ELECTION WATCH 08: How Does the President Affect Regular People?
Why does it matter who is president of the United States? How does that affect me, or any other regular person out there who works a 9 to 5 and has thousands of dollars in student loans that they have to pay off?
I asked my father-in-law those same questions this past Sunday in between Super Bowl plays. I figured he could offer some insight since he was in the Air Force and just retired from a 40 year stint in the federal government.
He put it to me like this: When a new commander in chief is elected, he brings in a new group of people – from top cabinet members to staffers -- to help him run the country. These people generally have very similar political beliefs and values as the president and they set the tone for how government is going to be run. Those people, in turn, bring in a whole new staff to help them run their particular departments, people who usually share their political beliefs and values… and so on and so on.
Now this trend might not get down to the White House lawn mower, but my father-in-law believes that this is how some social and welfare programs and initiatives that are valuable to one political party can get cut and under funded when a different political party takes over government. It can work in the opposite way too. Some programs can grow and receive much needed funds based on the administration’s values…
Now, I don’t think the president can do anything about the long lines at the DMV, but when it was explained to me like that, I thought at the very least the next president’s economy plan can affect me when I pay my taxes or it can affect the interest rates on my loans… but what do YOU think???
How do you think this election and the next president will affect regular people?
BTW -- that pic of me and Bill Clinton was taken BEFORE he made those Jesse Jackson comments about Barack Obama!
I asked my father-in-law those same questions this past Sunday in between Super Bowl plays. I figured he could offer some insight since he was in the Air Force and just retired from a 40 year stint in the federal government.
He put it to me like this: When a new commander in chief is elected, he brings in a new group of people – from top cabinet members to staffers -- to help him run the country. These people generally have very similar political beliefs and values as the president and they set the tone for how government is going to be run. Those people, in turn, bring in a whole new staff to help them run their particular departments, people who usually share their political beliefs and values… and so on and so on.
Now this trend might not get down to the White House lawn mower, but my father-in-law believes that this is how some social and welfare programs and initiatives that are valuable to one political party can get cut and under funded when a different political party takes over government. It can work in the opposite way too. Some programs can grow and receive much needed funds based on the administration’s values…
Now, I don’t think the president can do anything about the long lines at the DMV, but when it was explained to me like that, I thought at the very least the next president’s economy plan can affect me when I pay my taxes or it can affect the interest rates on my loans… but what do YOU think???
How do you think this election and the next president will affect regular people?
BTW -- that pic of me and Bill Clinton was taken BEFORE he made those Jesse Jackson comments about Barack Obama!
I believe the next president affect all of us 9-5ers in regards to Universal Health Care. If it is not planned correctly or adequatly managed we will all be in the poor house. Can you imagine being a medical professional having to render services below the real world cost to stay in business? The same is true in Great Britain per the lack of dentist.
People who do not pay into the system will be taking from it.
Also, why do we still have over 80,000 troops stationed and protecting Europe. NATO and the EU is growing stronger off of our tax dollars. That personel and money could better serve American security back home. Why do we still have cold war positions when we are sending jobs and oppertunity to Communist China?
These issues are important to my family and how the next president deals with them affects us. Thanks for asking.