MY POLITICAL RANT --- ABBREVIATED

I suppose that Barack Obama will be the new President of the United States. He is leading in all of the polls. Besides that, he is the individual who should win in my estimation. He is certainly a better candidate for president than is John McCain, who showed his poor judgment by picking Sarah Palin as his running mate. I think Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, will do the country proud. It be a relief to have reasonable minds at the head of the national government instead of the travesty we've had these last eight years.

I am a Democrat. I'm a Democrat because the Democrat's party plank most closely aligns with my values and philosophy. In my community, I am an anachronism. Most people here are very conservative and are Republicans. It makes you wonder what they are thinking, but my experience is that it is difficult to have a rational political conversation with most people in my community, especially if they are on the other side of the aisle. If you make reasoned arguments with them, it is offensive and they are put off. To them, it is like their religion: sacrosanct. You better not criticize it or raise questions about it.

I stand for workers rights. That doesn't mean that I'm not for capitalism or free markets. It takes free markets to accommodate workers in most situations. However, it is like the scripture, when men and women get a little power, they tend to overuse it. The entrepreneurs and captains of businesses turn out greedy and exploitative. They want to take unfair advantage of their workers. I believe there needs to be a balance between management and workers. Therefore, I am for unions --- the right of workers to organize and bargain with management. I think it makes sense, particularly when you consider history and the ugly treatment business owners have shown to those they could exploit to have no power. For example, the slaves during slavery and even after the Emancipation Proclamation and Civil War. Slavery continued even after they were supposedly freed.

I am also for progressive taxation. Keep in mind that I worked my entire career in taxation, and I have strong opinions relative to what is fair and what isn't fair given our current tax system in the United States. I know what I saw and I stand by the notion that a flat tax is unfair for the least able individuals of our society. It works toward defeating the notion of compassion and love.