One thing I have learned by following the political process for 50 years. Polls don't matter. It all comes down to who votes. And if people don't vote, NOTHING EVER CHANGES! That's why we find ourselves in the mess we are in.

Tuesday night in Texas we had an election. It wasn't an election that featured the President or the Governor, but it was an election just the same.

And out of 30 million people who reside in Texas, out of 20 million eligible registered voters, only 1.1 million people bothered to show up and participate in a process that vocally they claim to love and support.

It's easy to see why our country is where it is at today. In Texas we have over 6 million uninsured people; the largest amount in any state in the USA. And yet only 1.1 million people over the course of 3 weeks bothered to show up and vote on issues some of which effect this.

That's right. Three weeks. We have early voting in Texas. You could vote practically anytime you wanted between the dates of October 22 and November 3. Voting day was the same as it always has been -- the first Tuesday in November. And yet we only had 1.1 Million people take the time to vote.

We should be ashamed.

I have voted in every election since I turned 18. I learned at an early age that the only thing I could realistically do to make my voice heard (in a pre-internet age) was to pay attention and vote. I guess somehow that message never filtered down to future generations.

I have tried to not care or to bury my head in the sand. I can't do it. I care. I have tried living outside the USA but Texas is my home. I shouldn't have to leave it. I have tried working with the system, only to find such belligerence that it made me sick.

Today I don't know how to get people to participate. Apparently even anger doesn't motivate people the way it once did. But I have to do something even if only to write and speak out!

When the income gap between the rich and the rest of America at its largest EVER IN HISTORY, people still don’t participate. I don't get it. Do you just like getting it from behind, people?

If there were elections the other and you didn't vote, you have no rights! And if you didn't vote and you open your mouth to criticize, all I can say to you is to call you a HYPOCRITE!

I am tired of people running off at the mouth about patriotism and then they can't even take the time to vote. I am tired of people judging and labeling political candidates when these same people won't get off their collective rear ends and participate. You know what? If you can't participate, then you need to shut your face and judge yourself.

THE PROBLEM WITH AMERICA TODAY IS NOT GEORGE W BUSH! THE PROBLEM WITH AMERICA TODAY IS WITH A COUNTRY WHERE ONLY 20% OF THE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY VOTE IN THE BEST OF ELECTION YEARS! IT DOESN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO UNDERSTAND WHY 20% OF THE COUNTRY HAS THE WEALTH AND THE REST DOESN’T!

If America doesn't wake up out of its apathetic coma, we will not have a country! We will lose our individual rights. We will end up with a BIG BROTHER GOVERNMENT as described in George Orwell's 1984.

In 2008, the future of America is at hand. Who will decide our fate? The 20% of America that is Rich? Or will the lazy hypocritical patriots finally wake up, pay attention and participate even if it only means voting for a change. We have approximate 200 Million registered voters. Will the 65 Million (or 20% of our population) decide who will be the next President or the next Congress? Or will Americans finally get sick and tired of someone else deciding their fate and their future and take some responsibility for the mess that their apathy has created. These people are very good at talking about the responsibility of others but somehow believe they are ENTITLED NOT TO PARTICIPATE!

All, that is left to say, is "SHAME ON YOU AMERICA!" You leave over 100,000 brave American men and women in Iraq fighting for your so-called freedom but you can't even participate and vote. No, as much as I hate to say this, George Bush is Not the problem.

Lazy Entitled Americans who don't vote or participate, they are the true leaches in America today. Perhaps the solution lies in letting those from other countries who cherish freedom into our country and deporting those that can't even vote. I know it's extreme. But in a time when I hear every day about people taking responsibility for their actions, I am PO'd. THERE IS NO EXCUSE EXCEPT LAZINESS, SELFISHNESS AND APATHY FOR NOT VOTING!

Good post, Pollchecker. But take your argument back a step further. The American people are not academically prepared to vote for or against any candidate as they do not understand the base of the U.S. Constitution. it is not their fault as we have 3 generations who vote only for handouts that they believe are theirs by rights.

Candidates for years have won elections by handing out more welfare to the people than other candidates. Our schools use Civics classes to sell government draped in Socialism. Our Churches use Conservative candidates to broaden their own influence in D.C.

The most offensive ad on television are those children who look so innocent asking Americans to vote for health insurance, social security and other programs that have been touted as American rights.

Americans are taught from the beginning that they (we) are not capable of living outside the handouts from the government. They are taught that capitalism is greed and corruption. It is now that the White House has their dirty fingers in all Big Corporations. I remember working for a brand new corporation and feeling such respect for the product that even the new employees wanted to invest. Today there is no product made in America or imported outside America that can be completely safe for our family members.

I learned my American values from my grandfather and passed them on to my own kids who when they spoke up in their Civics classes were told they were wrong.

We have been assaulted by many unfavorable influences in America and unless we stop and think before we vote for anyone we will continue to raise voters who feel they are not qualified to make an honest vote so most of them stay home. Until we stop looking for the handouts from our Congress, we will continue to vote for those who will continue to promise us everything we need including a religion to follow to get to heaven.

Americans are confused with all the threats and false promises coming every two years when we have elections. We need to start with a firm belief in what we want from our government. It will take some research to do this and most do not have the time.

We hit a new low in 2000 when the promise of a President who spoke to God was made our American leader. Did we learn from this or did we put him back in again? Do we want a Christian Nation or a free nation? Do we want to live with our own choices or do we want the White House to make them for us? Do we want to look to the government everytime we face a financial or physical disaster or are we not capable of looking ahead on our own?

Will we continue to hang on to the coattails of our latest President or can we stand back and simply say "NO" to the choices on our ballots? But more important can we get to our kids and grandkids and teach them what the Constitution promises us? Can we demand of our Boards of Education to teach the basic freedoms in the Constitution? Can we tell our Ministers to stay out of our elections and let us chose our own legislators?

The following link makes good reading.

http://pages.towson.edu/duncan/crockett.html

Good posts. I concur that as Pogo said "We have met the enemy and it is us." Not only citizen apathy but citizen ignorance are contributing factors. I listen to some callers to C-Span and it makes me shudder to think that they probably vote.

The same people who say they might vote for Ron Paul say they would conider Dennis Kucinich never having a clue that these two are politically worlds apart except on the Iraq issue.

The Founding Fathers knew that no man is infallible and every man is corruptable, so they designed a system of checks and balances to protect us from ourselves. The question is, how do we make those checks and balances work?

Kind of like this one too?

http://www.wisdomquotes.com/002322.html

LFTL

I really believe that two critical years in the 1960s led to the beginning of what looks like it may be the end for America, at least as a republican (small r) democracy. The assassination of John F. Kennedy dimmed the light of hope in America and allowed Lyndon Johnson a relatively free rein for almost five years. Kennedy wasn't perfect, but he stood as a real symbol of hope and the decency of the America people. Then in 1968, the twin tragedies of losing Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy to assassination just put the first set of nails in the coffin. That's when the wheels came off. Instead of Bobby Kennedy as president, we got Richard Nixon. Richard f--ing Nixon. And when King died, the Civil Rights Movement lost its ability to recover from the vicious attacks of racists like George Wallace and the aforementioned Nixon with his brilliant but repugnant Southern Strategy. Since then been all downhill,(fast forwrad to Reagan and Bush 41) culminating in the disaster of George W. Bush.

Pollwatcher is right on the mark. and when "they" try to make voting more difficult, they have a good reason for it. I don't believe in an uninformed electorate but I sure believe that if you've paid attention youv'e really got to vote. I've lived in Colorado and was an elected during the time the state began to allow mail ballots. At the town and county voting level it doubled participation. Now I live in Utah, which just started mail ballots. They do it badly, but people are doing it. If your area allows mail balloting, make sure they provide 2 mail-in envelopes, which UT does not. One is blank and holds your ballot. The second one has your name address and signature on it to check off in the eligible to vote list; you put your ballot in the blank envelope in this one you sign. Utah doesn't have the privacy envelope, so the person who checks you in also can check to see how you voted. That's not good, but work for a good mail ballot system wherever you live, it makes a real improvement in voter participation.

this isn't on subject, but play the ski utah ad game with the undressed skier on it in today's ads...it's lots of fun. don't forget the ipod!

"He accelerated a decline that may now be irreversible unless Americans step up and take the decisive action to reclaim their nation from the thieves, con-artists and crooks that control our government."

con-artists and crooks -- fact, and nothing more or less.

Many despots do come to, for them, a sad end. It could happen here. Its a ray of hope.

-- Kent Shaw

Good question Doug and I think someone we all know warned us of our impending demise over 140 years ago...
*****
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country... Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
*****
Abraham Lincoln 1809 - 1865

Carl Nemo **==

Pollwatcher is right that the main problem is apathy and I don't see how that is going to change if left to their own devices. I realize that this is an odoriferous solution but WTH. Make voting mandatory. Yeah, I know, paying taxes are mandatory and people still refuse to pay. There are going to be those everywhere for every occasion. But if voting is made mandatory the number of voters would be guaranteed to skew the numbers and mostly invalidate the control mechanisms those that "control" the elections (corporations and elitists) have played on us for these many years. It goes in the face of "freedom" but what do we have left of our freedoms when we allow the epitome of our demographic system to be manipulated but those with ulterior motives. Make it mandatory - and then after a couple of decades, after we've indoctrinated a new generation to vote we can drop the mandatory requirement. But then FWIW, that's just this old curmudgeon's opinion. Have a nice day!!

Voting is required, yes. But after the newly elected takes office, or retains office, the voters must constantly communicate their demands to the candidate they helped elect. Its not a once and done deal. I voted, now I can go back to sleep. No. Pay attention and call and write constantly to your representatives. That is one of the duties of a citizen in a democratic republic.

Although I do not agree with him politically most of the time, and he knows it, I have found that my U.S. Rep., 19th, PA, Todd Platts (R), actually does listen to telephone messages and respond personally by letter, on topic and not just a form letter. I'm going to assume he would do so with written correspondence. Large volumes of mail and/or phone calls might actually have an effect. (affect? effect? I never could keep those two straight.)

-- Kent Shaw

Just got home and this thread is brilliant! Lots of great comments and ideas. Thanks Doug for the RANT...

The Rants of late have become more like eloquent statements or summations of fact(s).

-- Kent Shaw

"a mentally-unbalanced despot with no conscience and no regard for the Constitution that once defined this nation."

Follow the link to the story that has become viral on "the internets" (gw shrub).

;)

-- Kent Shaw

While there are provisions for the seperation of church and state, there are no provisions for the seperation of corporation and state. Whatever those provisions may be, we desperately need them.

An idea whose time might have come would be to pass a law totalling forbidding the use of television to broadcast paid political advertisements of any kind for any group. This would be in the same way they elimininated these same television stations from airing advertisements promoting the use of cigarettes and hard liquor. I understand there has been a proposal over the years to provide equal time to candidates by television stations but this proposal is highly unrealistic and therefore unusable.

I know there will be those who will say it is an impedement to "Freedom of Speech" but I beg to disagree. Candidates would not be forbidden to speak out on News, Debates, television appearances. They could buy advertising on the Internet, radio, etc. We would not be keeping anyone from having the ability to speak out. We would be keeping our televison air waves from being used by the highest bidder and the deepest pocketbooks to spin lies and propaganda.

If we eliminate paid political televised advertising from the air waves, this would also eliminate the need for BIG MONEY INTERESTS and thier deep pockets.

Think about it. In the months to come, we will have to listen to some of the filest intrusions into our daily lives simply to promote someone else's agenda. If we sincerely want to make a substative change in the political arena, eliminating paid political advertising on television will certainly accomplish this. Although you will never find a television pundit to promote this idea...at least not if they value their job security.

Trusting government.

That's where "we" went wrong. Instead of watching our government and being proactive, several generations of America decided that their own comfort was paramount, screw the other guy. This tradition continues to this day when perhaps 2% of eligible voters bother to turn out to polls or cast a critical eye of government actions.

In this day, all of us share responsibility to restore our Constitutional Republic. This is done by standing up to tyranny, by getting involved, by accepting personal responsibility.

This is a patriotic struggle which has every chance of costing us what the Founding Fathers pledged: their lives, liberty and property. And unless you are willing to take this pledge, you are simply part of the problem.

As the growing police state looms above us, as peaceful activists find themselves on no-fly lists, as every article in our Bill Of Rights is being dismantled by runaway jurists and the executive branch it becomes the inescapable choice of every American: will I submit or resist.

Will you resist? Or will you consign future generations to servitude? If you resist, you are in the best company of generations of patriots. If not,

"let history forget that ye were ever our countrymen".

R3VOlUTION!

Do I know what to replace our present government with? Yes, I do. We do not live in a democracy. We live in a corporate oligarchy. It needs to be destroyed and replaced with a democracy. A government of the people, by the people, for the people.

I wonder what role cynicism plays in the terribly low voter turnout. I have a good friend who is a very professional and attentive teacher in the Special Educ field. For over 20 years she has refused to go to the polls because she is convinced it is all a big fraud, that the outcomes are all pre-arranged. This time the Repub's get in, next it's the Dem's, etc. Indeed I am tempted to share her view when I see House Speaker Nancy Pelosi taking impeachment off the table. Or is it that there is so much s--t going on in government that blackmail is rampant? In either case, I can see where folks don't want to be played the fool by a government that has provided plenty of cause for this level of distrust. Then again, isn't it the goal of the fat cats in government and their wealthy cronies to have a 20% turn out?

the Nite-Watchman

I shudder to read that anyone wants to ban any free speech which means using the authority of the government to do it. The government is our problem. Only freer speech can overcome this tyranny.

We probably cannot convince anyone to vote when they feel it a fraud but why not get our children/grandchildren interested in the laws of the Constitution and show them the only freedom can be found in free elections. I am a firm believer in evolution and we are responsible for the intelligence of the next generation. Why not start with saving American freedoms?

It doesn't do much good to vote when your government is for sale to the highest bidder.