The Knuckleheads...

Today I woke up to the voices of the morning show DJs on 99.1 WPLR (that's in CT) and CT state senator, Joe LIE-berman. Accompanied with him was another politician I believe, but I'm not sure who, because I just didn't catch it.

This unnamed fellow stated something along the lines of, "Ya know... Barack Obama wants change, but if you vote for him, that's all your going to have left in your pocket."

As if to insinuate that a President Barack Obama is somehow going to tax us all to death and we'll be left with just a few coins in our Levi jeans.

Well hey there brother, let me tell you something: That's all I've got now. That's all a lot of people have right now. Unless of course you're on the board of directors for ExxonMobil, BlueCross, Aetna, and dozens of other companies that are scamming from my fellow middle class brethren. You're dubious theory of "trickle down economics" ergo, tax breaks to wealthy Americans, have not trickled down to me. I'm willing to bet my next year's pay that those tax cuts haven't trickled down to a lot of Americans.

We are told from Day One in this country that we can do anything, that we can be the next President of the United States when we grow up. And we believe it. Our parents work their tails off to put us into school and give us the best opportunities we can get. And somewhere along the way, for many of us, our dreams die. Fear crushes our hopes and we worry how we're going to pay for our cars, groceries, insurance, medicine and more. So we work 60 hours a week, to make sure that we can have a sliver of health insurance and money for groceries. And maybe if there's enough left over, we can take our kids to a ball game.

But wait... Gas is getting expensive and people aren't buying our products anymore, so we're going to have to cut your job. Sorry. You're out of luck. But don't worry. You can work 70 hours a week schlepping destructive fast food down people's throats just to make a portion of what you made at your prior job.

Seriously... Aren't you angry? I am. 8 years of Reagan-omics, a Bush Sr. presidency, a mediocre centrist democrat, and a destructive Bush Jr. presidency, have lead us to where we are today.

And where are we today? Oil companies flaunt their record profits, yet gas prices are brutalizing our economy (that's what happens when you have an entire economy based on oil... that's what I've always said... but that's another blog). Astounding figures of Americans are without healthcare. Unemployment is up. The cost of food is becoming dangerously high.

But hey, we're capitalists and we're told from Day One that we can be anything and do anything we set our minds to.

A friend of mine has a family of four. He pays a ridiculous amount of money each month for healthcare, to the tune of over $1,000 per month. Doesn't that seem wrong to you?

I've been around a while, and I know that prior to King George's reign, gas wasn't this expensive. Neither was food. Healthcare wasn't cheap, but it wasn't as bad as it is now.

So when Barack Obama talks about change, I've got to put my faith in that. When I listen to the other guy talk about how he wants to extend the Bush tax cuts (which only affect the wealthy... not middle class or poor Americans), remain in a war that never should've started anyway, and then then top it all off with how his policies will benefit all Americans, I just don't believe it. That's not change.

I hope the WPLR morning show offers up some equivalent coverage of the Democratic side of things. And just so you know Joe LIE-berman doesn't count.

And to the knucklehead that said all I'm going to have is change in my pocket when Barack Obama is elected, well, that's all I've had in my pocket since the coup of 2001.

Respectfully yours,

-Seth