"I find it astonishing that out of a population that contains the wealth of talent present in the United States, two such mediocre candidates have been nominated for the most powerful office in the world."

"In a by now text book example of 'progressive' thinking, [the Herald's Simon] Wilson suggests that taxing the tech billionaires isn’t actually going to hurt them. And this is where the Left gets it wrong.
    "Wilson and his ilk are of the view that those who are better off, who are 'richer,' who have taken risks to get where they have reached, who have used initiative and creativity to develop products which the market clearly wants — that they should be made to pay. For what? Wilson isn’t clear on this.
    "The approach seems to be that the Silicon Valley elites have more than many others, and so they should have less because they can afford to do without. It is this thinking that underpins the criticisms of the socialist approach made by Ayn Rand in 'Atlas Shrugged' and 'The Fountainhead.' ...

"As far as the US election is concerned I find it astonishing that out of a population that contains the wealth of talent present in the United States, two such mediocre candidates have been nominated for the most powerful office in the world. ...
    "The problem with Trump is that he is a crook. ... [H]e will allow the dictators and fellow authoritarians in Russia, North Korea, Iran and China to flourish and become more powerful. ... Harris will do damage to the economy and it is doubtful that she has the heft to maintain the US position on the international stage.
    "Anyone but Trump, sadly, is not an answer. ...
    "One wonders if 5 November 2024 will see the beginning of the destruction of the American experiment with democracy."

~ David Harvey on 'Reflections on an Election'