Obama knocked it out of the park! I have been a political junkie since before Nixon and tonight was one of the best speeches I can remember. Few of Obama’s contemporaries can equal his oratorical skills. I know of no politician today who could come close to amassing some 75,000 eager listeners, with many standing for the whole speech, some moved to tears, perhaps all full of hope. Congratulations to Senator Obama for a historic moment for African Americans and a job well done.

The sad news is that for Democrat faithfuls who for eight years have longed to regain the White House, tonight’s speech, when sifted through the screen of rational thought and common sense, is sorely lacking. Yes, he promised to give specifics, but did he? He promised a great education for every child, the same level of health care as those in the congress for every American, to regain global respect for America, to cut taxes on most American families, etc., etc., but how? He didn’t say how and he will not because there is no answer to this sort of upside-down logic. Democrats have been saying the same things for decades, just not as well as Obama. It is not unlike the little boy standing in the open door of a barn loft with a bath towel around his shoulders summoning the courage to leap out expecting to fly. He is full of hope, expecting change, until he leaps into the air only to have the ground below jolt him to reality.

Obama and O’biden and the Democrats are ready to give a tax break to the worker while at the same time financially raping the employers of the workers. Here is a short lesson in economics. When the cost of doing business goes up there can only be one of two results. Goods and or services must be decreased in amount or quality, and or prices to the consumer must be increased. It makes no difference if the cost of doing business (overhead) is increased because of an increase in materials, labor, fringe benefits, or higher taxation, the end result is the same. A government policy that punishes success in business is folly. Higher corporate taxes means less spending for research and development, less funding for business expansion to more markets and manufacturing locations, less money for higher salaries, and less incentive to go into business in the first place.

The opposite view, and the logical one, is to allow business to flourish, encourage expansion, research and development, and the creation of millions of good jobs that will never exist unless the bottom line is in the black. For many years I worked for a family owned business in the DFW area. They started with one small auto dealership. Today they own about 16 and one of the most solid banks in Dallas. Had they been taxed the way Democrats envision they would never have gone past one tiny location with meager profits if any at all. Instead of employing about 25 people, today they employ perhaps well over one thousand. Just in our location there were 190 employees about 30 of which were under my supervision. They earned up to $85,000 each year. They bought houses, cars, boats, paid college tuition, bought insurance, groceries, and clothing, went on vacations, and paid lots of taxes to state and federal coffers. All of this is due to the free market, the American dream that expects business to earn profits and provide jobs. Democrats do not understand this concept.

Another reality that many of our liberal friends don’t seem to understand is this. Government does not have any money, doesn’t earn any money, and doesn’t create any jobs. Every dollar Obama or McCain promises to spend comes out of our collective pockets. It is taxpayers who foot the bill. It is easy for a candidate to promise a billion here, a billion and half there, it is quite another for men and women to sweat out the 40 plus hour weeks to earn the money and pay their taxes. Even an accounting student in a community college should be able to understand that it is not possible to give every one in America everything they want and balance the books without major tax hikes across the board. Obama clams he will go over the federal budget line by line and cut out the fat. Which programs will you cut Sen. Obama? What policies will you change to save the taxpayers money? The answers are not coming I promise you.

The promises offered in our founding documents are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The federal government is charged to defend our borders and leave us alone. There are no “rights” to health care, education, cars with great fuel economy, and HD TV.

It is one thing to give a rousing speech, it is quite another to deliver the goods. All of the smoke and mirrors will not make me and millions of others forget that Sen. Obama has little experience, questionable wisdom, and a faulty world view to lead the free world. Perhaps he will be the next president of the United States. If so he will be my president and I’ll hope for his success. I tend to think that in the end common sense will prevail. I can’t conceive that there are enough people in America who make critical decisions like the O.J. jurors, “Don’t confuse me with the facts!”

I am proud that we have matured so that a woman and a black man can rise to the loftiest places of our society. We still have a long way to go. My hope is that in another forty five years we will still be the proud republic called the United States of America. Sadly, the chances are not very good in my view.

For liberty,
Royce Ogle