A recent post hijacking got me thinking. The "two parties" have done a perfect job of brainwashing America. Ask someone to define a typical Republican and they would list them as being "Rich, white guys" at best. Ask for the typical Democrat and you might hear talk of being "socialist". Why do we believe this?
"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." -H.L. Mencken-
That's pretty much it isn't it? We believe what we are being sold. We see the advertisements and disregard the ones we don't agree with. We see the ones we agree with and add those "facts" to our list of talking points. Here is a fact for you. Political speech has no requirement for truth. That's right. There is no such thing as false advertising, bait and switch, or breach of contract associated with political advertising.
You may have heard the radio spots where one candidate (Beaubien) is claiming the other (McSweeney) made comments about denying a woman's right to an abortion, (He did, but not in that context) then launches, without segue-way, into a quote, made by someone else, that is very inflammatory The ad then states that McSweeney, being of the same party, clearly feels the same way. If this were advertising it would be brought to court over this flagrant misstatement. But political speech is exempted from the requirement of truth.
McSweeny, of course, ran an ad defending himself and saying that Beaubien was just trying to cover up having voted for a tax increase. I still don't see what one has to do with the other, and they both are lying. Again, there is no requirement not to.
See the idea is that the opposing party will just run an ad countering the claims of the first. A great solution if there are only two, well-backed and very well-connected, parties. Slander a green party, libertarian, or other "third party" candidate and they will just have to take it. They don't have the money to run a counter ad. That is a bit imbalanced isn't it? If they were selling a product they would be brought to court over price-fixing, market-fixing, or collusion.
So the "two parties" have a lock on the system, no requirement for truth, and a set of stereotypes they have sold the American people on, to such a degree that we automatically assume Romney to be an elitist, owned by big business, and Obama a gun-hating socialist. Their voting records actually show those roles to be reversed.
I would ask you to make sure you go vote your conscience, but you really can't. Unless your candidate is the honest one, and clearly, the other guy is lying. Sure, we'll go with that.
Showing posts with label election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label election. Show all posts
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Full circle
In the election year part of the political cycle I am reminded of the way history moves in circles. There is a vicious cycle where one party is elected, halfway through they start to lose support, the other party takes over the Senate, House, or both. Then that party loses the presidency. Wash, rinse, repeat. This may be a four year cycle, it may be 8, or longer, but it always repeats, just with the opposite party in control next time.
Things always come full circle. That is the heart of the problem isn't it. Combine simple geometry with basic root cause analysis, and even a brain-damaged chimp will shortly realize that moving in circles is not progress. As long as we continue the vicious cycle, as long as things come full circle, we cannot progress. Progress, you see, is a line. Not an arc, not a sine wave, not a line segment and not a tangent. It is a line that stretches from before history, to beyond it.
"So", I hear yo asking, "what can we do to fix this?" Well it is simple. Most things are, we just complicate them as an excuse as to why we refuse to do them. First: admit the parties currently in power do not represent Joe six-pack. They also don't represent Joe dime-bag, or Joe Magnum-of-Champagne. This is more than a failure of the media, the public, and the two party system.
Also, I hate use of the term two-party system. It comes from the two major parties, of course. But more so; in global politics the western world is the first world. The soviet bloc was the second world. The two had modernity. The "Third world" nations were those that refused to ally with either, and thus were more denied modernity.
The implication of referring to another group as a "third party" is that they are inferior. Funny, since normally they have the better ideas, and more honest candidates. Also, as long as we have brought math into the picture, count the number of people running for president on your ballot when you are voting. WAAAAYYYYYY more than three, right?
Back to the fixing it part. We need more people to get involved. Theodore Roosevelt put it best. "A vote is like a rifle. It's usefulness depends upon the character of the user" You can't fix it by shouting slogans, picketing, or backing someone who represents a single issue you believe in. Nothing is solved by relying on talking points. The world of sound-byte debating is killing real political discussion. This is more than just bringing civility back to political debate, it is approaching things from the perspective of listening.
Civility is not interrupting. Civility is not yelling. These are things that your parents should have pounded through your thick skull. These are things that are the basics of society.
Listening however, is accepting that the other side may have a point, and giving another point of view a chance before condemning it. It involves thinking. Listening and thinking are what are missing from the American political scene. Two tenets of leadership. All we are left with is action. Action without thought or knowledge is at best wasteful, at worst harmful, and always leads you back where you started. A point we arrive at every election year. (back to top).
Things always come full circle. That is the heart of the problem isn't it. Combine simple geometry with basic root cause analysis, and even a brain-damaged chimp will shortly realize that moving in circles is not progress. As long as we continue the vicious cycle, as long as things come full circle, we cannot progress. Progress, you see, is a line. Not an arc, not a sine wave, not a line segment and not a tangent. It is a line that stretches from before history, to beyond it.
"So", I hear yo asking, "what can we do to fix this?" Well it is simple. Most things are, we just complicate them as an excuse as to why we refuse to do them. First: admit the parties currently in power do not represent Joe six-pack. They also don't represent Joe dime-bag, or Joe Magnum-of-Champagne. This is more than a failure of the media, the public, and the two party system.
Also, I hate use of the term two-party system. It comes from the two major parties, of course. But more so; in global politics the western world is the first world. The soviet bloc was the second world. The two had modernity. The "Third world" nations were those that refused to ally with either, and thus were more denied modernity.
The implication of referring to another group as a "third party" is that they are inferior. Funny, since normally they have the better ideas, and more honest candidates. Also, as long as we have brought math into the picture, count the number of people running for president on your ballot when you are voting. WAAAAYYYYYY more than three, right?
Back to the fixing it part. We need more people to get involved. Theodore Roosevelt put it best. "A vote is like a rifle. It's usefulness depends upon the character of the user" You can't fix it by shouting slogans, picketing, or backing someone who represents a single issue you believe in. Nothing is solved by relying on talking points. The world of sound-byte debating is killing real political discussion. This is more than just bringing civility back to political debate, it is approaching things from the perspective of listening.
Civility is not interrupting. Civility is not yelling. These are things that your parents should have pounded through your thick skull. These are things that are the basics of society.
Listening however, is accepting that the other side may have a point, and giving another point of view a chance before condemning it. It involves thinking. Listening and thinking are what are missing from the American political scene. Two tenets of leadership. All we are left with is action. Action without thought or knowledge is at best wasteful, at worst harmful, and always leads you back where you started. A point we arrive at every election year. (back to top).
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Link Card Accepted at Market Day
For those of you from another state, Illinois uses something called the Link Card in place of food stamps. This saves people who need government assistance from the indignity of not using a credit or debit card, like everyone else.
Since, despite the taxes we pay, we don't have enough money for the schools to use on things they should have, we have Market Day sales. I will not take anything away from Market Day. I have tried many of their items, and found them mostly superior in quality. This post in no way maligns or impugns (those words look weird, don't they), the products or character of the Market Day company.
By now you're wondering if I've lost it. How can these two items be tied together. Link cards and Market Day. One is a pay in to the system, the other a pay out. Well my gentle reader, there is a way these two things are linked. (pardon the pun)
The flyer sent home with my children for, Market Day, states that they will be accepting the Link card as a form of payment. This is yet another example of Illinois circular reasoning. And it's circular math.
We under-fund schools so they need to have fund raisers. We give people Link cards with some of the tax money that could otherwise have gone to schools. (OK, its mostly lost as graft, but bear with me.) They are then allowed to use those Link cards to purchase food from Market Day, with proceeds going to the previously mentioned, under-funded schools. Like all perpetual motion machines this one will not stay running long without an outside force providing additional energy. That would be our tax money; which feeds this great wheel both top and bottom.
I will not speak out against Link cards here. (That is another post. They are readily abused) I will certainly not speak out against Market Day. I will say that it makes no kind of sense to allow Link cards to be used for Market Day purchases, since by their very nature, their products are priced higher than necessary. Else there would be no proceeds to forward to the school system.
While I would love nothing more than to rant against the people abusing their state paid food plan, I cannot. Not out of any sense of sympathy for them, but because they are not operating outside the rules that were set down. It's cheesy, no doubt; but completely legal. And really, why shouldn't we all be abusing the state's coffers. Our "Leaders" do.
Off topic: the President's recent comments about being in favor of Gay Marriage are as insincere as they are brilliant. I say insincere because if he were in favor, he would have spoken out months ago, when fist asked. Instead, he waited until it was politically expedient. Which is why it is brilliant. He won't lose any votes for saying he is in favor of it. However his opponent, in an effort to differentiate himself, immediately went on record against it. This will cost him votes. Brilliant, but insincere.
Since, despite the taxes we pay, we don't have enough money for the schools to use on things they should have, we have Market Day sales. I will not take anything away from Market Day. I have tried many of their items, and found them mostly superior in quality. This post in no way maligns or impugns (those words look weird, don't they), the products or character of the Market Day company.
By now you're wondering if I've lost it. How can these two items be tied together. Link cards and Market Day. One is a pay in to the system, the other a pay out. Well my gentle reader, there is a way these two things are linked. (pardon the pun)
The flyer sent home with my children for, Market Day, states that they will be accepting the Link card as a form of payment. This is yet another example of Illinois circular reasoning. And it's circular math.
We under-fund schools so they need to have fund raisers. We give people Link cards with some of the tax money that could otherwise have gone to schools. (OK, its mostly lost as graft, but bear with me.) They are then allowed to use those Link cards to purchase food from Market Day, with proceeds going to the previously mentioned, under-funded schools. Like all perpetual motion machines this one will not stay running long without an outside force providing additional energy. That would be our tax money; which feeds this great wheel both top and bottom.
I will not speak out against Link cards here. (That is another post. They are readily abused) I will certainly not speak out against Market Day. I will say that it makes no kind of sense to allow Link cards to be used for Market Day purchases, since by their very nature, their products are priced higher than necessary. Else there would be no proceeds to forward to the school system.
While I would love nothing more than to rant against the people abusing their state paid food plan, I cannot. Not out of any sense of sympathy for them, but because they are not operating outside the rules that were set down. It's cheesy, no doubt; but completely legal. And really, why shouldn't we all be abusing the state's coffers. Our "Leaders" do.
Off topic: the President's recent comments about being in favor of Gay Marriage are as insincere as they are brilliant. I say insincere because if he were in favor, he would have spoken out months ago, when fist asked. Instead, he waited until it was politically expedient. Which is why it is brilliant. He won't lose any votes for saying he is in favor of it. However his opponent, in an effort to differentiate himself, immediately went on record against it. This will cost him votes. Brilliant, but insincere.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Dewey defeats Santorum.
I will be brief. With slightly over 20 percent of precincts reporting, ABC news was calling the win for Romney. An hour later Romney's lead was a bit less, but they were still calling it for him. Half the state is currently reporting.
It would be funny if Santorum pulled this one out. How could he, at this point? Good question, it shows you're thinking. I will elucidate below. Also pontificate, and BS-ify.
See the counties reporting first, are the ones with the newest, fastest, voting machines. Those are the large urban centers that are more centrist. The counties not yet reporting are the ones with older slower gear, lower populations, and guess what: voters who are more conservative. Romney's lead isn't that high as to be insurmountable. Santorum could pull off a victory yet. (Not cheering for him, Voted Paul, as always.)
I'm not saying Santorum will win, but c'mon networks, are you incapable of learning?
It would be funny if Santorum pulled this one out. How could he, at this point? Good question, it shows you're thinking. I will elucidate below. Also pontificate, and BS-ify.
See the counties reporting first, are the ones with the newest, fastest, voting machines. Those are the large urban centers that are more centrist. The counties not yet reporting are the ones with older slower gear, lower populations, and guess what: voters who are more conservative. Romney's lead isn't that high as to be insurmountable. Santorum could pull off a victory yet. (Not cheering for him, Voted Paul, as always.)
I'm not saying Santorum will win, but c'mon networks, are you incapable of learning?
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Ron Paul stabs Joe Biden in desperate bid for attention.
In an effort to get any billing at all despite winning yet another Republican straw poll; Ron Paul fatally stabbed Vice-President Joe Biden in the neck with an uncooked lasagna noodle that had been sharpened, according to anonymous sources. Paul, who is consistently listed as an "also ran" by the media despite winning nearly every straw poll was apparently in a rage over the attention being received by Herman Cain.
"I just don't understand," Paul was quoted as saying. "something might have happened 20 friggin' years ago and this becomes an issue. I thought we still had high unemployment. I mean, What the hell?"
Paul was detained by capital police for most of an afternoon before being released on his own recognizance, since members of congress are incapable of wrongdoing. He was referring, of course to the flap over allegations of sexual harassment dating to when Cain was in charge of the National Association of People who Spit in Food. In a news story broken by politico, it was disclosed that perhaps there was something that happened resulting in a settlement, which included a gag order. One alleged victim, apparently completely ignorant of what a gag order entails, said she will come forward with her story anyway.
This just in, apparently, not to be outdone, Rick Perry has challenged Mitt Romney to settle the Primary election "Texas Style." Apparently this entails the two contenders taking turns kicking each other between the legs until one gives up. Mr. Romney the current leader in every way except those involving numbers or math, could not be reached for comment. Michele Bachmann, ever the voice of reason, stated "I don't believe that's how it works, but I guarantee a Bachmann victory if that is how it has to be." She further stated that she looks forward to running against Mrs. Clinton in November.
If you need me to tell you this was satire you are a sad, sad individual.
"I just don't understand," Paul was quoted as saying. "something might have happened 20 friggin' years ago and this becomes an issue. I thought we still had high unemployment. I mean, What the hell?"
Paul was detained by capital police for most of an afternoon before being released on his own recognizance, since members of congress are incapable of wrongdoing. He was referring, of course to the flap over allegations of sexual harassment dating to when Cain was in charge of the National Association of People who Spit in Food. In a news story broken by politico, it was disclosed that perhaps there was something that happened resulting in a settlement, which included a gag order. One alleged victim, apparently completely ignorant of what a gag order entails, said she will come forward with her story anyway.
This just in, apparently, not to be outdone, Rick Perry has challenged Mitt Romney to settle the Primary election "Texas Style." Apparently this entails the two contenders taking turns kicking each other between the legs until one gives up. Mr. Romney the current leader in every way except those involving numbers or math, could not be reached for comment. Michele Bachmann, ever the voice of reason, stated "I don't believe that's how it works, but I guarantee a Bachmann victory if that is how it has to be." She further stated that she looks forward to running against Mrs. Clinton in November.
If you need me to tell you this was satire you are a sad, sad individual.
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