The most important issue driving me to the polls today was the economy. Not as in “gee, the economy crashed, suddenly I think we better elect a new president,” but rather, my firm belief that our national understanding of our economic systems is negligent at best, and when that happens, those with the money and power to corrupt it are free to do so. Most economic theories have some merit when considered in their pure state (which would be virtually impossible to achieve). Likewise, any economic system can be bad if taken to its extreme – even capitalism. This is what we have seen occur in our own nation. I am a firm believer in capitalism. But we have been experiencing capitalism in its extreme, and I am not comfortable with that.  

Capitalism’s greatest merit is that it motivates people to contribute to the greater good in order to secure their own financial future. But the average worker, earning somewhere between $25,000 – $65,000 per year,  can not secure their own financial future on annual COLA raises and a 3% matching 401(k) alone. As the middle class struggled on and on through these disappointing years of trickle-down economics, their ability to participate in capitalism’s promise was taken away from them. When fewer and fewer people are able to participate in capitalism, capitalism no longer works as it is supposed to, and we have unsurprising results like market crashes, shrinking real incomes, and reduced overall cash flow.

 Those middle income people who fear Barack Obama and call him a socialist are reacting to manipulation by the Republican party, which has a vested interest in protecting those with very high incomes – even at the expense of their reliable but clearly middle-income base. In order to succumb to this manipulation, the base fails to understand capitalism, socialism, or appropriate federal support for select institutions, and in so doing works to secure their own dismal financial future.

 Though there are many reasons I am excited at the opportunity to vote for Obama, my belief that he will return us to a moderate, rational, healthy approach to capitalism is one of the big reasons. GObama.

(c) 2008. Andrea M. Hill