Colin Powell Endorses Obama

[kat8585]

Yet we are still one of the richest countries in the world,

Rich???!!! We're beyond bankrupt!!!!!!

[Matthitjah]

Grace to you Burgers,

True, not compulsively. Yet we are still one of the richest countries in the world, and we still have tons of poor and needy in our country that don't get enough help. I recently heard that due to the recent economic depressions food pantries and soup kitchens are strained even further, because individuals are giving less out of their own pockets. The problem is still their for us, and it seems telling to me that we can be one of the richest in the world yet still not be as giving to our own poor as we could be.

So you want to decide who gives what and when? What position does this place you in? I believe that this is Gods domain and His alone.

It is also a misnomer that Americans don't give enough. We support the U.N., we give billions to Nations around the world and it hasn't gotten us anymore goodwill. We also support Missionaries all over the world part of the reason we can do this is because of the extreme blessing of God that has left us wealthy and the largets part of the current problem is because we've forgotten that we are Blessed by God and turned from His covenant. If we desire to be able to give, we ought put our Faith in God and His promises to those who follow Him. However, crossing ancient boundary lines like Homosexual Marriage and killing millions of babies a year doens't get us nay closer to God. The care of the poor is very closely related to how we view life. That view is only clear when we see it through Gods lens and not our own.

I would like to add that poor people in this Nation have televisions and shelters as well as a social welfare saftey net. We don't what poor is. Poor is eating grass because there's no food.

You need to examine Gods Word more closely and see why it is and how it is that God cares for the poor.

I always get the mental image of a hummer blaring it's a/c and guzzling gas to drive a half a mile down the street to pick up some McDonalds for the family. I think there are a lot of things we as Americans do because we are lazy. We are willing to use natural resources because we aren't willing to make an effort to take a little longer. So as Obama has said before, I think we can all pitch in by making small sacrifices. We don't need to keep the a/c on every day in the summer, and we don't need to be cranking the heat up every day in the winter. We can afford to bike more for shorter trips places, and save gas by carpooling or being more efficient with our driving.

Again, you appear to be stating that you should decide for folks how they behave and what is necessary for their lives. You also appear to be stating by your implicite support that you would like to see someone dictate to Americans how much they drive, what they drive, to where they drive, and how comfortable they should be.

Do you feel guilty for being an American? Do you feel guilty that you are Blessed? The Biblical response would be, "Thank You Lord." Guilt, fear, anxiety, and self hatred are motivations of the devil and are a means by which to steal your Blessing. However, if you want to be able to give more and to care for the poor you will need your Blessing. Your Blessing is related to how well you know God and what your hearts intent is.

Yes, my friend, you and I definately have differnet world views and quite honestly they are disparate, one is right and one is wrong.

It appears that you have been infected by a world view that is post modern and morally relevant.

I am more specifically referring to Obama's view of global policy. That is a more open communication between different countries, and a deeper understanding of the roots countries hold and the desires they have. Because as much as we might not always think it, countries are generally more interested in their own survival than they are the destruction of America or things that we view as good. Self-interest is supreme as far as global politics go, and once we recognize that we can get to the roots of certain issues instead of viewing things as an us vs them problem.

What of the notion of Good and evil? Or is America inherintly evil based upon whom is in office and what we perceive their intent to be?

Peace,

Dave

[Guest yod]

There isn't enough space in this post for me to deal with this issue in depth, but I want to go on the record and say that I find the media frenzy over "spread the wealth" to be absurd. That what taxes fundamentally do, and have always done since the beginning of time! Taxes are taken from individuals and "spread" to the entire society in the form of different programs and institutions. This is not a new idea, it is the entire focus behind taxation in general.

And also the entire focus of why America rebelled against the tyranny of Britain! Remember the Boston Tea Party? That was over a 2% tax on imports.

The tax code has historically always been the way dictatorships ruled their kingdoms. Taxes are THE way of making a people submit to a government.

Israel was destroyed three for not paying it's taxes. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Shalmaneser of Assyria, and finally Rome all levied unbearable tax burdens (aka tribute money) and non-payment was the excuse for invasion. So, yes, taxation has always played a role in world history but rarely was it benign.

Our Constitution was supposed to protect us from taxation without representation but here we are full circle with elected officials who do not represent those who sent them to Washington and citizens who don't know their American history. By deception and hidden fees, we are the most taxed (free) country in the world.

THAT is why businesses are going offshore and out of the country costing American jobs...tax policy. And what is the Democrat/Socialist Party solution??? MORE TAXES! This has been proven to be an economic failure everywhere it's tried but that ain't gonna stop them evidently. This should tell you that our economic well-being isn't really their concern. It's about selfish political power. Period.

Totalitarian regimes don't come to your house for blood....they tax it out of you. That is the entire premise behind Socialism and also the reason why it has always been the fast road to Communism. It is the government deciding who pays and what it will be spent on regardless of the will of the people.

This is what you are asking for with Obama. I promise you won't like it when you see what it actually is....

[Oh Hamburgers!]

So you want to decide who gives what and when? What position does this place you in? I believe that this is Gods domain and His alone.

I think that it becomes an issue when we are one of the wealthiest countries in the world. I do believe that we have an obligation (a burden if you will) to be an example for the rest of the world. When we have such wealth comparatively, yet millions of Americans are without basic health insurance, that seems to me to be a glaring problem.

And if you want to get technical, all taxes are a form of socialist "giving". Taxes by nature accumulate money from the many in order to create public goods. These public goods aren't always useful for everyone in the country, but they do provide important resources and infrastructure. Many people 'give' with taxes, so the idea isn't a new one.

It is also a misnomer that Americans don't give enough.

This is actually both true and untrue. From the numbers, yes we are the world's biggest giver. We give hundreds of billions of dollars annually in foreign aid. Yet at the same time we are the stingiest developed country in the world, giving about .1% of our GDP. Taken from this site, they explain that

Apart from being the least generous nation, the US is highly selective in who receives its aid. Over 50% of its aid budget is spent on middle-income countries in the Middle East, with Israel being the recipient of the largest single share"

"Why do people hate America?" by Ziauddin Sardar and Merryl Wyn Davies, 2002. p79

So again it comes down to the personal sacrifice of the act. While I'm sure needy countries appreciate the aid we give, to others it looks like an empty gesture, or a gesture that is only done with our self interests in mind. In that way it isn't as much aid as it is investment where some of these countries are concerned.

I would like to add that poor people in this Nation have televisions and shelters as well as a social welfare saftey net. We don't what poor is. Poor is eating grass because there's no food.

Being poor in this country still has with it the trap of living in poor areas, getting poor education, and not getting an adequate chance to dig yourself out of the hole. It is better than a lot of countries I'll give you that, but it certainly isn't rosy.

Again, you appear to be stating that you should decide for folks how they behave and what is necessary for their lives. You also appear to be stating by your implicite support that you would like to see someone dictate to Americans how much they drive, what they drive, to where they drive, and how comfortable they should be.

What I am stating is that there needs to be a call for self-awareness to the consumer culture Americans get caught up in. We need voices (such as Obama's) to remind us that it is good to keep national interest in our minds over wasteful self interests. Obama isn't calling for a forced change, he's calling for a recognition in ourselves to actively make change. If laws were passed that made it illegal to drive a certain amount of miles, you better believe I'll be one of the first to protest it.

At the same time, I'm all for a cognitive shift in the way we use what we have.

Do you feel guilty for being an American? Do you feel guilty that you are Blessed? The Biblical response would be, "Thank You Lord." Guilt, fear, anxiety, and self hatred are motivations of the devil and are a means by which to steal your Blessing. However, if you want to be able to give more and to care for the poor you will need your Blessing. Your Blessing is related to how well you know God and what your hearts intent is.

I don't feel guilty, because it is of no cause of my own that my parents gave birth to me here, yet I often stop to think about how fortunate I am that I have the life that I do in the world we live in. But with that fortune I feel an increased amount of responsibility to do something about the problems in the world, because we as Americans are in the rare position that we can actually do something about global problems. When I see that ability get squandered, I do get very frustrated.

What of the notion of Good and evil? Or is America inherintly evil based upon whom is in office and what we perceive their intent to be?

Peace,

Dave

What of it? Who is to say what country is good and what country is evil? How do you define "the country"? Is it the administration, the people, both, or something else? No country is perfect, all countries have committed good and evil deeds. America is not an evil nation, but we have certainly committed evils. Similarly we have done much good, but we can't claim to be "the good guys" in a world of "bad guys". Again, that sort of talk only creates more tension between sovereign nations.

[Guest yod]

The majority of Americans support Barack because they know he's right for America.

wrong. It's already been proven that a majority of people who support Obama have no idea who he is.

They support an image he has given them in complete ignorance of who he really is or what he actually stands for.

If questioned about his actual policies most of them can't name anything, but those who are more infromed can only name a few vague platitudes of propoganda. Like Hamburgers

Then there are the willing deceivers who know that he's a lying empty suit but they have nothing but contempt for the people of America and have joined in the national deception by delusion.

Congratulations on your part in helping to destroy what used to be a free country...You will be responsible for "spreading the misery around" when you see what you actually got for your vote.

[Oh Hamburgers!]

Yod:

THAT is why businesses are going offshore and out of the country costing American jobs...tax policy. And what is the Democrat/Socialist Party solution??? MORE TAXES! This has been proven to be an economic failure everywhere it's tried but that ain't gonna stop them evidently. This should tell you that our economic well-being isn't really their concern. It's about selfish political power. Period.

Would you then be in favor of at least closing tax loopholes that corporations use to avoid paying corporate taxes? Because believe me, there are a lot out there.

You could say that taxes are the reason countries are going offshore, but I would argue that it would also be cheap labor and not as many laws that prohibit acts done by corporations. Corporations can abuse other countries that aren't as developed because they need the revenue that gets created and because there aren't rules to put the corporations in check. Coupled with cheap labor, I hope you can see how taxes aren't the only issue here.

If questioned about his actual policies most of them can't name anything, but those who are more infromed can only name a few vague platitudes of propoganda. Like Hamburgers

Coming from you Yod, that's like a huge compliment! Thank you!

Edited October 21, 2008 by Oh Hamburgers!

[~Julia~]

Was anyone really surprised that Powell backed Obama ????? Cause I wasn't!

Juls

[kat8585]

Was anyone really surprised that Powell backed Obama ????? Cause I wasn't!

Juls

No. He's never been conservative.

[mizzdy]

When we have such wealth comparatively, yet millions of Americans are without basic health insurance, that seems to me to be a glaring problem.

I would like to address this issue as someone who has a disease, has had 10 major surgeries and only had health care for 5 of those. I have never been turned down for any testing, surgeries, drs. visits or anything else medically related because I have no health care. What I find is drs won't order tests for the sake of getting a test if insurance isn't going to pay. I find drs will work out payment plans, hospitals and diagnostic centers do the same. When my I was a kid drs did the same things, worked with their patients and not going willy nilly into unnecessary tests just to cover ones rear end in case of malpractice. I have know many who come to the US for health care since they can't get into a drs office in the UK and Canada but I am not sure how it is presently. I for one would hate to know if I am just a bit overweight or have some other ailment, the government would have the right to treat me medically whether I like it or not, if your on their plan and they govern you and they pay for it even if it is with your taxes, they can tell you what to do and how to do it, thats how I see socialized medicine.

I understand what you mean how in all reality the programs we have in place today payed for by our taxes are socialist and frankly I don't agree we should have them at all. Churches, neighbors and family was what took care of each other all across this land no matter how poor or wealthy anyone was, we all gave to one another. Now too many rely on the government for every increasing handouts. I know several woman who keep having babies just to get that welfare check every month. Man proves over and over again we cannot correctly govern ourselves or we must be in some kind of decreation process. I don't want Obama as president and won't vote for him he is the fast track to globalization and I am not voting for McCain since his way is just a slower pace to what will become a reality sometime in the future anyways. Opinion wise I think God is in full control of this election. Thats where I put my trust anyway. And whatever comes from this election is what comes its become like a tidal wave. Well that just my opinion anyhow.

[Guest shiloh357]

Was anyone really surprised that Powell backed Obama ????? Cause I wasn't!

Juls

It's funny, cause the liberals are all aglow that Powell endorsed Obama, and they are singing the praises of Powell. But it only show how hypocritial the liberals really are.

If Powell had endorsed McCain, the liberals would have picked him to death adn crucified him as the man who brought us the Irag war. They would have painted him as a "Bush cronie."