Elizabeth Edwards doesn't like her neighbor. She has referred to her neighbor, a man she has never actually met, as a "rabid, rabid Republican" because he brandished a gun while on his own property. I have known a lot of working class Republicans in my lifetime and have never noticed any of them to be particularly rabid. Oh my gosh! How could he! While I am not a gun owner, I can understand a person who has a gun making that fact known when people trespass on his property.

Perhaps Mrs. Edwards has spent a little too much time in the America for Democrats who live in 28,000 square foot houses. Apparently her neighbor, Monty Johnson, is a working class stiff who has lived on the property in question for all of his 55 years, fixing it up along the way. It seems that Mr. Johnson doesn't have the luxury of a trial-lawyer type bank account to pay for all the landscaping one sees at the Edwards' home.

This is a travesty for the Edwards family. It really is unfair that they would spend millions on their new home only to have to share air with a man who would lease his garage to a mechanic. Mr. Johnson should be glad that the Edwards family has moved in next door and brought the media with them.

Who wouldn't want to live next to a person like Mrs. Edwards? She moves in with her grand plans to build a home 10 times bigger than the average person will ever own. Her new mansion has beautiful grounds surpassing 100 acres. She seems to have a clear understanding of the kind of homes, and people, she, her husband and her children would like in their neighborhood. (Of course, with a yard as big as hers, Mrs. Edwards won't really be talking over the fence with her neighbors.) Ms. Edwards seems to believe that because she has moved into the neighborhood, everyone else should alter their property to meet her standards.

Mr. Johnson's home and 40 acres is run down and "slummy." His "slummy" property seems to be an eyesore for her. (I wonder what kind of view she has of his home. Is she ever home to look at his home?) Why shouldn't she ridicule him nationally with name calling? Why shouldn't he be thrust into the public eye and forced to defend the way he has chosen to use the land his family has owned for generations?

Many people around the country have lived on their property for generations. Increasingly, these property owners are being pushed out by people like Mrs. Edwards. The people who have roots in communities are often working class people with limited likelihood of dramatically increasing their personal wealth. Many of these people can't put a value on their property because there is no clear correlation between property value and the memories and history a person has tied to their familial property.

As the upper class continues to move out from the suburbs to try to find more land for their bigger houses, property once considered worthless begins to appreciate. Property taxes go up as well. Suddenly people who assumed they would spend their entire lives in one place find they can not afford to remain in their homes. Cities raise property taxes and / or rezone land to try to force people out. More and more homeowners are finding themselves in Mr. Johnson's position, minus the wife of a man running for President.

Mrs. Edwards has publicly branded this man a nut. What kind of classy woman is she? Perhaps she should show her appreciation for the common folk and reach out a hand. I doubt he would bite. Mr. Johnson has virtually no recourse. He says he will most likely move for financial reasons but otherwise he also stated: "I don't want to live somewhere where someone is always complaining about me."

She should look beyond the fact that he votes Republican and has a "Go Rudy Giuliani 2008" sign on his property. Now is not the time for the Edwards camp to alienate potential voters. Trust me, they will need all the help they can get.