Show Me The Money

The big political dust-up right now is over Barack Obama’s mentioning that he had talked to disgruntled blue collar workers and determined that they were bitter about their present circumstances. McCain called him elitist for it. Hillary labeled him insensitive. Both were implying that he was being unpatriotic by not recognizing the wonderful life this country has afforded us all.

What hooey. Everybody I know, whether from the left or the right, says that the government has been shortchanging the middle class. No politician who isn’t jumping up and down about that has a chance at my vote. I don’t find Obama’s remarks offensive at all, and I most certainly don’t find them elitist. Since when has pointing out the plight of a lower class become an elitist activity?

It strikes me that taking positions intended to extend the ability of the extremely wealthy to become more so at the expense of the working classes is a much more elitist position than Obama’s.

I’m not saying there’s nothing things about Obama that bother me. Here’s an excerpt from the latest fund raising message I received from his campaign:

“Barack Obama's own life and story are reflected in the character of this grassroots campaign. He was raised by a single mother with help from his grandparents. He has a family he loves, not long ago finished paying off his student loans, and he's doing what he can to help change this country.”

Tell me this. Where and how does a poor little boy raised by a single mother with the help of his grandparents come by $40,000,000? That’s what he reported as his net worth last month.

Let’s see. He went to college and then dedicated himself to social work in Chicago. I went to college and the worked as a juvenile officer in Kansas City. I went from that through several social work jobs until I finally started my own consulting firm and have been working at that for 20 years, but I worry about having enough to retire on.

Obama has been active in politics all along and has risen to the position of Senator, but even those kinds of positions don’t pay that kind of money. I can guess how he made it, but I sure can’t see it from looking at his work history and reported family history.

Like all politicians, Obama emerges from a cloud of smoke and a bank of mirrors, but given the system we have to deal with, he still looks like the best candidate to me. I just wish there was some way another honest man could show up and ask for my vote. In my estimation we’ve only had two or three of that kind of president in our history, so I guess I ought to give up pining for another. And the great consolation about the upcoming election is that no matter who gets elected it won’t be anyone named Bush.


Be the change you wish to see in the world. -- M. K. Gandhi

Individually we have little voice. Collectively we cannot be ignored.
But in silence we surrender our power. Yours in Peace -- BR

The reason for going was to keep the crude flowing and raise a false flag abroad. – from a poem by Jack Evans titled 3500 Souls - http://www.myspace.com/paralegal_eagle