I really didn’t mean for this to turn into a back-and-forth polemic but I need to clarify some points brought up by Burrowowl in response to my original post. I didn’t discuss my views in sufficient detail since no-one including myself likes to read long boring tirades about politics, so I can see where I may have been unclear. My thesis is that despite anointing himself as the “candidate of change” Obama doesn’t offer much radically different from the current state of affairs or maybe I should say not much different than the rest of the democratic candidates. End the war, raise taxes, health care – the usual. However, being the “candidate of change” is useful in a sense that if a voter is against Obama, he automatically is against change. Even that is not so new: remember “if you …(insert whatever)… – the terrorists win”. I was merely pointing out that millions of starry-eyed democratic voters picked the best-looking but not necessarily the best candidate. I don’t know who the best is, they are all the same.

It was also pointed out to me that if I don’t vote I don’t count. I disagree. Consider my non-voting a form of a protest against the mediocrity of the candidates. I don’t think any of them qualify for my idea of the president and I refuse to vote just because there are no other choices. Everyone votes for whom they like, I don’t like anyone so I don’t vote. That simple.

I would also like to correct the following Burrowowl’s statement:

It is nearly impossible to live in an industrialized society without drawing some benefit from taxpayer funds. We have socialized sewage treatment, water supplies, state-protected power monopolies, socialized roads, postal systems, et cetera.

I disagree, illegals actually pay for these items, they are included in rent, gasoline taxes, sales taxes, property taxes. I don’t have any problem with anyone using these services and resources. When I said “Do not receive any taxpayer-provided assistance no exceptions” I meant no assistance available to legal taxpayers should be available to illegals. And yes, I’d like to give them all work visas, as many and for as long they want. They should be treated as contractors here – just compensation and no benefits, no social anything, no medical anything, no educational anything. If some private entity wants to support such contractors I have no problem. Otherwise they should be supported by their own country’s social system. Your country sucks? Here is your number on the waiting list.

What Meesha probably meant here is that he doesn’t like paying taxes. Yeah. People don’t like paying taxes, but we also don’t like potholes and homeless elderly people all over the place.

Well I don’t like paying taxes but mostly because I can witness how my money is wasted on every level and not spent on potholes and homeless. If it was, there wouldn’t be either. My personal pet peeve is why do government employees enjoy extra days off while I am working to pay for it. Why wasn’t I given a paid day off when Ronald Reagan died, he was like a grandfather to me. However, in this case I was actually talking about having control of a portion of my Social Security tax which is likely the only money I will ever see from Social Security. Why is it such a bad idea? Don’t give them to me so I can buy another TV, just let me know it’s there and it’s mine.

This is getting too long again and I can go on. But I’d rather have a beer and watch some Daily Show. Now, that’s entertainment.