Have you heard John McCain’s newest stump speech? Aside from making the case that he’s way more of what people erroneously assert as socialist, he’s also once again raising concerns of possible early Alzheimer’s related dementia or at the very best case, late stage senility. It’s the opinion of this blogger that John McCain should either take a closer look at recent history or go to a very good neurologist and start taking some AChE Inhibitors.

The most common observable symptom of mild stage Alzheimer’s disease is memory loss. For instance, in the newest stump speech, McCain states the last President to raise taxes during a recessionary period was Herbert Hoover and that resulted in the Great Depression. Not so! Actually, If McCain’s memory was working correctly he would recall the name Andrew Mellon, perhaps you’ve heard of him. Aside from lending his name to a few sports arenas and an excellent University in Pittsburgh, PA, he also served as Hoover’s secretary of Treasury. In the ten years prior to the start of the Great Depression, Mellon had a plan. I bet you’ll never guess what it was. He cut taxes on the richest people, over and over again. It may be shocking to some, and probably coincidental, but the last tax cut that Hoover and Mellon made was in… drum roll please… the same year the Great Depression started, 1929! Oh it gets better folks! Guess what Mellon and Hoover’s response was? Just Guess! Spending Freeze! Balance the budget, cut back on government spending!

Now you may be wondering, doesn’t this policy sound awfully familiar? Yes Folks, it does.

Well, let’s fast forward to 1932, deep into the Great Depression. Hoover, who considered himself a Maverick, had no choice but to raise taxes across the board because all those tax cuts he made didn’t spur growth in the private sector and the governemnt was broke. That was when Hoover raised taxes, perhaps a mistake, but none the less not prior to the Great Depression. (It should be noted that trouble remembering dates is characteristic of Alzheimer’s)

Ok, now let’s fast forward to 1988. Perhaps you remember this guy, George Herbert Walker Bush. John McCain should, he was in the Senate. George Herbert Walker Bush ran for President under the slogan “Read my lips: NO NEW TAXES!”,

Actually, this is exactly what he said:

And I’m the one who will not raise taxes. My opponent now says he’ll raise them as a last resort, or a third resort. But when a politician talks like that, you know that’s one resort he’ll be checking into. My opponent, my opponent won’t rule out raising taxes. But I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes and I’ll say no. And they’ll push, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push again, and I’ll say, to them, ‘Read my lips: no new taxes.’

But then, a twist of fate, a recession! Do I REALLY have to write out who was the last President to raise taxes in the midst of a recession, or is it painfully obvious that everyone else could remember it was George HW Bush. And if you think about it, that line about no new taxes sounds awfully familiar too…

Taxes sound bad, yes, that’s true. No one likes taxes, nope not at all, but sometimes you gotta raise ‘em. Hey, some might even go as far as to call suckin’ it up and payin’ taxes, patriotic. After all, let’s take a look at the resulting years after taxes were raised in the two examples above.

In the eight years after Hoover raised taxes: FDR spent A LOT of government cheese, and we got 56% growth of the economy.

In the eight years after Clinton took office: Well, I think we can all remember that, people were doin’aight.

Sooo, in conclusion I must say that John McCain clearly is exhibiting memory loss. That combined with the fact that around age 75 you’re more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than say a reasonable age for a politican like 50, it would seem best for the American people, John’s Family, and John McCain if someone gave the man a screening for AD.

Just sayin.

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