Live from Arizona...

From what I hear it's cold, windy, and all-around miserable in Hamilton this week. As I'm in sunny, warm Arizona, I felt compelled to write a short bit on the US Presidential race.

Frequent readers will note that I was a supporter of Gov. Mitt Romney prior to him ending his bid for the White House two weeks ago. While I was disappointed, the writing was on the wall that he did not have a legitimate shot at winning this fall and it was in his best interests to step aside. Be that as it may, the presumptive GOP candidate became Sen. John McCain of, hello, Arizona. Here I am in the heart of McCain country, his bastion of liberal-Republican support. When I look at a lot of the people in this state, it's easy to see why they support Sen. McCain. He is older than most candidates, has children in the military, is a veteran himself, and speaks to middle of the road American values. That is all fine and dandy, but look at the flip side...

This morning I made a trip to Wal-Mart for groceries and there were literally dozens of seniors (70 years of age and up) that were working. Working! In their 70's! Something is wrong with that picture. These folks cannot even afford their prescription drugs yet are pointing people in the direction of the pharmacy. Even the greeter at the front door was sitting in a wheelchair and was obviously in poor health. Why are these people working? Their pensions are woefully inadequate and cannot cover basic expenses. So much for being the greatest country in the world.

You're probably wondering what this has to do with Sen. McCain. Here it is: Sen. McCain would continue to pour billions of dollars into Iraq while his own constituents starve and wonder when their 401(k)'s will ever be enough to live on. Seniors deserve the dignity of a good retirement after working hard for decades. Frankly, as a Conservative and Republican, I find it embarrassing that the GOP will line up behind Sen. McCain this November and trumpet his qualities. He may be a National Security hawk, but the economy is by far the most important issue facing the US right now and he does not have a clue how it works or how to manage a budget.

Americans would be well served to steer clear of Sen. McCain and choose Sen. Barack Obama for 4 years. While this is not an endorsement of support, I do believe that Sen. Obama can be a competent President and keep the seat warm for 2012 when Mitt Romney can take another run for the White House. At least then, Gov. Romney won't be fighting liberals from all sides in his bid to be the President.

I'll be back north of the 49th on Saturday. Until then...