I know that an artist talking about politics is not always a welcome choice. The Bono's and Chris Martin's of the world, while doing good work, tend to add a touch too much eye roll inducing melodrama to the political platform of the artist. However, this is my world as much as anyone's, and I would like to play a role, at very least, by sharing my opinions and opening them up for discussion.

This election for me is about two main things economics and party choice. A lot of emphasis is placed on the actual candidates running for office and I'm frankly flabbergasted when people say things like I'm not going to vote Obama because he seems cocky or arrogant or he's just the rock star Mtv choice. Or I don't like McCain because he's . . . well you get the idea. Despite my personal feelings on the character of the candidates, I see the bottom line as a choice between two party philosophies. Any content based on the personalities of the candidates I feel is misdirection.

The tag words for both parties "Liberal" and "Conservative" have become very obscured. Some observations that I've made and would like to point out are that, first, Democratic social liberalism is not socialism. Particularly in the negative way the Socialism is seen in connection with Communism. Social Liberalism, very simple put, is an emphasis on the pursuit of each man and woman's personal civil liberties. Insuring their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Social liberals still seek a free market economy, but one that has qualifiers and protectors for individual liberties of the people.

The term "conservative", honestly, I don't understand how it applies to Republicans or at least the Republicans of present. Though in recent decades the GOP has tied itself firmly to the religious right I feel, at the root, they are opposed. The main priority of the Republican Party is not protecting the traditional values of Middle America, as they would like you to believe. The primary goals of the GOP are a free market economy with ideally no government oversight, and to minimize the role of government in maintaining society in favor of economic competition as the main social regulator. My understanding is that this is considered neoclassical liberalism. There again, though, is an example of how the word 'liberal' can be quite a broad and relative term. Regardless, protecting social values through government is actually counterintuitive to the Republican quest for less government. Eventually these two things will be at odds.

The main fight in this election, for me, is the primary differences between Democratic economic principles and Republican economic principles. I will be voting Democrat. After eight years of no government oversight and a shift towards privatization of many government duties, the economy is in ruins. I could give what I consider a point-by-point reason for why, but at the heart of it would be that unchecked competitive greed does not promote social responsibility.

I am for government regulation on business, because I feel that it protects the civil liberties of people like me who are unable to compete successfully in an unregulated competitive market and am therefore left, by definition, oppressed.

The government bail outs on Wall Street actually seem to me a very democratic style move, but I am afraid in the hands of Republican control they will use the shock of this financial crisis to divert their new found control back to the private sector in a way that is overall more costly to us as middle to lower class Americans. The Republicans have already done this with the Iraq war, by contracting out an exorbitant portion of our countries defense to private companies at an inflated cost. And again in New Orleans by rebuilding the schools systems based on a school voucher system that, while potential helpful at the onset has extraordinary dangerous as competitive profit margin takes deeper root in our schools systems. Without regulation it has the potential of leading to greater opportunities for those with means and less opportunity to those without.

Further more on the subject of war, I feel it is extraordinarily and insanely dangerous to continue to convert our countries defense into a free market. Once again, greed does not breed social responsibility and I am highly concerned about the potential ramifications of protection provided to the highest bidder.

I am voting Democrat in hopes that democratic control will lead to an increased amount of regulation on exactly what influence profit margin will have on things like national defense, education, and health care, and am in favor of impartial government restrictions over unregulated free market economies. I feel it better protects my civil liberties and the civil liberties of those without the capability of competing in an unchecked market.

Bottom line for me is that some people are born without the means to financially compete for their liberties and some people are born with other gifts than business savvy. Thank God. I should hope there's value worth protecting in the work of an artist, such as myself, born without the business prowess of Halliburton.

Things like school voucher systems could work, but I prefer them in the hands of a party that believes in oversight and the protection of civil liberty over monetary fluidity.

If you disagree with my views or would like clarification on any of my views, please, tell me. I would rather be challenged in these matters than ignored. A lot of times I'm left feeling like I'd like to help but I don't know what to do or where to start. Maybe I can at least open up the door to talk.