Marc,

I won't make this too long or everyone will just nod off. I did give more than a cursory review of the website you presented. I don't know this guy but I have to say he was a bit all over the map with regard to things. He did however cite Paul Krugman and Krugman is someone I read regularly and would urge you to do so as well. He's concise and ridiculously smart.

One of your guy's man themes was that our government is too big and far too costly. As I had said in an earlier post, he too mentioned the enormous outlays related to SS and medicare. I won't reiterate my earlier comments but I have to say that the American public is overwhelmingly in favor of these programs so they aren't going away. To insure that these programs are sustainable for us, it's a matter of combining tax increases (geared toward the upper income folks), removing the cap on what income levels can be taxed for SS, with cuts and raising eligibility ages. Now the politics of doing that may be extraordinarily difficult but what is one to do. Facts are stubborn things as they say.

I truly don't understand your intense disdain for the Obama administration. Overall, I'm pleased with his record, and yes, there have been some big bumps in the road and errors made, but I don't think we fully appreciate how deep the economic decline was that he inherited. Similarly, the tragedies of Iraq and Afghanistan have drained our human and economic resources. And again, thank you Mr. Bush. You have mentioned your concern for those in the lower and middle classes, Marc, and we share that of course. I see the Democrats as far more likely to be in their corner than the GOP.

As to Hillary, I too have great reservations about her. I don't trust the Clintons and see them as opportunists who lack values. If you watch the great series, House of Cards, you have to think that the Underwoods have more than a little of the Clintons in them. Now, in a general election that pits Hillary against an unnamed Republican, in all likelihood, I'd have to hold my nose and vote for her. And you bet that that's a sad commentary on things. Today's GOP are simply fanatical nihilists. They are anti-science, anti-woman, immune to facts, and they want more power concentrated in corporate America and more riches in the pockets of the already rich. President Reagan would not know his party, and I have to think that he'd be ashamed. The Democrats aren't angels of course, but there really is no comparison here.

Anyway, I've rambled too much and we both know where we're coming from, and no curse words were hurled so civil discourse can be achieved here.

Peter T.