Open Hope, Open Change

It is my greatest hope and my worst fear that the United States of America will choose its next leader. As a staunch supporter of democracy I believe in the will of the people expressed in the electoral process. I recognize that the democratic process is essentially one of balance and compromise. I acknowledge that the will of the people, no matter how close or distant from my own, is the best democratic resolve. So in that closeness or distance lies both my greatest hopes and my worst fears.

Of my fellow country people I can make only one observation; we are fickle. As the election approaches self-interested power brokers will temporarily drive fuel (gas and heating) prices down toward the $3.25 range. My fellow Americans will all shout hoo-rah that prices are sooooo low - easily forgetting the BILLIONS of dollars of profits BIG Business has taken from our food budgets, from our prescription drug budgets, from our ever diminishing quality of life budgets.

PEW Research reports...

The vast majority of self-identified middle class workers (89% overall) are either completely or mostly satisfied with their job. These high levels of job satisfaction registered by virtually all types of workers demonstrate that worries about employment in the future doesn't translate directly into dissatisfaction with the current job. Among workers who are worried about job loss or cutbacks of benefits or wages, eight-in-ten report high job satisfaction. Variations in job satisfaction by demographic groups within the middle class are quite small. There is no real difference between male and female workers and few differences based on age. In terms of income, 81% of workers in families with incomes below $30,000 are satisfied with their jobs, as are 92% of those in families with incomes above $100,000. Finally, 89% of blacks express job satisfaction, while the figure is 90% for whites and 88% for Hispanics. Middle class workers are not unique in their high levels of job satisfaction: 91% of upper class workers are either completely or mostly satisfied with their jobs, as are 78% of lower class workers.

(Emphasis mine.)

"...worries about employment in the future doesn't translate directly into dissatisfaction with the current job." Truer words were never let slip by any professional politician, lawyer, snake oil sales person or the current president of the United States of America. Middle class Americans are ecstatic that they have any job at all right now - let alone one that might offer any additional satisfaction. In other words fickle America will be susceptible to political line: Don't threaten your current well being by voting for my opponent.

So there is a very real possibility that the democratic electoral process will prevail and that we will have 4 more years of fear. We will continue to have record unemployment. We will insist on sacrificing our national treasures - our sons and daughters as well as our pristine wilderness - to feed our addiction to oil.

All of that being said I am turning my attention and energies away from the current sound-bite battles between figure heads. Instead I will be lending my voice to WORKing alternatives. I believe that work, working responsibly is the way to make this country great. Responsible work means through personal initiative contributing to the health and welfare of this nation. Responsible work means not furthering the detrimental affects of those systems that brought us to this crisis. Responsible work allows responsible people to flourish.

Let responsibility beget responsibility.

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.