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Media BlackMoneyMatters Radio Vote With Your Wallet | Vote With Your Wallet |
| Written by Gil Michel, MBA | |
 On November 2, 2006, I was doing my weekly commentary on the KD Bowe morning show and I took a slight departure from the norm to discuss the upcoming elections. Although these are called Mid-Term elections, one might not think they as important as the elections that take place during the presidential elections. Nothing could be further from the truth.This year's election will determine who will take control of the House and Senate. And while, I am neither a Democrat or Republican, I still have a great interest in what happens in the land I am proud to call home (although I claim no political party, I still make it my point to vote!). So if there are special interests that are being looked at from either party, or an agenda that is strongly being pushed, I want to know about it. Which brings me to my point.... We should be making it a point to start voting our wallets. I mean, who is looking to make sure that we are able to retain more of our paychecks each week? Here are some guidelines to help you choose the right candidate in terms of financial credibility: Employment Is the candidate looking to export jobs overseas? If you work in technology and the candidates you are considering are taking every chance they can to reward and encourage tech jobs to go to India, then maybe they shouldn't get your vote. Is the candidate looking to aggressively reward employers who create new jobs and increase new jobs in your jurisdiction? These are the ones who are helping. Healthcare Is your potential vote-getter looking to punish the working class by having them shoulder the burden of healthcare? What about making prescriptions accessible to the should-be revered elderly within our communities? You may think that issues of medicare and medicaid don't apply to you, but if you have a family member who can't afford healthcare or presciptions and they eventually come to live with you, you'll start to figure out that this is our problem Inflation How will the candidate's views affect inflation? If their stance on issues will cause federal interest rates to rise and cause uncertainty in the stock market then it will ultimately affect inflation rates. The bottom line is will the dollar you earn have the same spending power tomorrow? If not, how much less are you willing to let it drop before you do something about it? Vote for the person that will most likely retain the power of your dollar. Taxes Are you tired of hearing litle soundbites about who is for the rich and who is for the poor? Why not just look at thevoting records of those who are in office now? We would do well to do our due dilligence and vote for those who are looking out for us. Will the Earned Income Credit increase by much? Will I be given credit for child care, or other business related issues as an employer or self-employed individual? Of course vote your conscience, but bring some reasoning in the midst of the equation. Too many times, we have bought into a lie, simply because the candidate visited our church or kissed our baby on the forehead. This time, let the proof of their commitment be the incereased jobs we see and the quality of life we enjoy. |
