The majority of media activity this week has been the non-stop coverage of the political caucuses in Iowa and the primary election New Hampshire; resulting in a huge volume of gas, which was generated wherever politicians and TV cameras met. While these contests are held every four years, this is the first time they have taken place during the first week in January.

These two states have long been the first states to hold primary contests. Because several other states moved their own contests ahead of the usual dates of Iowa and New Hampshire, these two states moved theirs accordingly. It’s possible that they may move into the previous December or earlier if it’s necessary for them to remain first. Why does it matter? It doesn’t, except to these otherwise insignificant states. 

One might wonder what all the hoopla was about, particularly in New Hampshire. It’s hardly a cross section of the nation. There are a million more people in Dallas County than in the whole state. Pundits scratching their heads over Obama losing to Miz Clinton should consider the fact that black people make up only 1 percent of the population.

 This is the time in the campaign when the candidates start making promises that they either cannot or will not keep. Most of them come up with a variety of promises that target various groups of the electorate, people that are generally inclined to vote for the candidate that promises the most “free stuff.” 

 John McCain, who won the GOP primary in New Hampshire, was talking about the Inheritance (Death) Tax yesterday. He proposed keeping the tax, but allowing rich families to keep $10 million of the family fortune before the government comes in and starts taking its cut. How generous, eh? Taking its cut for what? How is the government entitled to a penny of someone’s property? It’s like the mafia moving in and extorting money. Neither the government nor the mafia has done anything to earn it. Politicians clearly see things in a different light.

Miz Clinton was also making her demands on the peoples’ money yesterday. She wants $70 billion spent to “prevent a recession.” This is essentially a vote-buying scheme to take care of the mortgage payments of those who bought new homes they couldn’t pay for. I call it the “stupidity stipend.”  $25 Billion of this giveaway is for people to pay for their heating oil bills. This kind of giveaway plan comes up every winter. It’s always for those who use heating oil. People in this part of the country are never included. Clinton isn’t actually promising anything. She is demanding that President Bush turn loose this money right now even though it is the House of Representatives that originate all revenue bills. Winter time comes every year and it isn’t the government’s function to take public funds to keep Yankees warm.

Rudy Giuliani, who has not actively campaigned in either Iowa or New Hampshire, has a new tax plan, which he calls the “largest tax cut in the history of America.” While the plan has yet to be publicly announced, his people says it will include a $3,500-per-person deduction, and deductions for health care, home mortgage payments, charity contributions, and local and state taxes, as well as a $1,000-per-child tax credit. Also a 10 percent tax would be assessed on the first $40,000 earned, 15 percent on $40,000 to $150,000 earned and 30 percent on $150,000 earned and above. Now that’s the kind of campaign promise that whets my interest. I’m all for any program or campaign promise that doesn’t require taking money out of the pocket of A in order to give it to B.

The only campaign promise I can ever remember coming true was the Bush tax cut. He also planned to fix Social Security, which is still in dire need of repair. The Democrats absolutely refused to have anything to do with it, citing some sort of religious reverence for the FDR legacy. So don’t count on any of today’s promises coming true until they do. Chances are they won’t.