Why I don't mind sitting on spikes
The earliest, most integral parts of American thinking developed around the notion that all of us are entitled to opinions. Upon reflection, it may be surprising then that this nation is run primarily by two political parties with such vastly different agendas.

You're not going to hear which party I belong to, nor am I going to go off on some rant that some extremist or niche party has somehow been subjected to an X-Files style conspiracy to be pushed to the sidelines of American politics.

It must be noted, though, that sometimes the best path between two extremes is somewhere down the middle.

Interestingly enough, many of the religious and philosophical ideologies that shaped American thinking included the concept of moderation. As an example, the Bible endorses moderation in the New Testament. Yet we as a nation seem to be hung up on the notion that either of two fairly extreme sets of ideals is correct, and few seem to want to venture outside the comfort of those bounds to encourage broader thinking.

While it's of value for us to have the extreme viewpoints, it would also pay for our system's participants to learn to consider the value of opposing viewpoints, to pick and choose the elements of value in them, and embrace the best as part of the decision process.

Do I like what would often seem to be the conservative notion that money and business reign supreme? No, I think not. Do I think agree with the apparent liberal perception that social causes are so important that we must overlook economic feasibility to pursue them? Negative on that, too.

But I do think that we have to have a thriving economy to make anything else work in this nation. I do also believe, however, that it's important that the government look after the needs of its society, even if those need be considered against available resources.

It is often said that folks who sit on fences end up with spikes in their posterior. I, for one, would rather end up with the occasional sore bum than have the embarassment of falling on either side.