion Cleaning Company, Pomante has always been attracted to physical pursuits. She raced stock cars as an 18-year-old back in the day when she was running a ‘68 Camaro around the track in Elmira. She also tried figure skating and still enjoys kick-boxing.
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May is National Foster Care Month in recognition of the 513,000 kids placed in foster care nationally due to abuse, neglect or sudden crises. Look for blue ribbons this month tied on trees—symbolizing the attempt to end child abuse. This article focuses on kids aging out of the system at the age of 18—about 20,000 kids across the country each year. A program called Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative helps them out.
When Kayla Abel was a sophomore at Kingsley High School, she had to drop out of school to take care of her new baby sister.
She cleaned the house, watched the baby and two other siblings, and cooked dinners while her mom worked at night. After a year, however, she called it quits. She moved in with a boyfriend, who beat her, and then with an uncle and aunt—her fourth set of foster parents.
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America has Oktoberfest to celebrate German traditions, Chinese New Year to honor the Chinese, St. Patrick’s Day to celebrate the Irish - and Cinco de Mayo to honor our Mexican neighbors and resident Mexican-Americans. But did you know that Cinco de Mayo - that most Mexican of holidays - isn’t such a big deal in Mexico itself?
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