Tom wrote:
"*Related question...how much money can you make before you aren't a "people" any more? "

21,233 and 15.5 cents, tom.

No seriously, money has nothing to do with it.

Tom wrote:
"What distinguishes the current Democratic Party from a "Party of the People?" When did the Democratic Party fit that description? I'd like to hear more of your opinions on this."

Since I really actually don't want to get into this topic, I'll just vommit out an emotionally based argument from pivilged perspective and exit the cnversation with a 'you just can't understand'

Because my Grandfather was working as a skilled plumber in depression Oklahoma (which started out west before it started out east, with some farming crashes) working 16 hour days and being too poor to even eat enough.

Then, under FDR, the Unions and the democrats he went to being able to provide for his family, not have to watch his wife skip meals to feed the baby, able to move out of his parents home

and then by the 50's and 60's he was able to send his kids to college

and then by the 70's he was able to retire when Rheumatoid Arthritis whapped him hard and crippled him up into a wracked ball.

And before FDR, the democrats and the Unions he would have probably had to watch his children starve- as he had watched some of his friends children starve. He would never have been able to live for himself, no matter how hard he worked. and without social welfare, he probably would have starved to death in trerrible pain when he got rheumatoid.

So thats why it was the peoples party, because it gave hard working people faith that they could make it and something to fall back on if shit happened.

You see, you don't have roots in depression era oklahoma. You wouldn't understand. (as promised) ;-)