WHAT do you hear and perceive as you listen to the presidential campaign? I hope for a revelation about our nations needs and possibilities, but all I perceive in the campaign rhetoric is illusion, delusion and denial. In a world of more than 7 billion people and growing, with known limited natural resources that are more difficult to discover, of lesser quality and more costly to extract and process, does economic growth and increased consumption and waste seem possible for long?

Now we have Congressman Paul Ryan chosen to be the running mate of presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Romney asserts he knows how to create jobs, but at present, businesses will create jobs based on government subsidies or tax cuts, essentially the same thing, most of which will accrue to conglomerate businesses. Since the federal government has a shortfall of tax revenue, where will revenue come from to cut government deficit spending?

Paul Ryan has a plan to cut deficit spending by cutting programs that constitute the social safety net, shifting as much as possible safety net expenses to states. Medicaid is one target. Medicare would essentially be privatized and more expensive to recipients as insurance, medical and pharmaceutical industries would increase their costs to recipients. Social Security benefits have already been cut by clever manipulation of the Consumer Price Index, indicating a low or no inflation rate, eliminating a cost-of-living increase two out of the last three years. Further cuts will likely soon be initiated.

All of the proposals and plans will increase the cost-of-living and lesser consumers’ incomes available for consumption. And, won’t the federal government do as states have been doing, cutting business taxes and increasing consumption taxes? Budget cuts alone will never eliminate the deficit. And deficit reduction does not reduce the debt. Think bailouts as a major cause for soaring deficits. Two plus two no longer equals four. And, where will the jobs come from when the rising cost-of-living cuts consumption? Borrowing to consume will be more limited.

To implement envisioned corporate and elite interests, and political plans attempts are being made to dilute the electorate’s ability to understand issues and their power to oppose destructive changes by making voter fraud a major issue, when electronic voting makes possible fraud that assures the desired voter results. New voter I.D. laws will also eliminate many voters.

The July 31, 2012, Georgia primary had a voter question on the Republican ballot, but not on the Democrat ballot. It asked, “Should citizens who wish to vote in a primary election be required to register by their political party affiliation at least thirty (30) days prior to such primary election?” How many voters would be eliminated from voting by such a requirement, when many would undoubtedly fail to register in time. Special interests would win the elections, as is already happening.

When politicians say they “need to get back to the peoples business,” my question is, Which people?