Stealing Joe's American Dream

The "Joe the Plumber" portion of last night's debate really spoke to me. I have strong feelings about socialism. I saw how destructive socialism was when I spent a summer in Sweden in 1980 as a foreign exchange student. I spoke personally with the children there, particularly the high school students. As an American, I was filled with high aspirations for my future. At the time, I wanted to become a doctor. I had the hope that if I worked hard and applied myself, that I could make a better life for myself and my family. This is the American Dream. The students in Sweden had no hopes for their future. They told me in no uncertain terms that they intended to slide through life and they did not intend to do anything great. Why work hard like that, they said, when the government would come in and take it all away? If you work hard in Sweden, they take all your money, and you end up supporting 4 other families in addition to your own, and the drunk down the street has a nice apartment, paid for by you.

Senator Barack Obama's plan to increase taxes on those making over $250,000 per year will hurt me here, now, where I live. My husband is a doctor, and I stay at home to raise our children. He employs about 10 people directly. Increased taxes will hurt a lot. We live in Southern California, and it is very expensive to live here. We are not rich. But we pay our mortgage every month. And we pay a lot in taxes already, and we employ people who pay taxes and contribute to the economy. Doctors are in a hard spot, when you think about it. My husband didn't start making money until ten years ago, when he was around 35 years old. And as a surgeon, he will not be able to continue his work into his old age. So his earning years are limited. He did everything right. He did what we teach our children they should do. He went to school, tried hard, learned, went on to higher education, tried hard, and succeeded. Is it right to punch him in the teeth for that? Is it right to take from the small businesses and "spread the wealth"? Doing that makes all the honest, hard working people regret their efforts. And it teaches the children that hard work and honest effort does not pay off. It makes you a target.

This is not right. Please help to preserve the American Dream for ourselves and for our children. Vote for John McCain.