Early Voting At Record Pace

Politico: The Shift To Early Balloting Has Made Election Day More Of A Final Deadline Than A One-Day Event

(The Politico)  With 12 days to go until Nov. 4, Americans are casting early ballots at a record pace.

Whether encouraged by state officials to vote early and reduce the chaos and lines on Election Day, or pushed by campaigns to convert enthusiasm into tangible results, the shift to early balloting has made Election Day more of a final deadline than a one-day event.

In 2004, one out of every five Americans voted early, and if reports so far this year are any indication, an even larger proportion will wake up on Nov. 4 with their ballots already cast. More than 30 states -including most of the key swing states that will decide the race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain - allow their citizens to vote early, whether by mail or in person.

In Georgia, almost 800,000 votes have been cast so far - already more than the tally in 2004 with over a week to go. By Thursday morning in North Carolina, more than 750,000 people had voted since the polls opened a week ago.

Nevada, where more than half of all voters cast early ballots four years ago, kicked off voting last weekend and ramped up access to early polling sites in such places as supermarkets and libraries.

"We've expanded early voting this cycle and increased the number of locations and number of hours in anticipation of record turnout, trying to drive as many people as possible to the early voting locations," said Secretary of State Ross Miller, who prefers early voting and expects only 40 percent of the votes in his state to be cast on Election Day.

If previous elections are any indication, analysts said, the swell of early voting will only increase ahead of Nov. 4.

"If these numbers stay as they are right now, and we match patterns we've had in the past, we've yet to see the wave crest in early voting," said Michael McDonald, a professor at George Mason University and a consultant to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission who compiles data on early voting.

So far, it appears that the Obama campaign's drive to get people to the polls in October is paying off, at least according to data from several swing states that track voter demographics: More than 55 percent of early voters in Georgia were female, for instance, and more than 35 percent were African-American; in North Carolina, fewer than a third of those who voted early identified themselves as Republicans; and more than 60 percent of first-day early voters in Clark County, Nev., were Democrats.

"These numbers are really astounding - they defy all the patterns of early voting we've seen in this modern era," McDonald said. Based on past elections, he explained, "The early electorate tends to be more Republican in their character than the Election Day electorate."

If the trends are borne out to favor Obama, that would be a big change from 2004, when Republicans won the early vote in every state but Iowa, the one place where Democrats focused on locking it down. Even so, Bush made up the difference on Election Day and carried the state by just 10,000 votes.

McDonald said that what appears to be a heavy Democratic tilt in early voting this year doesn't necessarily mean a rout is on the way, but he said it could indicate a groundswell of enthusiasm that might carry over to Election Day. "These people are excited, they already know who they're going to vote for," he said.

The Obama campaign’s special emphasis on maximizing the early vote was illustrated this week in the critical battleground state of Florida, where over one-third of the voters cast their ballots ahead of Election Day in 2004. Obama spent the beginning of the week stumping and hosting “Early Vote for Change” rallies as state officials opened the first early polling stations on Monday. In Miami-Dade County, lines formed outside voting locations even before they opened at 7 a.m. Almost 500,000 people voted in Florida by Thursday orning, according to data compiled by McDonald.

In Fairfax County, Va., a D.C. suburb where Obama hopes to run up the score to help him carry the state, more than 40,000 ballots have been cast by Wednesday night with more than a week to go, compared with 45,000 early ballots in the entire 2004 general election, McDonald said.

The rolling tide of ballots has dramatically changed campaign strategy, political analysts said. Field operations must run on high gear with weeks to go, and candidates must shell out more resources to win every news cycle as voters make up their minds and cast their ballots.

"Some state and local candidates complain that it makes it more difficult to put the political strategy in place because it makes the voting period longer," said Nevada’s Miller. "You have to do your media buy much earlier in anticipation."

Early voting also can blunt the impact of any dramatic last-minute event that could swing the election. In Colorado, for example, almost half of the state’s 2 million votes were cast early in 2004, while this year the number could break 60 percent, McDonald estimated; by 7:30 p.m. p.m. Wednesday, more than 450,000 mail-in and early ballots had been received, he said.

"If the McCain campaign has some sort of October surprise to release, now's the time," McDonald said Monday. "The number of early voters in Colorado is so great."

Perhaps the clearest sign of early voting's new prominence is the amount of litigation and legal posturing it has attracted.

In Indiana, Republicans challenged the opening of three satellite voting centers in Democrat-rich Lake County - a linchpin in Obama’s strategy to carry the state - citing fears of voting fraud. On Wednesday, the Indiana judge ruled to keep the centers open.

In Ohio, local Republicans - with the explicit approval of the McCain campaign - sued to allow observers at early voting locations after Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said they weren't mandated.

And late last week, also in Ohio, a judge in Hamilton County appointed a special prosecutor to investigate charges of voter fraud after Democrats accused county prosecutor Joe Deters of a conflict of interest and voter intimidation, forcing him to recuse himself from a grand jury investigation. Deters had launched the grand jury probe and subpoenaed the registration records of about one-third of the Cincinnati-area voters who took advantage of a one-week window in early October that allowed them to vote and register at the same time.

[gotravel1]

Vote your conscience,America,not skin color.MLK would NOT have supported Obama because of his liberal views to try to repeal the ban on partial-birth abortion,his stand on gay marriage,and his support of racists like Jeremiah Wright and Lous Farrahkan.

[irmcvet97]

Vote your conscience,America,not skin color.MLK would NOT have supported Obama because of his liberal views to try to repeal the ban on partial-birth abortion,his stand on gay marriage,and his support of racists like Jeremiah Wright and Lous Farrahkan.

Posted by gotravel1 at 11:21 AM : Oct 24, 2008

Since we have NO WAY of knowing want King would or would not have done AND since you used these SAME tactics to give us the WORST PRESIDENT in US HISTORY, I''d suggest we listen to people like General Powell or Barry Goldwaters Daughter and vote for Obama! Now IF I were you I''d be looking for a rock to hide under! There''s a VERY LARGE wave of American''s coming at you, American''s who have put up with an Incompetent Party and an Incompetent Leader for 8 YEARS! It ain''t going to be pretty if you don''t!!

[repforbarack]

gotravel1 = troll




I voted early for Barack yesterday!
Very easy/quick process

[Confidential416]

I will vote Obama

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[kimbefly]

Good idea, Gotravel1! I''m a white woman and I already voted for Obama. The choice is clear to me. I am voting for the intelligent, empathetic pragmatist who has already displayed a cool head and a steady hand in steering his remarkable campaign.

Obama does not support gay marriage or partial birth abortions. He supports equal rights for all citizens,and a woman''s right to choose. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

[flreason]

Kimbefly:

While I may agree with your sentiments, your spamming is really annoying. Please limit yourself to one copy of any response.

[brucie2006]

The repigs are getting desperate. Basically, thank you Sarah Palin, who doesn''t even know her own job description!

[smclimans]

Today on my way to lunch, I passed a homeless guy sitting
on the sidewalk with the extra advertisement
"Vote Obama, I need the money".
I laughed.

In the restaurant,
the waiter had an Obama ''08 button with his Obama necktie.
Again I laughed.

When the $12 lunch bill came, I explained to the waiter
that I was testing the Obama wealth redistribution concept.
He stood there, dumbstruck and mad, as I told him I would be
giving his tip to the homeless guy outside who needed it more.
The waiter trotted off seething, while the homeless guy
was thrilled that he receieved money he didnt EARN!

Just a short lesson in Obama socialist economics.
Great story, huh? (and true) just happened
Try it yourself in the next few days!

LOLOLOL....

[nothappyatall]

Just avoid any possibility of the Diebold machine FRAUD where one person can overturn an entire election by manipulating the machine''s proprietary software Diebold refuses to release the code for to the public to examine. Also avoid the long lines, "running out" of ballots and so on- just get an absentee ballow and mail it in, I mailed mine in.

[tannerbird]

smclimans just think you could have spent 12 dollars at McDonalds and bought 12 double cheese you could gave the homeless man 4 had 4 for yourself and 4 for the waiter that is the way Obama thinks. what do you think about that would that work. BUT THAT MAY BE THE WAY YOU THINK.

[pr_boxer]

Progressive income tax, public highways, public transportation, public schools, Govt Bail outs, etc, etc, we have been re-distributing the wealth all along guys. Its not a new Obama idea, it works, it will continue, because it needs to be continually redistributed. The richest would accumulate more and more if this were not the way we do things, the middle class would disappear were it not for wealth redistribution.

Acting horrified at the words "wealth re-distribution" is either a lie or naivette.

[yeswecan09]

He stood there, dumbstruck and mad, as I told him I would be giving his tip to the homeless guy outside who needed it more.
The waiter trotted off seething, while the homeless guy was thrilled that he receieved money he didnt EARN!
*****
I love how you equate a tax break for the middle class as "socialism".

However, if you were doing the same thing under John McCain''s tax plan you would have taken your tip, found the richest person in the area, and give that tip to him/her.

You could even justify it by saying "eventually that money will trickle-down to me!"

[debbyrandal]

Take our poll if you are an early voter. You can also post reasons why not to vote for McCain/Palin. www.theseriouspolice.com

[mspiff]

WAKE UP CALL: Do you all know that Obama wants another African American to replace him in the Seante if he wins the Presidency? This was in a small article in the Chicago Sun-Times two days ago. I don''t know how much is reported by the liberal media. We in Chicago get just a little bit more. Not much more. So, he''s for EVERYBODY? Why not request a "qualifed" senator? But NO, he wants an African American. He also supported Todd Stoger, who raised Cook County''s taxes to over 10%. People . . . .wake up and smell the coffee!

"The waiter trotted off seething, while the homeless guy was thrilled that he receieved money he didnt EARN!"
**************

Thin the herd. Haha. Hey genius, that waiter isn''t even having his taxes increased by Obama. That waiter makes less than $250k. You pubes keep thinking of middle class having some of their wealth distributed to bums when it''s millionaires having some of their wealth distributed to the middle class.

Bush has greatly hurt the middle class and that has greatly affected the overall economy and country. Good job, Bush...you''re another genius! Thanks for running our country into the ground.

Mr. Socialist Obama is just going back to the socialist tax structure of Clinton. Notice how the Clinton years saw middle class flourish, and therefore the economy and country? I know you hate that b/c you hate America. Let''s keep hurting America and vote repube! Not! And all Obama is doing is increasing the highest tax bracket from 36% to 39%. Big woopty do. If I made that kind of money, I''m not selfish enough to think that''s going to hurt me and turn my back on my country. If you don''t think we should be paying any taxes at all....just don''t pay them like your friend, Joe the Plumber and do a little tax evasion like that $40k a year rich man. In fact, all of us should just do what Joe the Plumber does and evade taxes so that there''s no more funding for the war or bailing out the fat cats on Wall Street....or paying for Palin''s kids'' recreational travel.

[teri0728]

Hey gotravel - go fly a kite! You don''t know what the *** Martin Luther King would have done. You people are truly trips! You''re just a bad sport and angry because you KNOW that angry littlepissant McCain is losing.

Get over it because future-President Obama WILL win.

[carolo43]

Gez people. Get over yourself. The Dems have put up with Republicans in office for years other than when Clinton was in office. How ya think we felt when Bush won TWICE and just look what we have now. Chill out! It''s our turn and it might surprise you that you Reps do not run the world.

Further, I''d rather give up a fraction of my money that I won''t even notice in order to help out the people like the waiters who make minimum wage and tips. If they''re able to save some money and have enough to educate their kids...then we all end up winning. If people like them struggle and their kids end up going to hell in a handbasket, it hurts us all.

[Redoubt]

From rinsethevote...

Conspiracy buffs from coast to coast are about to have an early Xmas! The reason is because of this year%u2019s early voting. In essence, what is being termed a %u2018block percentage%u2019 of the nation%u2019s electorate are casting early ballots and these will have been counted long before the day of the general election. In fact, the numbers from this early vote will likely be a very stable platform from which to pick who will win in the general vote. The problem with this is that in every state but Utah, registrars are not sworn to secrecy on who is ahead or not in the early voting. In truth, anyone with a good inside track to a county government can probably get access to these tables.

Enter the electronic voting machine and a worry now that enough of them could be rigged in key states to change the outcome of the vote before it ever finishes. The theorists, bless their pointed heads, fear that the information derived from the early balloting might be shared with those who would be unhappy with the predicted winner and then see that those machines were altered to change that outcome.

Calling it a Minority Report type scenario and blaming the Bilderbergs, several popular conspiracy websites have already begun setting up what they call %u2018watch commands%u2019 to keep an eye on how this all turns out.

[velma179]

If we do not redistribute the wealth, we end up in a feudal system. This is where the few landowners allow the working class to provide labor in order to earn the "lords" the money ... with perhaps a roof and a meal or two for themselves. The worker can be forced off the land if he or she violates the code (social, religious, etc.) of the landowner.

Folks, we fought a war to get out of this kind of system... not so long ago -- in the 1770''s. Some mighty fine ideas came out of that war (a war I WOULD be supporting, by the way).

My vote is to take America back "for the people, of the people and by the people".

Obama/Biden 08

[slayrre007]

I want to start off by saying that I make considerably less than $250k line that has been talked about. My problem is%u2026why should I believe that Barack Obama will give us a tax cut when he has NEVER supported tax cuts in his entire political career? Even if he did do something he never did before and give the tax cut he proposes, I would much rather keep my job than get a few hundred dollars more on my refund (and why is my %u201Chard earned%u201D money being given as a tax credit check to the welfare class that don%u2019t pay taxes and refuse to get a job%u2026???).

Finally, Obama%u2019s tax hikes on businesses making 250K or more will be IMMEDIATELY transferred to the costumer which means more money comes out of my %u201Cmiddle class%u201D pocket. I can see more businesses closing and more people losing jobs with this strategy. To me%u2026 Obama%u2019s tax plan sounds terrible and appears to be socialistic with an agenda of taking care of welfare recipients (not surprisingly a group that is strongly represented by minorities). I think Obama%u2019s plan will further push the American economy toward a depression.

[slayrre007]

I am not an economic guru%u2026 so I am open to hearing someone make sense or a logical argument against how I am seeing Obama%u2019s plan. To me%u2026 the capitalistic system seems the best because it encourages new businesses and creates new jobs. I think the problem was%u2026 we just had a bunch of greedy idiots running the government. When I say government...I am talking about George W. Bush and a %u201Cdemocratic controlled%u201D Congress (with both republicans and democrats bearing the responsibility for this disastrous mess we are in).

On the funnier side: "I COULD NO MORE SEPARATE MYSELF FROM REV. WRIGHT THAN I CAN TOSS MY GRANDMOTHER UNDER A BUS".......hell.....I thought this lady died in a traffic accident months ago...!

[slayrre007]

I am all about having the right people run a capitalistic system that "had worked" for a century and helped turn this country into a powerful economic nation.....before I throw the capitalisic system into the garbage can in favor of socialism.

Our problem is...the CROOKS in Washington DC (George W Bush and Congress...who coincidently has been controlled by the Democrats for the past two years)... need to be jailed for destroying our economy.

I am TOTALLY against given a tax credit (in the form of a check) to welfare recipients (majority of who refuse to get a *** job).

We need better leaders....not to destroy a system that has worked for 300 years and had turned this nation into a economic global power.

[o_the_potus]

I''d like to do a little number I call "Sha-ma-la ma-Obama."

Obama
Obama
VOTE! VOTE! Obama
Obama
Obama
VOTE! VOTE! Obama

They don''t want your vote to hold no sway.
That''s why you must vote today.

Obama
Obama
VOTE! VOTE! Obama
Obama
Obama
VOTE! VOTE! Obama

The time has come to cast your vote
And tell the reich to hit the road.

Obama
Obama
VOTE! VOTE! Obama
Obama
Obama
VOTE! VOTE! Obama

I cast my vote and I here to say
Tomorrow gonna be a better day.

Obama
Obama
VOTE! VOTE! Obama
Obama
Obama
VOTE! VOTE! Obama
Obama
Obama
VOTE! VOTE! Obama
Obama
Obama
VOTE! VOTE! Obama

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by slayrre007 at 05:48 PM : Oct 24, 2008

The only reason USA got rich in the last century was because USA was an Economic Monopoly around the world. After WWII, all world economies were in Ruins and Destroyed except for the USA Economy. Consequently, everyone around the world had to purchase from American at our High Price.

If America were so smart back then, why are they so stupid today?

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by slayrre007 at 05:48 PM : Oct 24, 2008

The only reason USA got rich in the last century was because USA was an Economic Monopoly around the world. After WWII, all world economies were in Ruins and Destroyed except for the USA Economy. Consequently, everyone around the world had to purchase from American at our High Asking Price.

Today, nobody needs to purchase from USA as USA got absolutely no monopoly. Instead, Americans must now compete with the rest of the world.

If Americans were so smart back then, why are they so Idiots today?

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by slayrre007 at 05:48 PM : Oct 24, 2008

The only reason USA got rich in the last century was because USA was an Economic Monopoly around the world. After WWII, all world economies were in Ruins and Destroyed except for the USA Economy. Consequently, everyone around the world had to purchase from America at our High Asking Price.

Today, nobody needs to purchase from USA as USA got absolutely no monopoly. Instead, Americans must now compete with the rest of the world.

If Americans were so smart back then, why are they so Idiots today?

[tannerbird]

Hear is the plan. Tax the hell out of rich republicans give it to the working people so they can spend to get things going again. the thing is to get rid of all republicans

[velma179]

slayrre...

Your gloom and doom prediction misses some very big points.

One: Taxes are paid on PROFIT -- not sales and revenues; profit is determined by adding revenue and subtracting expense (to put it VERY SIMPLY).
It takes a company with much BIGGER revenues than $250,000 to make a profit of $250,000. This would rarely qualify for a "small business".

Two: Most companies of a size to generate this profit level will not endanger their revenue stream by "immediately" raising prices. They will compete as they always have -- in a FREE MARKET.

Three: Taxes are not the only indicator of economic loss or growth, stability or weakness.

Four: Nobody has said anything about "an agenda taking care of welfare recipients". Even in the recent "economic stimulus plan" that our current administration paid out (those $300, $600, and up for families) checks ONLY went to people who had INCOME. The amount was determined by whether they had a tax liability or not in the preceding year (meaning the lowest WAGE EARNERS who got their tax refunded back in full as well as possibly had earned income credit only got the lower amount).

I have not read anywhere that any tax break or proposal is planned for people who do not earn income. It IS called INCOME TAX.

Think about it.

[lovegetpeace]

I am praying hard to God that Wall Streets will dive to 1000 points on November 3, 2008.

[slayrre007]

velma179...

One: Taxes are paid on PROFIT -- not sales and revenues.

My question to you.... if I am a owner of a company making $250k profit a year and living to my means (as 98% of Americans do)...then...why would I give up a higher percentage of my profits each year instead of firing someone and keeping my profit margin...?

I mean... if I am a successful business owner... I am not going to pay "uncle sam" when I can fire an employee to make up the extra tax burden.

[slayrre007]

velma179...

Two: Most companies of a size to generate this profit level will not endanger their revenue stream by "immediately" raising prices. They will compete as they always have -- in a FREE MARKET.

Maybe...but then again...why wouldn''t they start driving prices up with the excuse that "this is the only way we can stay in business" or "this is the only way we can avoid firing our employees"....?

We have see this happen with the oil companies... and we continue to "foot the bill".

[longtree-2009]

it ain''t over until it''s over and the fat lady sings. obama does not have the election won and neither does mccain. it is going to be a close one. as of today anyway, it looks like a race to the finish. obama does not have it won by a long shot.

[slayrre007]

velma179...

Three: Taxes are not the only indicator of economic loss or growth, stability or weakness.

Yes I agree...but at the same time...if businesses are closing down, jobs being lost....then the laws of "supply and demand" kick in...allowing the remaining businesses to drive up the price due to the competition having closed thier doors.

Higher taxes and the domino effect of businesses closing, fewer new businesses opening, and people out of work...I think would have a devastating effect on our economy...without even considering future growth.