Alex;
My comment is in regard to, "Baristas for Obama." From your profile I see you have a couple years experience in the coffee business, only slightly less than Mr. Obama has in the political business.

Allow me a question if you will? - With your experience in the industry, do you feel you would be qualified to run the world's largest coffee producing coffee country in the world?

May I assume the honest answer is probably not?

Then, please, how could you ever believe that an individual with as little experience as Mr. Obama is even remotely equipped to deal with the challenges of running the greatest country in the world?

You state in your 'Mission Statement' on your website that you donate 10% of sales to, "causes that reflect our Democratic values." Just what are those values you're referring to? I doubt they reflect mine. And, are you in a position to provide a level of evidence of your donations?

I would believe the only people you want to "unite" are those that believe as you do. Heaven forbid if you were to embrace concepts that somehow lead to another level of enlightenment.

"Blue is blue and I'm sorry for you." It's not my fault that the, "Right" is right, it's just a fact of life. Oh, and I must say, the cat hidding behind the quilt is perfect.

Hello Hugh,
Thanks for taking the time to speak your thoughts, I created the group "Baristas for Obama" in hopes of sparking discussions just such as this.
I have five points I would like to make in response to your words.

1) On a factual note- Senator Obama has been in the Illinois and U.S. senate for over 10 years now (which is actually 5 times as long as I have been in the coffee business).

2) As for what it takes to run the U.S:
-Experience brought us George Bush and Dick Cheney.
-To extend the lovely analogy you provided about experience- Prior to my involvement in the coffee world I was a chef, a biochemist, a baker, and a fisheries biologist. Despite (or as a result of perhaps?) this varied background I have been able to cobble together what is a pretty great little coffee company. We have our problems, but overall we do a bang-up job from day to day. Having a solid head on ones shoulders, a willingness to face new challenges, and most importantly the ability to surround yourself with fantastic people who you can rely on 24/7 are the most important qualities I believe for running a coffee shop- or the greatest nation on earth.

3) The values that we believe in are pretty radical, but may have a little worth (you might even agree with some of them!):
-Protecting our environment
-Supporting childhood education
-Respecting our capitalist system(we are a business after all), but also strongly believing in providing for all people to have a fighting chance to succeed in it.
-The right to dictate our own lives(within reason) as long as our actions do not harm others.

4) Thanks to the amazing support of our customers we have been able to donate over $30,000 back to the causes we believe in- including Stop Global Warming, Even Start, and Disabled American Veterans. And yes we can prove it :).

5) My goal in working with Blue State Coffee truly is to do my little bit in uniting our country. I think that almost all of us have the same core beliefs- we just sometimes have a hard time getting over our labels and getting to know each other. I am glad you like my cat- he is quite curious indeed.

I look forward to your thoughts.

Alex Payson

Alex;
I realize my post was mostly usless. I should have known better. If for no other reason than the name of the "group", but more for the name of your company.

1) After 10 years, please point to major programs that Mr. Obama has brought to the world.

2) You can bash President Bush all you want. I'm not happy with many things he's done. However, he has served our Country well in what is unquestionably the most difficult presidency in the last 25 years. To take issue with Vice President Cheney is just typical of "blue."

3) Your values are not radical. Although you like to present them as such to add a level of credence. But they do have worth.
-Most everyone wants to protect the environment - within reasonable guidelines - Al Gore not included
-Who wouldn't support children education? But, why do you want me to pay to educate your children? Shouldn't that be the parents responsibility?
-Liberals have not respect for the capitalistic system - they want to limit individual success
-If you truly want to dictate your own life then you've choosen the wrong color
4) I applaud you for your efforts in donations. But, please, global warming? What a joke. Even Start, I have no knowledge of and cannot comment on. Disabled American Veterans - You have my respect - I served in the United States Army from 1963 to 1969 as a medical corpsman.
5) No, we do not all have the same core beliefs. Some of us believe you should have to "earn" it, others believe it should be "given" to them. Blue = give me. All other colors = earn it.

Your cat? I'm sure he's the greatest (we have three cats, five dogs and seven Arabian horses). Just not sure why you choose him as your image and not yourself.