Location
Somewhere in the middle of America.

Bio
(last update aug 2009.) I have always voted either Democrat or Green and am a registered Democrat. At this point I do not wish to identify with any political party.

Growing up in a poorer part of Oakland, CA, then to later live in a more affluent part of town, was an experience that allowed me to see some seemingly drastically different viewpoints of society.

I attended UC Berkeley and then moved to Omaha, NE for a job after college. From this I also was able to experience living in a strong liberal part of the country, Berkeley CA, then to a more conservative part of the country, Omaha.(Except for the fact that my district in Nebraska was able to pull one electoral vote for Obama, which I was very excited about at the time of election. Nebraska being one of the two states in the US that can split its electoral vote.)

From what I've experienced, the right and left of this country isn't that different from one another. The basic needs and wants are the same.
It was hard to recognize at first, but after the linguistic and cultural differences became familiar for me, I finally realized that there was quite of bit that the left and right in the country had in common.

Hence, the real battle, in my opinion, is Main Street vs the Elite/Upper Crust of government and corporations.

But we are fed this other battle, by way of the corrupt Corporate Mainstream Media, of the left vs right on Main Street. I believe this is a distraction for the people. While through the elections cycles, Washington DC takes their turns at the trough.

At this point there are 2 figures in government that I hold respect and will show support for. Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul. I'd rather have a politician who I can trust and disagree with, than a politician who I agree with that lies to my face.

To further my point on how the Main Street is kept divided, Martin Luther King and Malcom X are 2 figures that I admire and am thankful for. I believe they were assassinated not so much because of racism, but more of how they were able to bring people together, despite the inherent differences people have.

Their ideas and actions in being inclusive were and are the biggest threat to those in power.

If the people came together on the basic issues, we could truly control our destiny.

If there is any fear that could be legitimate, it's that the government should fear the people.
Not the other way around.

At this point I've rather error on the side of skepticism rather than error on the side of too much faith. This system doesn't deserve my faith, neither should it yours.

Though I am empowered by my experiences and knowledge, I am also limited by my experiences and knowledge. My 2 cents.