From the Inside Out

As I get prepared to do my 2008 taxes, I read some rather depressing news. It will take American workers 103 days to earn enough to pay their 2009 taxes. Yes, that’s right 103 days! According to the Tax Foundation (a tax education group), everything after that is theoretically theirs to keep.

So, the money I’ve earned so far this year is all going to the government? Ugh!

The report states that April 13th is the earliest Tax Freedom Day since 1967 primarily because of the recession and the stimulus package. Even though Tax Freedom Day comes a little earlier than previous years, it’s still outrageous that it takes 103 days just to earn enough to pay your taxes — more than 3 months worth of salary down the drain. Depressing, indeed.

And it’s not going to get better anytime soon. Experts predict that in 2009 Americans will pay more in taxes than they will spend on food, clothing and housing combined.

Thanks, Obama.

As tired as I am of all the inauguration hype, I would be remiss if I didn’t document in my blog this historic moment. Today millions watched as the 44th President of the United States took the oath of office. What made this celebration so different is that it was the inauguration of the country’s first African American President, Barack Obama.

A million and a half people flooded the National Mall for the inauguration of Barack Obama. Many cried and cheered — almost like groupies at a concert. Co-workers in my company’s California office halted work to stop and watch the celebration. No, this was not your average, run of the mill inauguration.

While I’m disappointed to see a Democrat back in office, I am pleased to see how far our country has progressed in terms of racial equality over the past 60 years. I can’t say that I’m excited to see Obama holding the reins. I think many who voted for him got caught up in the hollywood hype and marketing buzzwords of “hope” and “change.” Do the majority of people really know what type of change Obama wants and what his policies are? I expect that many didn’t bother to do any research beyond what they heard in the overly biased media, but I digress. The decision has been made, and only time will tell what type of President Obama will become. I am skeptical, but maybe he’ll prove me wrong.

One thing is certain, Obama will need our prayers. He takes office at a particularly troubling time in our country — the economy is tanking, terrorists still loom large, and international relations are strained. Much wisdom will be needed to make the right decisions. I pray that he seeks God’s guidance first and the opinions of man second. I pray for God to protect him and his family. I pray that our country grows stronger under his leadership. And finally, I pray that Obama changes his mind about raising my taxes.

This week the state of California voted to pass Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to a union between a man and a woman. Immediately afterwards, I was saddened by the number of negative Facebook messages that appeared from my friends in California. For example:

“…Californians chose bigotry and discrimination over love and commitment”

“…sad she lives in a state with so many bigots and haters”

The list goes on and on, but the mean-spirited messages were consistent across the board. The word “bigot” is defined as a “person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his or her own.” I find it interesting that by participating in the name calling and hatemongering, they are becoming the very thing they are accusing others of being.

Just because someone holds differing views and opinions doesn’t mean they are bigots and haters. It saddens me that people aren’t even trying to understand the other side. Instead, they intimidate and discredit by embarking on a campaign of name-calling against their opponents (e.g. radical right, homophobes, bigots, haters).

Many people, including the writer of this blog, simply want to protect the traditional definition of marriage. They aren’t necessarily saying that civil unions shouldn’t be supported or that legal and government benefits shouldn’t be extended to same sex couples. They just want to protect traditional values and keep the time-tested definition of marriage intact.

For others, the issue of marriage didn’t even factor into the equation. They voted in favor of proposition 8 to send a message to the courts. Courts shouldn’t define American values; that right belongs solely to the people. In 2000, California voters went to the polls and voted overwhelming in favor of legally protecting marriage. Yet, four judges went against the will of the people and declared the law unconstitutional. These four appointed lawyers overruled more than four million California voters — think about that.

No one should have the right or the power to dictate their individual values upon the American people. Our founding fathers took great efforts to ensure that the power of activist judges would be restrained. They attempted to put checks and balances in place to prevent judicial tyranny. If we relax those controls and allow judges to make the laws rather than interpret them, tyranny will prevail — and once it starts, who knows where it will end.

This blog isn’t intended to sway opinion “for” or “against” proposition 8. People have their own opinions, and that’s fine as long as they can respect the beliefs of others who don’t agree with them. If we could learn to accept defeat gracefully (like McCain did this week), wipe out double standards and nasty name calling, we’d get more accomplished. Maybe we could even come up with a proposal that both sides could support — wouldn’t that be novel?

You’ve probably heard it a hundred times by now, but we witnessed a historic moment as the people of the United States elected their first African American President tonight. It demonstrates how far our country has come since the early days of the civil rights movements led by Martin Luther King in the 1960s.

I am proud to live in a country that can move beyond racial discrimination — a country that can judge people by their beliefs, capabilities, and experience rather than the color of their skin. However, I am not proud of the country’s decision to elect Barack Obama. His political and moral beliefs are in direct opposition to my own. For example, I want to be responsible for taking care of myself, acquiring healthcare, and planning for my own retirement. I don’t want the government to do it for me and mandate how it’s done. I don’t want to live in a socialistic country that redistributes wealth to those who are unwilling to work. There should be fairness and equality for everyone regardless of how much they earn; the so-called “wealthy” should not be penalized for their success, dedication and hard work. We need less government involvement in our lives and fewer taxes — and don’t even get me started on the moral issues at stake.

Unfortunately, the lots have been cast, and we’re stuck with Barack for the next four years. I just hope he doesn’t do too much damage before we can replace him in 2012. Please keep our country and its new leaders in your prayers. They have major issues to tackle (economy, war on terror, foreign relations, to name a few), and they will need God’s guidance to make the right decisions.

Truth is not determined by majority vote. ~Doug Gwyn

We have plenty of confidence in this country, but we are a little short of good men to place our confidence in. ~Will Rogers

Here’s one more reason to vote on Tuesday.  Starbucks joined the list of companies giving out free products on election day.  So after you stop by Krispy Kreme to get your free donut, you can pick up a complimentary cup of Starbucks coffee to go with it. 

Even though I didn’t pick up an “I voted” sticker when I voted last week, I’m going to get my free Krispy Kreme donut anyway thanks to some faithful blog readers who donated their stickers to Gary and me. 

Gotta love it!