Combined Christmas Edition

Merry Christmas! This is “What’s Wrong With Washington?” and I am Lance Pisowicz. We have a very special show for you all today, featuring some What’s Wrong With Washington and Weekly Walk topics, as well as some special Christmas coverage. We’ll cover the payroll tax issue, the Presidential primaries, and then conclude with Christmas topics. Before we begin, I would like to remind you to visit me at Lance Pisowicz (www.wix.com/lancejp/online). From there you can access our Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, both blogs, and many of our other unique features. Be sure to check it out. And without further ado, let’s jump right into the topics for today.

*Yesterday an agreement was finally reached by Congress to extend the payroll tax cuts to both the middle class and upper class for two months. The deal came in right before the deadline of the New Year, and both Democrats and Republicans have something they can claim victory on. One person, who has no reason to declare victory on this issue, is President Obama. He is now trying to market himself as a tax-cutter for the middle class, when in fact taxes will grow astronomically in 2013 when “Obamacare” kicks in. This is unless a Republican is elected next fall and he has a favorable House and Senate to work with. Now I promised to “tone down” the politics a bit this week, since this is a combined show but the truth is the truth. The Republicans could have declared absolute victory last week by making sure both the middle and upper classes were not strained with higher taxes; however they decided that it would be better to extend the cuts for another year rather than two months. So really it is the Republicans who wanted to keep your taxes lower for a longer period of time, not the Democrats as they would like to claim. By not backing down, more cuts in spending were made and nobody will see an astronomical payroll tax increase, at least on the federal level. Finally, the agreement was reached between the two sides on the 22nd, and it is certain that the balance of taxes and spending cuts will weigh heavily on the minds of voters next fall as we try to reign in our national debt.

*That being said, I have been asked by quite a few different individuals as to whom do I support for President in 2012. Believe me; this topic has weighed heavily in my mind for several years now. Many of my original favorites have either declined to run or dropped out of the race entirely. I guess there’s always a Vice Presidency option, but it’s not the same as having them as Commander in Chief. Right now there are several different candidates I would support for a variety of reasons. My Christian values and ideals are telling me to support Rick Perry. To me, his morals and values are the most similar to my own, although I do not agree with him on every topic. My intellect is urging me to support Newt Gingrich. I like new ideas but I only want viable ones. Newt is by far the smartest candidate in the Presidential election. My main fear with him and Rick Perry is how would they fare against the president? Obviously Newt could out-debate him, but would Obama point out blemishes in Gingrich’s past political and personal lives that would alienate Independents? As a member of the Republican Party, I know that Mitt Romney is the safest bet at beating President Obama next year. He doesn’t necessarily bring forth anything new and unique, but he has the best economic and foreign policies, and he would do a fine job of running the country in that regard. There are some things about his moral views that concern me, but when former President George H. W. Bush came out and supported him a few days ago, he must be trustworthy enough as far as his morals go. Regardless of who wins the nomination, whether it’s Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, or someone else, I will be supporting them as a true improvement over the president. When the primaries come to your area (ours happen in May) you may need to be tactful in who you vote for. If the race is close between two candidates, pick the one you like better of the two, even if they are not your absolute favorites. You will influence the election in a great way by doing so. Who do you like the best of the Republican Presidential candidates? Be sure to vote and tell us your favorite by visiting our poll of the week at: http://poll.fm/3g0u5.

*And finally we conclude with some Christmas discussions. It seems like everything is coming together for our Christmas Eve get-together tomorrow evening. The house is clean, the gifts are wrapped, and the food is made. Hopefully everything is just about ready for you also. Just remember to keep Christ, the reason for the season, at the center of Christmas. Think of others and remember: it is better to give than to receive.

I sure hope your Christmas is a genuinely special time for you and your family. I am confident ours will be as well. Before we go, I would like to get you in the mood for this weekend, by showing you a few of my favorite Christmas movies. Check it out.

Thank you for joining us on this very special Christmas edition of “What’s Wrong With Washington.” We will see you on another combined program, next Friday. I am Lance Pisowicz and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. Good night.