This computer age gives us all the opportunity to communicate in so many ways.   But one thing it cannot do is allow us to communicate beyond the grave or vote from it either.   God Bless my Dad but he is gone now and we miss him so very much. 

But if my Dad were here today and thinking about how he should vote on November 4th I would have some encouraging words for him to consider.    I would remind him of the life of work that he has accomplished and the fact that the people who employed him for 98% of his life didn't provide him with a lot of comfort for either himself or his family.   In my early years I don't remember vacations out of town because we didn't have a vehicle or money for a hotel to stay in.   I don't remember paychecks that completely filled the needs for groceries, heating oil, medicines for my Mom's diabetes and heart disease, school clothing, utility bills, etc..   If it hadn't been for a Sister who helped with the family income by working hard we would not even have had a telephone in those early days.  My Dad never had a pension until the last career of his life when he worked for our town maintaining the water system for his last 3 or 4 years in his working life.  He never had many of the material things in life like the boats, snowmobiles, four wheelers, camps on the lake, and so on that many of us assume today are a part of our life here in Maine.  When my Dad become ill later in life and could no longer take care of himself it become necessary to sell his home and move into an assisted care facility.   His total equity from his lifetime of work amounted to less than $50,000.00 and that was eaten up by the cost of his care.   Finally, I would remind my Dad that he never had a Union to help him and his co-workers achieve greater standing in life. 

What my Dad did have however was wisdom.  And today I would be reminding him of all those things I mentioned.  I would try to have him use his wisdom to elect a man who would help Americans achieve and maintain the sort of lifestyle that he never had.  I would ask him to look beyond the physical characteristics of a man and vote for the one person who will allow workers and working families to achieve a better life.   I would ask him to support the one person who will support Unions and the ability for working people to speak with one voice to employers who think of them as nothing but numbers.   And I would encourage my Dad to support the one man who will provide as much comfort as he can to the working people in America's poor and middle income wage classes.   A man who will work towards achieving health care for all Americans instead of providing them with $5,000 to buy a $14,000 health insurance plan.

My Dad came from the old school.   The one he had to drop out of to go to work.   He was closer than me to the days when race in America was a huge issue and some kids couldn't even go to school because of the color of their skin.   Those were sad days in America and I am glad they are gone.   I would count on my Dad to know that the color of a man's skin has nothing to do with his character.

After this conversation with my Dad I would be encouraging him to vote for Barack Obama because he is the one man on the November 4th ballot who will turn America's attention toward rebuilding American families instead of giving our wealth to oil companies and corporate America.   I would ask my Dad if he were better off after these 8 years with a President who has given away our country to the rich and corporate interests.   I would ask my Dad to support Barack Obama because he supports working people who are trying to climb their way out of debt instead of supporting the ultra rich and big business barons who might trickle down some of their wealth to us.   I would remind my Dad that there has not been a lot of wealth trickling his way since Ronald Reagan declared that wealth will trickle down to the masses.   And finally I would ask my Dad to support Barack Obama because every American working family deserves a chance to  live without the fear of losing everything they have when an Amertican employer leaves town and goes to Mexico or China.   Barack Obame will work toward fair trade deals with other Countries and not just opportunities for American businesses to go somewhere else around the globe to exploit workers there.

In the end I know that my Dad can't vote.  But I would like to think that if he could it would clear to him that there is truly only one choice for working people.   I think he would stand for the guy that wants to increase opportunity for working Americans.   I think he would support Barack Obama because he will keep Social Security and Medicare intact instead of privatizing them.   

I know my Dad could have enjoyed a better life if he had only had the chance.   I sure wish he could vote like me, for Barack Obama, on November 4th.   I hope you will too.

Duane Lugdon