Merry Christmas!
This is my introductory post. Mike Bryan invited me to post here as a guest blogger and I feel honored to have the chance to do so. I’ve always considered Blog For Arizona one of the top progressive blogs in Arizona, so it’s the perfect place for me to spout my opinions, something I’ve wanted to be able to do on a regular basis for some time.
Some of you may remember me as candidate Bob Lord. I tried, unsuccessfully, to unseat John Shadegg in 2008. Well, I’m excited to be back on these pages, but not a as a candidate. Those days are over (I think), although I do happen to reside in the stylish new Congressional District, AZ09. My posts here, I assure you, will not be about a campaign I’m about to launch, at least not one featuring me as a candidate. Truth is, I now believe Chris Hedges and others are dead on in observing that electoral politics is a sham. I have far more hope in the Occupy movement than I do in politicians, including the majority of those with a D next to their names (Raul Grijalva being a notable exception).
I’ll hopefully be writing on a variety of topics. I’m a business and tax lawyer by trade, so I’ll occasionally be sharing my views on tax policy, but I’ll try to keep those posts as unwonkish as possible. I’ll tell you in advance that I believe the tax code is an absolute travesty, which I‘ll try my best to expose. I’ll try to take on conventional wisdom whenever I can. I’m a huge believer in organized labor, so any thought that strikes me to strengthen unions likely will find its way into a post. There of course will be unlimited swipes at politicians and right-wing pundits, with the occasional hat tip when deserved. And when it comes to the Occupy movement, I’m a hopeless romantic regarding its potential, so there may be some “if only” type posts focusing on the leverage progressives could exercise with sufficient organization.
Again, I truly appreciate Mike’s invitation. If all goes well, those of you who read my posts will not curse yourselves for having spent precious time reading them, and I’ll either enjoy or learn from your comments.
Happy Holidays to all, what’s left of them.
Bob