Civil War/Racial Syndrome

I have been thinking of this since the election of 2008. I think some people voted for Barack Obama so they could say they were not prejudiced and they wanted to show that white America was giving black America a chance. These people can now say that, look, America is not a biased society, we have elected a black man to the presidency. Now these people can ignore the still racist society we all live in, believing they have done all they can to prove how much America has changed. It is similiar, I am sure, to how many Americans felt after the Civil War. Even though the Civil War was not fought to free the slaves-as those who know something about American history and the war know-many Americans at the time felt that now they had proved they were not prejudiced and they had done something very important for the black race. Having felt that way they could then wash their hands of the racial divisions in the society and go on about their lives free of any kind of guilt about having enslaved a race of people for over 250 years.

Now in 2011 Americans can say and believe (in their hearts) that white America has purged itself of any lingering racial bias and it is time for black America to stop complaining about racism and "being the last hired and the first fired", get to work and to stop living on entitlements.

Political Choices

If I believe that the wealthy-those making in excess of $ 250,000-should pay more income tax than current law now requires, who do I vote for?
Candidate A says the wealthy should be given an income tax cut like all other income groups and he means it.
Candidate B says the wealthy should pay more income tax than those in lower income brackets but doesn't mean it.
Which of these two candidates should get my vote?

Government Spending

I've been on the road lately and have noticed how much road construction is going on. The NJ Turnpike and Route 17/I-86 in NY are two of those places. The delays caused by the activity may be annoying at times but the sight of people working and doing meaningful and important work is well worth it. If the private sector will not or can not employ Americans then the federal government must take up the slack. People need work and the paying for that work creates a ripple effect through the entire economy. The money spent on these projects will be immediately pumped back into the economy on rent, food, clothing and a other goods and services. This will be much more effective than giving more money to those who already have more than they can spend and are only hiding it in off-shore accounts or otherwise sitting on it. Besides, these are jobs that can't be out-sourced by Americans companies looking for the cheapest labor they can find. The debt the US government creates by spending on infastructure improvements will pay off in the long run. I would rather see money being spent in the US than in Iraq or Afghanistan; we will appreciate it, they won't.