Inspite of all the talk about being a "maverick" it's clear that the McCain team views the economy in much the same way as Bush. It's
also clear that this view favors the well to do (10%?) of the population at the expense of the rest. So it's fair to ask how is it
possible that people elected Bush? And McCain is scoring 42% in the polls?
The answer is Joe the plumber. This guy would do much better under Obama. Against his interests he is supporting McCain and criticizing
Obama's plan. This completely screws up economic theories based on the assumption that people will act in accordance to their interest.
For most of his life Joe has been told that there are the Right ® people and the others. R are real American, patriotic, love their
guns, are on the side of God, protect fetuses and everything they define as good.
The Others (O) are fake Americans, unpatriotic, godless. In one word, liberals.
As long as the like of Joe can be fooled and act against their interest, most Americans will suffer.
Then there is Jason hill. He looks like a typical redneck. Probably in similar economic situation than Joe the plumber. Difference is that
Jason is not buying the right wing talk. He's smart enough to figure out that are just trying to screw him. So Jason is campaigning for real change.
We can also find completely different attitudes among the very rich. I watched Donald Trump on TV stating he's supporting McCain. He said
that under McCain he'll be paying lower taxes, fair enough. This is in stark contrast with the point of view of
Warren Buffett who in a comment about his fellow billionaires stated:
They have this idea that it’s “their money” and they deserve to keep every penny of it. What they don’t factor in is all
the public investment that lets us live the way we do. Take me as an example. I happen to have a talent for allocating capital. But my
ability to use that talent is completely dependent on the society I was born into. If I’d been born into a tribe of hunters, this talent
of mine would be pretty worthless. I can’t run very fast. I’m not particularly strong. I’d probably end up as some wild animal’s dinner.
But I was lucky enough to be born into a time and place where society values my talent, and gave me a good education to develop that talent,
and set up the laws and the financial system to let me do what I love doing—and make a lot of money doing it. The least I can do is help pay
for all that.
What this suggests isn’t socialism, but wisdom.
It is my firm believe that a society structured according to the views of Jasons, Warrens and Obama would be a much pleasant place than a
Joe/Donald/McCain country.
