They are all liars. They are all going to say exactly what they think the people who are already going to vote for them want to hear. More to the point; they say the things their financial backers want to hear. But, I digress... More on how I want our political system to work in a later post.
What I want to do here is tell you what not to do on and shortly before election days.
1. Don't vote for a President or U.S. Congressional representative based on social issues - Whether Chelsea Handler likes it or not - neither the President, nor any part of the Federal Government, is supposed to be spending any time on these issues. The Feds are - according to the constitution - supposed to handle:
a) Defense, foreign relations, international trade, and interstate commerce
b) The protection of constitutional rights and ensuring that slavery remains illegal
c) Establish federal courts sub-SCOTUS
d) Copyright protection
e) Currency minting and insurance
f) Establishing post offices and postal routes
g) Establishing a national system of weights and measures
h ) Taxation not to exceed what is needed to perform these functions
Do you see anything about abortion, same-sex marriage, prayer in school or a national health care system in there? No you do not. The Constitution leaves all that is not covered here to State and local governments' jurisdictions. NOTE: You also do not see anything about education in there, the U.S. Dept of Education has spent BILLIONS of our tax dollars to make our schools worse, and it shouldn't even exist according to the Constitution.
2. If you are unsatisfied with the way your current representatives are "performing", Don't vote for incumbents or strictly with one party or the other. The reason NOTHING is getting done in Washington (and in my case, Springfield) is that they WON'T compromise. If you ONLY vote for one party or the other, or keep voting in the same yahoos, it will never change. Think of it this way; since we pay their salaries, we are their bosses, and we can FIRE them if we feel they are doing a bad job. But you have to be brave enough to vote for "the other guy", and if he/she stinks too... You're Fired. Massive turnover - especially in Congress - will get their attention.
3. Don't vote for the lesser of two evils if you don't want to. You can write-in anyone who would be eligible to hold that office. Vote for third party candidates if they aren't too goofy. Speaking of Goofy, don't write-in Mickey Mouse or any fictional characters - it voids your entire ballot in many states.
4. Don't "go with the polls". What are you, a lemming? Do some research, most of the time it doesn't take a lot of effort to find where candidates stand. Polls can pretty much come up with any answer they like; does the "bad" part of your city have the same telephone prefix as the "rich" side? Pollsters know what numbers to dial to get certain answers.
5. Don't listen to the "I've got the experience" line. Are the "People Who Know How Washington Works" doing us a whole lot of good? How could anyone do worse than what we've had lately?
6. Don't watch the news until AFTER you have voted. One reason many people don't vote, is that winners are being "Projected" as soon as we get home from work. Sometimes with as few as 2-4% of precincts reporting... Really? Do like ol' St00bert, and vote at 7 am. I got your projections right here, news bitches.
BUT MOST OF ALL...
7. Don't stay home! Go to your designated polling place and VOTE. You and I can change everything that's happening in Washington, Springfield, your County Seat, where ever. But we have to stop being afraid to vote outside "Party Lines", stop being lemmings, stop voting for who our favorite Hollywood type tells us to, and stop acting like this is the way it's supposed to be!
OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE
Peace, Love and hanging chads,
St00bert
