There is nothing wrong with a good fight, but...

I'll start with a disclaimer. I am opinionated. I would likely be classified by lots of folks as left of center. I live in New York City. I am gay. If that was the whole story, I wouldn't waste my time expressing my opinions or asking for yours. You would know exactly what to expect from me and I would either love or hate your perspective.

But the whole story - just like yours, I suspect - would fill a book. Even though I live in New York City now, I grew up on a dairy farm. I went to a great university with lots of help from scholarships, government grants and loans. I paid my own way through law school. I have been a labor organizer and spent many years in management for a big employer. I love my partner of 15 years but, although I care about marriage equality, it is not at the top of my list of issues that will change my vote in an election. I worry about the economy not just for myself, but for my young sister who is just getting started and for my mother who is retired and wants to live her life with dignity. I worry about my hometown that has struggled for two decades to keep and expand job opportunities. I worry about my friends who come from every socio-economic strata you can imagine. Many have young kids and are afraid about the future.

How do we finally find some common ground? How do we speak honestly with each other without cutting each other off? How do we get past old prejudices and honor lives that we don't always understand? How do we get rid of the fear of changing our opinions when the evidence is clear that we need to reconsider old habits of mind?

If your posts try to answer some of these questions and do it respectfully, here is your forum. Yes, it's true that I'll be the judge of whether you met that modest standard, but I promise you that I won't censor opinions because they don't necessarily go along with mine.

Let's start something.