With just a few days to go before the election, Senator Barack Obama spent part of his day on Saturday discussing issues important to young voters with MTV: one of the topics was, not surprisingly, student loans. Here's what he had to say in response to a question from a viewer:

"I went to college having to take out student loans, went to law school having to take out student loans. Michelle took out student loans. When we got married, I think together our total loan payments every month was more than our mortgage when we bought a house, and that lasted for about 10 years. And I meet students - I think the average student is taking out $25,000 to $30,000. That's a huge burden, especially in a time when wages and income are not going up. So here is what we want to do: increase the Pell Grant program, eliminate banks as middlemen from the direct loan program - they're taking out billions of dollars in profits - take that money, apply that to increasing the number of loans that are out there and reducing the rates, and then what I want to do is provide a $4,000 tuition credit for every student, every year, in exchange for national service. If they participate in Peace Corps, working in their community in some fashion, obviously joining the military. We are going to make sure that they can afford their college tuition. And in certain areas, like teaching, where we really need teachers, especially in math and science, and nursing, where we really need nurses, we will potentially provide them with even more than that in order to get the high-quality teachers and nurses that we really need."

In August, I discussed how avoiding technology can be costly and dangerous and how McCain was a self-described "illiterate" when it came to the Internet.

Well, that illiteracy has cost the McCain campaign dearly. Money is pouring into Obama's war chest and much of it is coming from the web. Obama's campaign announced earlier this month that they have received money from more than 100,000 people including 50,000 Internet donors -- more online donors than his chief Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, had total donors. And it is growing.

A quick look and it is easy to see why. The campaign sends out provocative video which can be easily be forwarded to friends and family. There is even a feature where you can upload your entire address book and send the page out. Before you exit the site there is the "ask" for money. It's not a big "ask," just five bucks. Many people think nothing of that contribution. Then you receive periodic e-mails from Obama with a personalized greeting.

Slick? You bet. Whether you agree with his politics or not, Obama gets it. He knows how to connect with the public -- especially the under -50 crowd. He recognizes the power of the internet and how to use it effectively. He is the first candidate to really use the World Wide Web to build his coalition and long-term voter loyalty. As his data base builds, he will have direct access to voters to solicit information, money and opinions. He will be able to promote his agenda and get an immediate "read" on voter reaction.

Welcome to the 21st century.

Barbara Bartlein is the People Pro. Receive her FREE e-mail newsletter. Sign up at The People Pro.

Halloween costumes are always a difficult decision; while the right choice can make you the hit of the party, the wrong choice could lead neighborhood children to avoid your house, cause you endless embarrassment at parties, and could even lead to arrest.

One solution is to go with a political-themed costume. After all, the combination of a business suit and a latex mask makes it possible to navigate almost any social situation: if people like your candidate, you're completely golden. If they don't, you can always claim that your costume is actually a parody, which should be able to smooth things over.

As the election gets closer and closer, some political masks have become hot items and others have lingered on the shelves. As various pundits have noted, the popularity (and thus price) of Halloween masks is hardly a scientific measure of the popularity of a candidate, but it does seem to give a glimpse into the public's political interests at the moment.

For example, while John McCain and Barack Obama masks are both holding steady at $14.99, Hilary Clinton has dropped to $7.99, and Rudy Giuliani is going for $8.99. To be honest, however, it's possible that some consumers have confused his visage with that of Gollum, or are working on assembling a vintage Adlai Stevenson costume.

Ironically, George Bush masks are going for an impressive $17.99, while George Bush wigs are a dollar more. Bill Clinton masks are $14.99, although the most popular former President remains John F. Kennedy, whose mask fetches a princely $18.99.

Interestingly, the most popular politico is Sarah Palin, whose mask is going for $29.99. To be honest, however, many purchasers expressed wonder that they managed to find a mask of "that chick from 30 Rock."

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. Last year, he went as Lenin, mostly because he didn't have to wear a mask.

Joe the Plumber, friend of American taxpayers, has taken a beating over the last couple of days for daring to ask Barack Obama a question many of us would like to ask. He wanted to know how Obama's tax increases on "the wealthy" might affect him if he buys a plumbing business. How dare he ask such a question when he is behind on his taxes, has no plumbing license, and might not even be able to afford to buy this plumbing business!

Joe never claimed to be anything other than a taxpayer with a question. Yet he's been "vetted" by the media and details of his divorce and income tax situation have been blasted all over the Internet. I'm not saying there's necessarily anything wrong with people looking at these public records and discussing them, yet you have to feel sorry for the guy who really didn't ask to be put under a microscope like this. He just wanted to ask a simple question about taxes.

But it got me thinking... The implication from a number of media outlets and bloggers is that since Joe is delinquent on his taxes, he shouldn't be asking Barack Obama a question. I don't know that anyone's been so crude as to actually come out and say that, but I think the harsh criticism of Joe has made it pretty clear that many people think he should shut his mouth.

Like most Americans, plumber Joe Wurzelbacher of Holland, Ohio, would not be hurt by Barack Obama's plans to raise taxes on people making more than $250,000. Wurzelbacher, nonetheless, remains concerned that the Democrat's plan would make it more difficult for him to buy the business where he works.

He was able to confront the Illinois senator directly. Republican John McCain heard about this and used "Joe the Plumber" in what I thought was a successful attempt to paint his opponent as a tax-and-spend liberal. Wurzelbacher's name was mentioned at least 20 times in the debate last night.

So, who is this guy? For one thing, Wurzelbacher is not a licensed plumber, though he claims that is not necessary, according to The Washington Post. According to Bloomberg News, Wurzelbacher owes almost $1,200 in back income taxes. By the way, experts agree that the vast majority of Americans will see their taxes get lowered under the Illinois senator's proposal. Nonetheless, Joe remains concerned.

"You see my house. I don't have a lot of bells and whistles in here, really," the Post quotes the plumber as saying. "My truck's a couple of years old and I'm going to have it for the next 10 years probably. So I don't see [Obama] helping me out."

Most Americans disagree with Wurzelbacher, whose 15 minutes of fame surely have expired by now. Obama's economic message appears to be resonating with voters. Poll after poll shows him increasing his lead over McCain, who is getting desperate -- which means voters unfortunately have not heard the last about Joe the Plumber.

Thank goodness, the race is almost over.

At their most basic level, Presidential elections are a battle between archetypes. Each candidate tries to position himself or herself a particular way, hoping to project a certain image and gain the affections of some portion of the populace. The 2000 election was a battle between the populist Bush and the egghead Gore, while 2004 saw John Kerry's JFK imitation going head-to-head with the further adventures of George Bush's ersatz working class fratboy.

In 2008, the battle is fourfold, between John McCain's battle-tested veteran, Barack Obama's unflappable statesman, Joe Biden's urban manual laborer, and Sarah Palin's redneck beauty queen. As she has repeatedly reminded the voters, Palin considers herself a part of the "Joe Sixpack" portion of the populace, a down-home, hunter-gatherer subset of the population characterized by simple values and simple tastes.

What's interesting, however, is that the Palins are considerably wealthier than most of the blue collar workers that they claim to represent. In addition to the respectable $47,000 paycheck that Todd Palin brings home from BP Alaska, the "First Dude" also makes about that much as a commercial fisherman. With the addition of Palin's $10,500 prize winnings from the 2007 Iron Dog race, his earnings last year were upwards of $100,000.

Sarah Palin was even more productive. In addition to her $125,000 gubernatorial salary, she collected over $60,000 in travel costs and per diem payments for sleeping in her own home. Added to this, every member of the Palin family collected $1,654, their portion of the oil royalties that all Alaskans receive each year.

Between their salaries, real estate holdings, and assorted vehicles, it is estimated that the Palins are worth more than $1.2 million. While this is miniscule compared to the McCains' princely personal wealth, it is quite impressive, particularly for those of us who sometimes have to buy our beers by the bottle!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He's a few beers short of a Joe Sixpack.

Mark Muller, the owner of Max Motors in Butler, Missouri, blames Barack Obama: "He said all those people in the Midwest, you've got to have compassion for them because they're clinging to their guns and their Bibles. I found that quite offensive." Muller went on to admit, however, that "We all go to church on Sunday and we all carry guns."

The irony-impervious Muller decided to take Obama's words as a challenge, and began offering free handguns with every vehicle purchase. Sales have quadrupled in the three days since the promotion began, and the company has sold more than thirty vehicles. Most customers have taken the free gun, a Kel-Tec .380 pistol, although Muller is also offering a $125 gas card for those patrons who don't want to carry a firearm in the glove compartment.

The irony, of course, is that Muller is doing a fantastic job of proving Obama's point. While we wait for the irony to sink in, however, Muller will continue to sell his road-rage special until May 31, 2008. Get your gas-guzzler and lethal weapon while supplies last!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He's holding out for a catapult and Hummer special.

Just when I was about ready to give up on them people in Washington, they went and did somethin' nice fur me. Yep, the gubmint is cuttin me a check fur nothin'. It's like gettin' a present just fur bein' a citizen. Kinda makes you proud to be American again, don't it? Bein' that I'm luckier than a lot of people and I don't have to spend my check on stuff like food or life saving medicine, I been thinkin' about what I'm a'gonna do with dat money when I git it. So far I come up with a couple pretty cool ideas. At least they're pretty cool if ya ask me.

First, I'm a'gonna git a new mirror for my truck. Dat one on the shotgun side had a nasty run-in with a mailbox. The good news is that it stayed fixed to the truck like where it's s'posed to be. The mailbox didn't come out so good. Ole Cooter at the gayrage tells me he can fix me up with a new mirror for about $70. I spected it'd cost me more like twice as much. He says they's bringin' them mirrors in reeeel cheap like from China. Guess I'm gonna stimulate China some.

The second thing I'm buyin' will be a new lawn mower. I gots two of 'em already but one's 'bout 20 years old. That's the one with the handle held on by hose clamps from where it broke a couple years ago. It gots heating duct for a grass chute that I screwed on there when the real one rusted off. I'll prolly keep the old mower cuz, shucks, it still works, and I'm gotten kinda fond of it after all them years. If'n I does buy a new one I think I'm a'gonna git real fancy and git one of them ones that drives itself going forward and you just walk behind it with your hands on it.

I'm gonna hafta do these things really quick like though, cuz I hear we gots some trouble comin' down the pike. It's lookin' like that Barack Obama feller is gonna git hisself voted to be da prezeedent. It's not that I gots anything against the feller wantin' to be in the big office, he gots a right to do that. But it's lookin like his $845 billion United Nations Poverty Tax is gonna git jammed down our American throats reeeel quick and quiet like. I'm guessin we won't be seein too many more free gubmint checks after that.

I was born in 1971, a few years after the first man landed on the moon and a few years before the last man left. Growing up at the tail-end of the era of bold initiatives, I sometimes feel a little nostalgia for governments that combatted big problems with big programs. From the moon landing to the interstate highway program to Nixon's visit to China, it seems that the government once sought big solutions, where it now seems to go for temporary fixes.

My favorite bold initiative is the New Deal. In 1933, attempting to combat the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt enacted a collection of programs that were designed to direct money to poorer people. One of the ways that he did this was by creating huge infrastructure projects that employed millions of unskilled laborers. Although these programs lost relevance with the arrival of World War II, they continue to impact American society. For example, the Tennessee Valley Authority still provides electric power to the country, despite the occasional complaints that it's unconstitutional and numerous attempts to make the government sell it. Similarly, many New Deal constructions, including Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Massachusetts' Bourne Bridge, are used by millions of people each year.

The presidential stump fest has officially begun, but thus far the primaries seem to be muddying the waters instead of thinning the field. With the sound bites flying fast and furious, it's easy to forget the candidates' positions on, well, just about everything. So who among the front-runners for both parties has Americans' fiscal interests at heart? A quick visit to SelectSmart.com's Presidential Candidate Selector turned up some interesting results.

Eight of the 26 questions on SelectSmart's Survey are aimed directly or indirectly at voters' wallets, on the topics of Social Security, trade, taxes, the deficit, unions, minimum wage hikes, universal health care and prescription drugs. Once you've revealed how tight or loose you'd like the federal government to be with your tax dollars, you're paired with your "Theoretical Ideal Candidate" based on his or her campaign statements and, when applicable, voting record.

So who should you vote for if you'd rather the deficit increase as opposed to your taxes? Fresh from his much-needed win in the Michigan primary, Mitt Romney leads the pack of Republican front-runners in fiscal conservatism. John McCain is second among Reps who've come out on top in a primary but fourth overall among all the candidates, possibly because of his balanced-budget leanings. Iowa winner Mike Huckabee is at the bottom of the list, thanks to his insistence on reforming Social Security and health care.