The Trickle Up Effect
by Tabby Biddle
Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and Republican presidential nominee, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), speak at Presidential debate at Hofstra University in New York.
Did you watch the final Presidential debate on Wednesday? I was stunned by John McCain’s efforts to paint Barack Obama as a big-spending, big-taxing liberal and accuse him of wanting to take away American’s hard-earned money.
Yes, Barack Obama would increase taxes for the wealthiest 1% of our country’s population, but this is because of the Bush administration’s fiscally-irresponsible tax breaks for the highest income Americans, and who needs to bring up dropping a bundle on a war? Now we see where that has gotten us. The irony of McCain’s accusations is that Obama would cut taxes for 95% of the population and give bigger tax relief than McCain would give to 60% of Americans.
As I listened to the debate, I started to wonder — does it really all come down to taxes for some voters? And if so, what about domestic and social needs such as fixing our national healthcare system and lowering health costs, re-valuing early childhood education, improving our schools, making college more affordable, fighting for pay equity between women and men, eliminating gender discrimination, strengthening domestic violence laws, building clean energy and using renewable resources, and living with hope that we can rebuild our country with strength from the bottom up.
I think Barack described our situation well when he said, “When that dream of opportunity is denied to too many Americans, then ultimately that pain has a way of trickling up."
Are we stuck in the trickle up effect?
But wait a minute, is this really all about taxes? Why has the conversation run aground in the debate over taxes when it should be sailing in deeper water — meaning what do these candidates really represent to us?
Obama for me, and I know many others, has been celebrated as a voice of hope and possibility. From what I can tell, McCain supporters see him as a representation of safety, familiarity and paternal security.
Instead of getting narrowed in the debate over taxes, this to me is the real debate — do you want hope or do you want a false sense of security? For some of us, it’s an easy choice.
Tabby Biddle is the founder of Lotus Blossom Style, a yoga lifestyle company awakening women to the Divine Feminine and empowering them into their potential. She lives in Santa Monica, CA. Learn more at lotusblossomstyle.com.