One week away from elections. I have already submitted my ballot (via absentee ballot). Whether you vote for McCain/Palin, Obama/Biden, or another ticket, just make sure that you go out and vote next Tuesday. Let your voice be heard. Many athletes and a few agents have announced their intentions well before voting day. The sports community has been more vocal in this election than I can ever remember (in my whopping twenty-three years of existence). Wayne Huizenga, part-owner of the Miami Dolphins, just released his own statement about the Presidential election and how it may affect the state of affairs for my hometown fish.
“I’d rather give it to charity than to him [Barack Obama]. If you do it this year or you do it next year, the difference is humongous because of the taxes.”
Huizenga was referencing the selling of the remainder of his shares to Stephen Ross. He wants to speed up the negotiations due to an impending capital gains tax hike if Obama takes the White House. Huizenga represents wealthy America, who notoriously vote for Republicans due to the party’s inclination to keep taxes low on the rich. It seems like Huizenga is already projecting the Obama camp as the winners and is looking to unload his shares before taxes rise. He clearly would rather give the money from such a sale to charity (or maybe his family) over passing it on to the government.
Usually one thing that athletes and owners agree upon is who they will vote for in an election. Both entities tend to qualify for entry into the higher tax brackets. It is very interesting to see how many athletes are switching away from Conservatism to publicly supporting the Democratic candidate, Obama. How many owners will be bucking the trend to vote Republican?
