what kind of citizen are you? are you too lazy and/or apathetic to vote? (thanks for nothing! show up, or shut up!) if you do vote, what influences you the most?
do you choose the candidate who best:
• represents your social concerns?
• shares your core values?
• exemplifies leadership?
• protects you financially?
• keeps our country safe?
• maintains our individual freedoms?
• cares for the environment?
• helps minorities?
• deals with our global position and perception?
• meets several of the above?
be honest. do you research your choice? and no, campaign ads don't count. (really, you shouldn't count tv news channels either.) are you actively involved, or are you more passive?
do you choose the candidate who:
• is the most attractive?
• speaks the most eloquently?
• is more entertaining?
• is your gender/race/religion?
• has the best tv ads?
• is from your state?
• cheers for your sports team?
don't laugh! you know there are people who would never admit it, but if they looked hard, would find only one (or more) of these "reasons" behind their choice. but that's not the worst! the scary fact is, many, many people vote based on something far less substantial:
do you vote for the candidate who:
• represents your political party?
if this is you, your only excuse is if you are neither republican nor democrat. if you vote for any of the "third party" candidates, i'm letting you off the hook. (though i hope at least some of the reasons from my first list apply!) likewise, if you vote for a democrat or a republican because of anything on the first list, you're forgiven. otherwise, what's the point?
you're perpetuating one of the biggest problems in our nation. the "two-party" system. you've joined the gang warfare mentality. you happily vote for who "they" tell you to. way to be free!
and don't give me the "the party represents me" crap! they don't represent you. they use you! the only thing they want from you (aside from you money) is your vote, and the only thing they'll ever give you is a victory or a list of reasons to hate/fear the other party.
you know how they choose their candidates right? the person who best represents the party platform. right. in your dreams! they choose the person who has the best chance of beating the other party. period. if you were guaranteed to beat the other party's candidate, you would absolutely get the nomination. ok, nothing's guaranteed. they may not choose you if: you're a gay, environmental, abortion doctor (republican) or the outspoken evangelical ceo of a giant corporation (democrat)
to wrap up, let me plead with you to seriously consider all the candidates, not just two. chances are, you'll find a third party candidate who fits your "list one" criteria at least as well as the republican/democrat. plus they won't have to vote with the party on anything. (because third parties don't get them elected, the people do.)
finally, if you were going to base your vote solely on list two or three, then don't! pick a third party and "throw away" your vote that way. until enough people do, we are stuck with our current quagmire. stop saying it will never happen, (even though you wish it would) vote for it to happen, and encourage others to do the same!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
political correction
has anyone had the time to get a sum total of what all presidential candidates spend during an election? or even just during the primaries. i haven't made the time, because i know the amount would appall me more than what i already imagine. you always see articles about how much hillary got at a fundraiser, or how many millions mitt spent in a given state. the numbers are astronomical, and grow every year. does anyone else wonder what other, better purposes that money could serve? plus this just perpetuates our system of government where your chances of being elected is determined most by how much you can raise and spend on a campaign. (which in turn perpetuates our flawed "two party system.")
what if, instead of the various much-talked-about yet never enacted "campaign reforms," all candidates, regardless of party or name recognition, were given an equal number of print ads, and tv and radio spots in each state, and were barred from purchasing more. what if all candidates were thusly equalled, and the only benefit to be gained from fundraising was to show how much your campaign was donating to charity, or sponsoring programs that the government no longer will? sure, establish a set of constitutional standards, so these equal shares of advertising aren't wasted on some nut-job who just want his fifteen minutes. just let the money be used for something useful, or at least less corrupt than buying political favors, which is all making large campaign donations is. this would also let the voters of all fifty states learn about all the candidates. since i don't live in iowa or new hampshire, i don't hear a near as much. worse still, i'm in utah, which is so notoriously republican that neither party wants to "waste" their money on advertising here.
long term, let's work for some meaningful, helpful campaign reform. short term, let's just vote for a third party candidate!
what if, instead of the various much-talked-about yet never enacted "campaign reforms," all candidates, regardless of party or name recognition, were given an equal number of print ads, and tv and radio spots in each state, and were barred from purchasing more. what if all candidates were thusly equalled, and the only benefit to be gained from fundraising was to show how much your campaign was donating to charity, or sponsoring programs that the government no longer will? sure, establish a set of constitutional standards, so these equal shares of advertising aren't wasted on some nut-job who just want his fifteen minutes. just let the money be used for something useful, or at least less corrupt than buying political favors, which is all making large campaign donations is. this would also let the voters of all fifty states learn about all the candidates. since i don't live in iowa or new hampshire, i don't hear a near as much. worse still, i'm in utah, which is so notoriously republican that neither party wants to "waste" their money on advertising here.
long term, let's work for some meaningful, helpful campaign reform. short term, let's just vote for a third party candidate!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
democrat vs. republican
are you a democrat?
are you a republican?
if you answered yes to either question, my question to you is: why?
the problem with this country is that most people don't realize that there are other options. we are told, and we believe that when we vote for a third party candidate, we are throwing our vote away. rarely will anyone other than a democrat or a republican take office. the result is a government that no longer represents the people at all.
democracy? we talk about it, but we don't practice it. we push it on others, yet we have never technically been one. we're not even a republic anymore. we have become an empire that changes focus every 2-4 years. we are hated and feared by much of the world. sure, we have wealth, power, and freedoms that other people can only dream of, but compared with other "advanced" societies, we work longer hours, with far less vacation time, and pay far more for lesser healthcare. why?
the reality is gang warfare. look at the bulk of the ads, or listen to any politician discussing any topic. they will likely say more about how their party differs from the other, than the real issue. republicans are in power to fight the democrats at every step of the way. and democrats are in power to only to fight the republicans. regardless of the issue, each party will attach the other party's views far more than define their own views.
the sad result? nothing worthwhile gets accomplished because on principle, the two parties in power can't agree on anything. to agree with the other party is to destroy your own party's foundation. instead of progress, we get endless debates, finger-pointing, and mudslinging. instead of solutions, one party tells us what we want, and that the other party is preventing them from giving it to us.
as for representation, does anyone really believe that our elected officials represent us, or our values, beliefs, desires, and needs? apart from representing their party, they represent those who fund their party. democrats listen to the liberal media, and special interest groups. republicans listen to big business, and the super-rich. power swings from one party to the other, because neither party effectively represents the vast majority of americans, so every election or two we collectively get fed up with the status quo, and decide to give the other party a shot.
here is the root of the problem: neither party listens to the voice of the people. yet we continue to vote their candidates into office because they tell us no other party can get a candidate elected. they are only right, because we refuse to do anything about it. we don't want to support a loser, or even a long-shot. so instead of choosing a candidate who listens to us, and creates a platform that represents us, we align ourselves with the party who's agenda we agree with more. it's backwards! we vote for "the lesser of two evils," instead of looking outside the two parties for a candidate we agree with. as long as we vote like cattle, or sheep, or lemmings, these parties will continue to treat us accordingly.
are you a republican?
if you answered yes to either question, my question to you is: why?
the problem with this country is that most people don't realize that there are other options. we are told, and we believe that when we vote for a third party candidate, we are throwing our vote away. rarely will anyone other than a democrat or a republican take office. the result is a government that no longer represents the people at all.
democracy? we talk about it, but we don't practice it. we push it on others, yet we have never technically been one. we're not even a republic anymore. we have become an empire that changes focus every 2-4 years. we are hated and feared by much of the world. sure, we have wealth, power, and freedoms that other people can only dream of, but compared with other "advanced" societies, we work longer hours, with far less vacation time, and pay far more for lesser healthcare. why?
the reality is gang warfare. look at the bulk of the ads, or listen to any politician discussing any topic. they will likely say more about how their party differs from the other, than the real issue. republicans are in power to fight the democrats at every step of the way. and democrats are in power to only to fight the republicans. regardless of the issue, each party will attach the other party's views far more than define their own views.
the sad result? nothing worthwhile gets accomplished because on principle, the two parties in power can't agree on anything. to agree with the other party is to destroy your own party's foundation. instead of progress, we get endless debates, finger-pointing, and mudslinging. instead of solutions, one party tells us what we want, and that the other party is preventing them from giving it to us.
as for representation, does anyone really believe that our elected officials represent us, or our values, beliefs, desires, and needs? apart from representing their party, they represent those who fund their party. democrats listen to the liberal media, and special interest groups. republicans listen to big business, and the super-rich. power swings from one party to the other, because neither party effectively represents the vast majority of americans, so every election or two we collectively get fed up with the status quo, and decide to give the other party a shot.
here is the root of the problem: neither party listens to the voice of the people. yet we continue to vote their candidates into office because they tell us no other party can get a candidate elected. they are only right, because we refuse to do anything about it. we don't want to support a loser, or even a long-shot. so instead of choosing a candidate who listens to us, and creates a platform that represents us, we align ourselves with the party who's agenda we agree with more. it's backwards! we vote for "the lesser of two evils," instead of looking outside the two parties for a candidate we agree with. as long as we vote like cattle, or sheep, or lemmings, these parties will continue to treat us accordingly.
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