AmericanQuestions

Here is an exchange I have had with some American people, regarding the upcoming Presidential election. Salutations and thanks to my correspondents.

Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read, "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed.

Once in the restaurant my server had on an "Obama 08" pin, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to
someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I 've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized
the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient needed money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept
than in practical application.

To which I responded;

I am a Brit and live in the UK. We have, since WW2 lived with socialism in all but name, most of the time.

Let me tell you, my American friends, whatever you call it, socialism doesn't work, unless the givers and receivers are happy with the deal, like the tiny proportion of people who live voluntarily in those mini socialist paradises called old style kibbutzim (in Israel).

I don't have a vote in your election and to me Obama reminds me much more of a handsome, darker version of Jimmy Carter, which is very worrying. But he looks like he's decent and trying to do the right thing, whereas McCain looks a really decent guy, who doesn't have a clue about the economy. What would swing me and most of my fellow Brits to vote for Obama is our total terror of Sarah Palin!

By the way, most of us in the UK love your country and are always fascinated by it, and we want good to happen there, particularly me as I have a daughter who lives there and two grandchildren who are American.

Good luck with the election America, you need it!

All the best, Tony Klinger

Which drew another response;

I am a friend . I enjoyed reading your response. I have a question for you. What scares you about Sarah Palin? She was a Governor of a state. This, in my opinion, gives her more experience of being in charge then Obama. He was a Senator. What does a Senator run? Nothing! I do agree with you. Just curious about the Palin thing. According to people in Alaska, she has a very high approval rating. So she must be doing something right. Obama and Biden just remind me of con men.

In return I sent this;

I have done quite a lot of research on Sarah Palin, who, initially I thought a very attractive person and candidate. There have since been a great many personal anecdotes and interviews about her, which I found disturbing. Being a journalist/ documentary filmmaker by original profession, I am trained to triangulate my sources on the basis that one source might lie, two might distort but three means you have a fair chance of some accuracy. I have so far logged about 20 genuinely worrying instances of her behavior that I find of great concern. I think she does mean well, and I am convinced her intent is genuinely good, but I also think she is armed with very little self-correcting political / personal GPS. I'm not saying positive things about Obama, and I think Biden is a wind bag, (please feel free to read some of my blogs on these men!) but I do think we have to consider what might happen if Ms. Palin were to assume power one day, and that is probable if McCain was to win. There are all kinds of problems beginning to surface in Alaska, which she has tended to run like a mom and pop shop rather than as a democratic state.

Personally I hate to think of what Voltaire said, that a country gets the government it deserves, because that means both our countries must have been doing something pretty bad recently. Perhaps there needed to be a major re-adjustment of how things would be run, and we are still in the middle of that seismic shift. Sadly I don't think any of the candidates is anywhere near as outstanding as we need or, I like to think, warrant. I'm advocating a negative vote, Obama, possibly being a damage limitation exercise in an almost impossible situation. However, we should all remember that your country once faced similar impossible odds and came up with FDR who pretty much saved the Western way of life along with a little fellow my country found at just the right moment, what price a Winston Churchill right now?

Obama and especially Biden give me the same feeling they give you, but, unlike McCain and Palin, they also do seem to know, a little bit of what they're supposed to be doing. Not a great choice though.

I received;

Thanks for the comments. I enjoyed reading them.