I'm not changing the subject. All of the issues go hand in hand because they have a direct influence on the morale of the nation. Make waves and people quit spending. It's like going to a restaurant and ordering water, but saying hold the wet. It doesn't work that way. You can't have liquid water without the wet. Can't separate one from the other.
It's not just about guns, it's the major change all at once, in any area. As long as that change is good, ok. But if it negatively affects the morale of segments of the population, spending will go down. And you need spending to keep an economy afloat.
Now here is something else that caught my eye, it looks great on the outside, and I'm sure he thinks it's good too...
"Supports federal programs to protect rural economy. (May 2004)"
http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama.htm#Budget_+_Economy
But it was either Dateline or 20/20 that did an investigation a while back into the impact of farm subsidies on rural areas. The rural districts actually did better without them than with them. I forget the data behind it, but it was well documented.
EDIT: I found it online...
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=6050559&page=1
"This year, Congress passed another $300 billion farm bill. President Bush vetoed this farm bill -- twice. Sen. John McCain opposed it, calling it "bloated legislation that will do more harm than good." But Sen. Barack Obama supported it."
......
"Actually, a government study found that the more farm aid a county got, the more likely it was to lose population.
Why would that be? Because subsides make it harder for smaller farmers to compete.
'Farm subsidies go to very, very wealthy farmers, not the ma and pa farm,' economist George Mason University's Walter Williams said. 'It's these huge agribusinesses that get the big subsidies."
It's another vote for big government and big corporation. Not a vote for thriving communities. And it doesn't redistribute the wealth as he's famous for saying. It makes the wealthy wealthier.
I do have family members who farm, and they get no subsidies. They aren't rich or even well off and do have to work at another job away from home. While they have to do that, the huge agribusinesses are getting subsidies. Though I don't personaly farm, I still hold the idea that anyone who eats should consider those who produces their food. Without them, you don't eat. I would rather my food comes from smaller farms than large factory farms. The approach is more hands on and food is more easily monitored.
"Bloated legislation" doesn't help those who need it and it's clearly a part of Obama's economic policy. So he can give the middle class all the tax cuts he claims he would, but giving $300 billion to large corporations hurts, not helps, middle class rural communities that are the bread basket and backbone of our nation.