Identity

  It's been a running joke that Kamala Harris claims she was raised in a middle class family. I confess to not having listened to her at any great length, I just can't do it. That nervous laughter and the nonsense she spews forth is just too much. Yes, I am a judgmental person, although I prefer calling it discretion and common sense. Everyone should be judgmental, it is only the sharing of the judgement that requires wisdom. My grandmother would say, if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. She wasn't telling me I was wrong, just that I didn't need to tell others that they were. It's enough that you know it, that's the lesson in that adage. It is one of my shortcomings however, I feel compelled to share. That's the charity in me. 

  I did look to see what a middle class family is supposed to be. That designation is dependent upon income. Officially middle income is two thirds to double the median income. In 2022 that range was 56 thousand to one hundred and sixty nine thousand dollars. The median income was 77,540 dollars. My feeling is any family bringing in 169,000 a year are rich people to me. Now, I have no idea what income my parents made, not a clue. That was never discussed as it was none of my business. I heard "we can't afford that" quite often but I was never hungry, without a home, food, warmth and clothing. Where we middle class? Maybe I don't know. The middle class is supposed to be the backbone of the nation, that is what Harris is implying, the reason she is claiming that status. The smart people, but not too rich. It's not a good thing to be really wealthy unless you are giving millions away. 

  All of that is what is called identity politics. Nothing new about any of that. All politicians want one thing, your vote. They need your vote to succeed. You are their paycheck. That is something that we should all keep in mind while listening to their speeches. You know back in the old days a politician was expected to be a successful person. They were those that had already demonstrated the ability to conduct business. The purpose of business is to make money. Those with the education and training are generally the ones that will succeed. But there is an image problem with that, the losing touch with the common man. That is why today we see our politicians wearing blue jeans, sleeves roiled up and eating bar-be-cue. They are just like you. And the thing is, identity works. Just look at who has been elected to serve in the highest levels of government. Elected on identity not accomplishments. Much the way the class president was elected in grade school.

  We are going to elect a new president in November. We really should choose the person with the proven record of being successful in business. The United States shouldn't be in debt! Just the other day a bill was passed to keep the government open. Think about that, although it has become somewhat standard procedure. We all hear about inflation, the prime rate, interest rates and the stock market. We are all well aware of the prices in the grocery store. Business isn't booming! It is going bust. 

 There are those politicians that want to identify themselves as being just like you. They want that vote for personal gain. Granted we don't have much of a choice this time around but we do have a choice. Just like my parents said to me, "we can't afford that" there are priorities. Do you want the girl that worked at McDonalds or the rich guy that knows how to run a business? My parents weren't my "friends." No, they wanted what they felt was best for me. Hurt my feelings sometimes and I felt marginalized. They didn't identify with me, their objective was for me to establish my own identity.