Early voting here in Paradise has been high. Even four days after voting started I have seen very long lines. I know, anecdotal evidence is hardly indicative of a general trend, but I think there will be a pretty good turnout for this election.

As websites across the Internet have predicted an Obama victory (I think Obama will be the next president. In my memory, except for Johnson and Bush the Pater, every other president has been of the opposing party. Both of those guys followed incredibly popular presidents. Not scientific, I know, but who cares?) One, Electoral-Vote.com, is a perfect example of a trend I have noticed on the web. While they try to take a neutral stance, the ads on the page, and the wording of some news stories lead one to believe this is a Leftist site.

I've seen polls that suggest Obama has a 6-11 point lead. A story I read a couple of days ago (before I realized I would be writing more, and would want to refer to it) demonstrated that polls tended to track about 6% high even including the margin of error. This means that if Obama has a 6% lead in one poll, then the race is even. I have also seen stories that suggest the polls are even further skewed by people who say they will vote for Obama but won't because they don't want to appear to be racist.

Meanwhile, a couple of things have bothered me. First, I saw a blog entry about how police departments across the country are bracing for election night riots. (Again, I didn't bookmark the story.) Basically, they are expecting riots by blacks if Obama loses and by bigots if Obama is elected; and riots by Democrats if Palin is elected . The tone of the article suggested a no win scenario. Either way, the cities of America will burn.

At first I poo-pooed that. Then I remembered that cities burn when their sporting teams win championships.

Finally, someone I know and think highly of said, "I don't want a black president. That's the Southerner in me talking." To that person I say, "NO. That's the racist in you talking."

Thousands. . .

Well, hundreds. . .

Okay, dozens. . .

Right! Four people asked who I was voting for.

I find the candidates of both major parties simply the opposite sides of the same coin. One says raise taxes, the other says lower taxes. One says call the troops home, the other says keep them there.

When will the voters get a real alternative?

So, I am voting Libertarian. And you should, too.

An Open Letter to My US Senators and US Representative

I feel I should share with you how the recent downturn in the economy is affecting me, and how my actions are affecting the economy.

I work in the travel industry and revenue is down, and my income will be down. Unlike the bankers on the receiving end of the first and second bailouts, I will not be getting a generous bonus anyway this year. And my annual salary increase is likely to be smaller than last years (not that it was keeping up with inflation anyway, mind you).

I am planning two long trips next year. Now those plans are in jeopardy because of high airline prices and their Byzantine array of additional fees and charges. Should I cancel these trips:

• I will not be driving my car to the airport, which reduces the wear and tear on my vehicle, delaying my purchase of a new vehicle which will boost the economy. 
• I will not be flying, forcing the already struggling airline industry to lay off more workers, perhaps even my cousin who works for a major airline in Fort Worth, who will need to collect unemployment and possibly welfare to feed his four children.
• I will not be renting a car, which reduces the wear and tear on that vehicle, delaying the rental company’s purchase of a new vehicle which will boost the economy.
• I will not be staying at the hotel, which will reduce the revenues of an already floundering tourism industry. People could be laid off. (Please see the second item about the impact of that.)
• I will not be eating at local restaurants or buying souvenirs at local shops, which will force those businesses to cut costs, and possibly lay employees off. (Please see the second item about the impact of that.)

Two additional trips on the “Maybe” page of my planner are being moved to the “Extremely Unlikely” page, further harming the economy.

As you can see, these two trips, already planned, have a large impact on the economy. I am reluctant to further harm the economy by my actions. As a result, I am asking for $25,000 in Federal Funds to bail out my vacation plans, and pay off some debt that will allow me to continue to travel and contribute money to the economy. I feel justified in asking for these funds, since GM and Chrysler are asking for $10 billion so they can merge companies. If the government has the funds for that, surely—after almost a hundred billion to bail out Wall Street—you have enough to assist me, merely a lowly citizen of the Republic and not a wealthy corporation that contributes millions to your PAC.