Election 2008. Obama or McCain? Republican or Democrat? Liberal or Conservative? Red State or Blue State? How does one decide? Some will decide because of long-standing political affiliation independent of who the candidates are or how the issues have been espoused. As in the past few election cycles, some decide how they will vote not on the issues that we face, but on their socio-religious beliefs. Then there are those who will vote as if this is just one more high school class president popularity contest that usually goes to the prettiest or most affluent.

Where do you stand? What will motivate your vote? For me my vote this year will be based on what economic philosophy best supports my standing in life. Since the era of Ronald Reagan, Republicans have espoused the philosophy that if you cut the taxes of the wealthiest and cut the cost of operating a business, the climate for economic growth will be created where money is invested, jobs are created and the benefits will eventual trickle down to folks like me. I don't know about you, but I haven't experienced much trickling down in my direction, especially over the past eight years.

So this year my vote goes not to the philosphy of trickle down, but to the philosophy of building up - from the ground up. That means policies that build up the standing of the middle class. And as the middle class is supported through tax cuts and incentives, we will be able to buy more. And as we buy more, demand will increase. And as demand increases, business expands to meet the increased demand. And as business expands, jobs are created and the economy grows.

It always surprises me, those houses that you can tell just by looking at them that the owner is struggling to make ends meet sporting yard signs for Republican candidates who espouse trickle down. Don't they get it? Maybe we will get it right in 2008, do you think?

As we commemorate the birth of an extraordinary man of hope and vision, Martin Luther King Jr., I ask myself how far have we come, really? Afterall 2008 could be the year that an African-American or a woman is elected to our nation's highest office.
 

But then I spent yesterday in Indiana's heartland and overheard the following conversation: "I like that Huckabee. You know his wife doesn't wear a lot of make-up. She's kind of a plain Jane. And he seems pretty down to earth too." Now there's a well informed citizen with a solid grasp of the real issues we face.

And then there was this observation: "You're not ever going to see me vote for a black. Mark my word if he were to get elected, watch out for Oprah. He and Oprah have a thing going on. They're an item."

And, finally, there was this observation about the Governor of the State of Michigan:  "I can't see why people voted for her with all those warts all over her face."

How far have we come? Not very. No wonder we've seen such polarization and division the past couple of decades. No wonder we can't get past the gridlock and begin to tackle the very real problems and issues that we face. Perhaps we need to recoin "Home of the brave" to better reflect what America really is: "Home of the gullible."