Is this a Democrat or Republican?

Here's some tidbits on a particular candidate. Compare them to the alleged ideology of the two main political parties and try to decide who the candidate is... or at least which side of the proverbial aisle he/she claims to be on.

• Spending increased by more than 8% per year — three times the rate of inflation.
• Increased the number of government workers increased by 20 percent.
• Increased average citizen's tax burden increased 47 percent.
• Raised gas, sales, income, and cigarette taxes — covering everything from groceries to nursing home beds.
• Calls for a national smoking ban (and we thought California's ban was over the top!).
• Opposes school choice.
• Called for increased federal spending on a variety of programs from infrastructure to health care including more energy subsidies including for ethanol.
• Supports increased agricultural subsidies.
• Opposes President Bush's veto of the proposed expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
• Is skeptical of most proposals for entitlement reform.
• Rails against high corporate profits and attacks free trade agreements.
• Raised the minimum wage and increased business regulation.
• Says it is "a biblical duty" to pass more regulation to fight global warming.

In case you weren't keeping score, every one of those points above has, historically, been attributed to the Democrat party. The only one that sticks out is the reason for the global warming regulation. No Democrat would have invoked the Bible.

The above actions and beliefs are from none other that the GOP front-runner, Mike Huckabee. But hey, he's anti-gay and anti-abortion - and that's all that matters to the Evangelicals, right? It's OK to sacrifice all the rest of your freedoms as long as those very narrow issues are addressed. Brilliant.

A Genesis of Thoughtful Commentary

Welcome.

I'm not sure where this will go - my posts will be driven by my thoughts, which will be driven in part by the media, which (ostensibly) are driven by events of the real world. If it catches my eye or tickles my brain, it will show up here.

Please be aware that I espouse no traditional dogma, support no platform, and by no means endorse a particular party or candidate. I am neither Republican nor Democrat (nor, for what it's worth, a socialist, communist, fascist, anarchist, or any other -ist). If anything, I am a libertarian in the true sense of the word. That is, "as long as I am staying out of other people's business, stay out of mine." Keep that in mind as you read my posts. Don't try to associate me with any movement our cause, political, religious or secular. I'm just me.

That being said, I'm not trying to convince you, the reader, of anything. I merely am saying what I believe and leave it to you, the reader, to add it to your experience of the world around you. Use my opinions and the information I provide as you would any other tidbit. If it makes sense, believe it. If not, discard it. If it makes you question, research it further. By all means, however, feel free to comment on what I say. I may very well learn something from you. All I ask, however, is that you don't regurgitate cliches or "party lines". At the minimum, I ask of you what I ask of myself...

... think between the lines.