It was an applause line at a convention but it really was true what Bill Clinton said -- "If you want to live like a Republican, vote for the Democrats!" The puzzler of the Republican Party's current dominance in American politics is not that they have the ardent support of the rich. That has always been the case. The puzzler is they have the equally solid support of people who are worse off than they were under Clinton.

As far as non-economic and non-material things, which I agree with you are far more important, I wish I had the answer. (I could be flippant and say I know where to find Nirvana, in Seattle, except I'm too late). "What do I do now?" is an excellent existential question, along with "What is our purpose here?" I have no answer to that one, either. Not meaning that cynically, just saying I don't know the answer. I took a personality profile survey once and I came out classified as a Seeker. That seems about right.


>Hey Mike,
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>Sounds like you may on the road to Wellsville. Now, if you really want to find Nirvana, go ahead and join the Republican party! You've already got the big house and once you join, you'll have to be happy because you'll be one of us rich guys. (He said on a cop's salary) I have a large home outside the suburbs (because I built it myself), my family is intact and I have been doing philanthropic work recently. I am a staunch conservative, Republican (you probably had forgotten). <g>
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>It's almost syllgistic, it's just soooooo easy. No worries, no cares, everything is wonderful. Oh yeah, you'll also need to become a Southern Baptist!<vbg>
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>Now on the serious side, material things aren't the answer, as you are aware. The ultimate question you have to answer is really - "why am I here?" Once you come to an understanding of that question, the next is "what do I do now?" The quentissential existential question. Like a rodeo rider, you make the ride and when life bucks you off, you get your hat, knock the dust off, and get back in the saddle. Life is not a spectator sport - is it?<s>
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>>Me are fine, well, as well as a 49 year old guy with only visitation rights and a stalled career and no regular woman in his life can be expected to feel. Correct me if I'm wrong but I expected things would be better at this point in life. I was expecting the big house in the suburbs, the happy family unit, the luxury to philanthropize. Comfort, in a word. I feel anything but comfortable. I have the big house in the suburbs, sort of big anyway, and I live in it alone. Is that an answer?
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>>On the bright side, I still have my daughters and they remain the lights of my life. I just bragged about them the other day so will not do so again. (As a parent yourself, fill in the blanks). I am finally, after three companies' worth of broken promises, about to embark on a .NET project and am giddily excited about that. I went out to dinner on Wednesday with a woman I know from soccer, a date I wanted to break out of continued remorse over my last busted relationship, made myself go, and what do you know, we were amiable. Amiable promises nothing but it's something in itself. Maybe the sun is about to shine on me.
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>>Thank you for not replying.
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>>Yours in non-conversation,
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>>Mike