People criticize Bush sharply for having a public willing to sacrifice after 9/11 but not asking them to actiually, you know, sacrifice anything, and there’s this feeling that Obama will ask us to pitch in.
But what are expecting to give up, personally?
Me, I’m looking to retire at the earliest possible chance, and I’m thinking he’s going to raise the Social Security age a couple of notches, just as I’m closing in on retirement. It’s a reasonable sacrifice to ask, probably overdue as life expectencies have gone up since SS was started, and fairly unpopular politically, so it makes some sense for him to spend political capital there while he has it to spend. I’m a big supporter of his, so I can’t complain, but it’s going to be tough. OTOH, I’m probably going to have to work a few extra years anyway, just in the hopes of rebuilding my retirement account, so maybe it doesn’t matter that much. I certainly can’t put the stock market tanking on him, and who knows when it will come back to its height, if ever?
But that’s my expected sacrifice. (Tell me if you think it’s unreasonable.)
You mean, like all those servicemen and women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq? And their families? And the increased security all over the place? And the increased price of oil? And…
He’s going to raise my taxes. Which I won’t be happy about, but I trust it will be offset by improvements in just about every other area so like FriarTed, I won’t get my panties in a bunch about it.
I’ll sacrifice my time and effort in public service. I don’t have enough income to pay more taxes unless things get really, really bad. If there’s a chance that it’ll get me healthcare coverage, then I’ll do it.
But of course while the servicemen are making sacrifices, overall Americans did not. The Bush years were spend, spend, spend and never raising new sources of funds to pay for anything.
If it takes tax increases to straighten out the country’s finances I am ready. I was ready after 9/11 for them and surprised they never came.
I am especially ready for much higher gas taxes and perhaps sin taxes on inefficient vehicles and consumer products.
I have no doubt taxes are going to increase. Unfortunately, it will probably affect my ability to save for retirement so I guess I’ll be working a few more years than I had planned.
I expect I won’t have to ask what the eff my President was thinking when he did **** every time I meet a foreigner.
My taxes probably won’t go up in the short term. At the moment, I don’t make enough money. I expect to be making an awful lot more in the long term, although unlike Joe the Plumber, my expectation is reasonable, and I’m fine with that. I’ll make do with a smaller Mercedes or whatever.
I expect I’ll feel warm and fuzzy when I think about how I’ll be able to tell my kids they can be President… and mean it.
I’m kinda hoping he’ll be the First Politician Ever to realize that having no one but yourself to rely on, financially or otherwise, makes it harder to get by, not easier. (I’m getting kind of tired of being penalized because I make responsible decisions about, oh… not having kids that I don’t want and can’t afford.)
Although I’m willing to hand my insurance premiums over to the government if it’ll get me healthcare coverage that actually, you know, covers medical conditions, and does so at a level beyond, “oh, yeah… here’s 30 bucks, come back next year.”
With a reasonable adult like Obama in the White House I expect America to make a better attempt at living up to its advertising. (Life, liberty, justice for all…)
America needs to lead by example. Obama appears to have the vision to get us out of the weeds and a healthy ego that works well with others. (What a concept!). With practically all 250 million of us in a conga-line behind him, there’s no telling how far we can go!
Sure, he won’t accomplish everything he listed today, but I’m confident he’ll make substantial progress on all fronts.
It won’t be easy, but anything of value never is.
My greatest fear is that the masses will mutiny when they find out he can’t walk on water.
Some may pay more in taxes, but if you were hungry, or sick or just out of work with a family, you might hope that those who have more, give more.
What, does no one worry how far Obama is going to take his whole “you consume a lot more resources than average and that’s bad” meme?
I can take a tax increase to pay down the deficit and debt. I’m just fearing that Obama will continue throwing taxpayer money down the black hole of CEOs and greedy Americans under the pressure of “economists”, set gas prices at a permanent $4 minimum, and regulate the hell out of everything to make sure that we don’t have our 72 degree heated homes.
My husband fears that affirmative action will run rampant and now the white man will really be held down. Won’t somebody think of the white adult males. :rolleyes:
I’d hope that I’d be paying more federal taxes, which I’m happy to do if it means better health care, energy innovation, and taking care of our most vulnerable.
I’m a realist though…I’m afraid not much will change.
What does this I’m just fearing that Obama will continue throwing taxpayer money down the black hole of CEOs and greedy Americans under the pressure of “economists”
have to do with this? set gas prices at a permanent $4 minimum, and regulate the hell out of everything to make sure that we don’t have our 72 degree heated homes.
I think we are underestimating the tone the President sets. During the Reaganomics era, the yuppie lifestyle blossomed, it was part and parcel of trickle down economics.
Having a President that is prudent, civic-minded, intelligent and peaceful, I would think, would influence us in the same way.
It isn’t so much what I fear I’ll sacrifice, since with GWB we sacrificed our good will, our morals, our constitution and our sense of responsibility, but that I hope that those things will diminish and we will once again, be able to hold our heads high on the national scale.
I don’t like bullies and I don’t like my country being one.
Nothing. These are separate sacrifices/fears. Sorry for not making it clearer. My relative has a SUV and complained about how tiny and cramped his Civic was. He’s also a big Oama supporter. I wonder just how much voters are myopic to their own waste and greed, and if they truly considered their lifestyles would change if they truly lived progressively; I was surprised that not many said something like, yeah, I might have to give up a SUV or air conditioning. But given that my lifestyle is unintentionally very crunchy, my biggest fear, though, is that he will continue sinking money in CEOs.
(I just wanna be the aunt that spoils them rotten!)