Top Ten Ways to Vote Responsibly in Politics

people-politicpolitics-voter-infoWe are just under a month away and it is time to make sure that everyone, and I do mean everyone, in the United States of America is prepared, registered, and eager to vote in the upcoming presidential general election.

I would love to see Americans set a new standard this year for voter turnout. I would love to see the American people finally step up and show the world through their political actions that we are the premiere democracy we all hope and wish to be.

To this end I have whipped up this quick Top Ten Ways to Vote Responsibly in Politics checklist to make sure every eligible voter in America is registered and ready to make a responsible political vote come November 6th.

Top Ten Ways to Vote Responsibly in Politics

Number 1: Make sure you are Registered

With the voter fraud and ID laws that have been enacted in many states, many eligible voters have been purged from the system. Many of my friends and family who have been active in every election for years were removed, so don’t believe for a second you are immune to these voter purges. Make sure you are registered! Just Google “Register to vote [your state]” and pick the website that is a .gov.

Number 2: Make sure you have the Required ID(s) to Vote

Some of the voter fraud laws have restrictions that only those with certain types of ID or proof of identity can vote, even if you are registered. So be sure to have the correct ID ready and available. You should be able to find out this information when you verify your voter registration at your state’s website.

Number 3: Decide how you will Vote

In most states you have the ability to either vote in person at a polling place or to vote by mail. The preference is yours but I would suggest figuring out exactly what you are going to do so you are prepared come election day. If your state has been part of the new voter fraud laws you may want to vote by mail this year as the polling places are going to be stuffed and chaotic with many voters that will not be able to vote due to these new restrictions and laws. It might get really ugly. So to avoid these you may want to vote by mail this year. Or at the very least have a mail in ballot ready should your polling place be packed on Election Day.

Number 4: Know where you will Vote

It is important to find out ahead of time where your polling place is. Depending on the state you might have a very specific location where you have to vote or you might have the freedom to vote at any polling place in your district.

Even if you plan to vote by mail it is important for you to learn where these ballots have to be turned in should you need to turn it in at the last moment.

Number 5: Learn when you can Vote

This is also important as it can save you a headache come November 6th. Many states now offer early voting. This has really helped to alleviate Election Day woes of long lines and confusion at the polling places. Most early voting starts around a week ahead of Election Day, but your area may be different. Make sure you know so you can take advantage of it.

Employers are federally required to give their employees time to go vote. So don’t let your work schedule stop you from getting out there to vote!

Number 6: Learn about the Presidential Candidates

Make a point to go out and learn about all of the political candidates for president. Read through the top issues they are campaigning on figure out who best suits your ideals, values, and beliefs. Then please make a point to do some research on them. Don’t limit this research to just the websites, media outlets or talk shows that support your candidate. Also search for those that represent the other side as well as those that are try to be unbiased and neutral. You will never ever hear the truth from a single source so do yourself a favor, become broadly informed.

Number 7: Learn about which Representatives are up for Election

These are the politicians that are going to represent your political will at the national level. These are very important as they will have your state issues in mind. They will also follow their party line to some degree. This can be very tricky as often times these two things conflict politically. When it comes to your representatives look to how and what they voted for. On occasion you will have a representative that doesn’t yet have a voting record so you have to take their word on faith. This can be difficult.

Number 8: Learn about your Local Representatives

Local political representatives are often harder to learn about due to many are often running for office for the first time. Generally this is where many politicians start. If they like being a politician and are liked by the people they often move up to the state level.

However, these politicians are the ones you can easily go out and talk to. They will have town hall type meetings in the area. Will often respond directly to email or phone questions. This can make it more personal but also allows you to find out where they stand on issues directly.

You might have to do a little digging depending on where you live to get good information on them but most local newspapers do a great job of going through the candidates that in your area. So pick up your local papers special politics additions to get the bead on which local politicians you want to support.

Number 9: Learn about the Local and State Issues up for Vote

You should be able to learn about the local issues that are coming up for a vote through your local newspaper and their website. You should also receive a voter booklet to help you learn about the issues.

Often times these are the same issues you will hear about quite a bit leading up to the election. These are going to be votes to change the local budget, approve taxes for schools, constitutional amendments, and a myriad of other political issues. You may only have a couple to look into or several dozen depending on your location.

Even though it may seem arduous, these local issues are going to be the ones that directly affect you so it is very important that you learn about these issues. Try to watch the news on these up until the time you vote as there can be some last minute changes and information that comes up on these local political issues.

Number 10: Create a Voting Cheat Sheet for Yourself

Whether you are voting at the polling places or you are voting with a mail in ballot make sure                   that you create a cheat sheet for yourself so you are sure you are voting how you want to. It is easy to get pressured, nervous, or forgetful when it is time to pull the lever and pick your circles. It’s important to make sure that you know exactly how you want to vote when the times comes.

Most states have sample ballots that you can print off. This is the best route to take as it should be an exact copy of the ballot you will fill out. Mark your answers on it and any notes that you want to add. Then when the time comes, double check the official ballot you are filling out is the same and you can quickly mark down your answers.

This assures that you vote how you want to vote and you speed up the process for everyone when the time comes.

The Final Touch to being a Responsible Voter in Politics

All of these tips and tricks should help you make an informed decision about what is best for you, your family and your area.

The very best thing you can do, after becoming an educated and responsible voter, is to speak to those around you about how to follow these steps and become a better citizen of these United States of America. At times it is hard to see how our one vote in millions makes a difference. It does, and it can make a dramatic one at times. However, these effects are often hard to see immediately and can lessen our civic excitement and duty.

However, by being a responsible, educated voter in America you are one of millions that is working to shape our future as a people and as a nation. Only through the power of the people will we be able to assert our will past the demagogues, the mountains of money, and those bent on keeping the people disenfranchised, and instead bring this country to a better place. By voting, you keep the reins in the hands of the people. By asserting yourself and helping others to become better voters you help the people to keep the power. And only by showing that we the people of the United States of America are engaged, educated and insistent can we hope to make a brighter future for our children and the generations to come.

See you are the polls on elections day!

Full Video of the 1st 2012 Presidential Debate Between Obama and Romney

If you didn’t get to see the first 2012 Presidential Debate live between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney you can watch it here. There is analysis of this debate all over the just about any kind of media you can think of. There are tons of different political views from every side and every viewpoint so I am not going to get into it now. I just wanted to make sure there was another avenue for voters to see the video and to try to form their opinions.

After you have wanted the debate, which I think every responsible voter should, make sure that you then troll through a few of the good fact check sites that we have listed here on PeoplePolitico.com. It’s important to know where President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney stretched, distorted, or otherwise blatantly lied about the truth of their own or the others policies and stances on social political issues.

National Voter Registration Day

national-voter-registration-dayToday is national voter registration day! Make sure that you are registered to vote so you can participate in the upcoming presidential election. No matter who you are, what your political affiliation is, you should be absolutely sure that you are registered and ready to vote.

It is our belief here at People Politco that everyone that is eligible to vote should vote. It can be hard to be excited or be involved in politics. However, it is something that affects us all. It may not feel like it does at times but the decisions and actions our politicians takes directly affects us so in turn we all need to be directly involved in politics.

There have been a flurry of voter laws that have passed recently to purge out registrations voter eligibility. Regardless of your thoughts on this recent voter purge it is absolutely vital that each and every one of us makes sure we are registered and ready to vote.

I have already re-registered. Despite my constant participation in elections and making sure that I was active and up to date these voter purges has affected me and my house hold. I say this because I want everyone to make sure they register to vote. Even if you are pretty sure that you are, make sure you go and verify that you are still registered to vote. It has been amazing how many people that I know have been actively involved in the elections have had their names removed from being eligible voters.

Most states have a place you can check your voter registration. You should be able to just search for voter registration in your state. This should get you started. It is very easy with most states and will only take a few minutes.

Just make sure that you do not hesitate to get registered to vote. Each state has different deadlines but all of them are coming up. So get out there and make sure that your get registered to vote. While you’re at it make sure that those in your household, your friends and co-workers register to vote as well.

The more each and every one of us participate in this democratic America the more democratic it will truly become.

 

Disturbing Political Trend in Truth

collums-and-stairsThe closer we get to the 2012 Presidential Election the more crazy distortions of the truth I see. I know that perspectives are skewed and manipulated during the heated and often ugly run up to the general elections, but it seems like the preposterous rantings of what were once the loonies on the fringes are becoming the battle cries of the leaders of the parties.

Where once we frowned on unfounded accusations and scoffed at the baseless ramblings of the extremely paranoid or deranged, now we the people as a whole seem to latch onto them as truth, as brave, as somehow heroes that are standing up to some fantastical conceived threat.

I am not really sure how or why we have become so accepting of the blatant lies, abuse, misdirection, misinformation, and outright name calling that has become such a normal part of our everyday life.

Maybe it has been the years of dirty and low down politics. Maybe getting nasty every election became the new normal. We never got over the hateful rhetoric and over the years this strange morality creep gets worse and worse and we barely notice it.

It has gotten so bad that those who advocate these insane stances are held as the “truth bringers” and those that refute these idiotic statements are challenged to prove it’s not true. However, no accusation, should be accepted as truth unless it is grounded in independently verifiable facts.

Take the whole Birther issue. Some far right fringe lunatics came up with this ridiculous idea and for some reason it gained so much traction that President Obama thought it necessary to take time out of dealing with American’s real problems to present his birth certificate that clearly, without a doubt, proves that he is an American. Then, after months and months of these crazies saying all they need to do is see it, when they do see it, they still don’t believe it.

Our society has allowed itself to be manipulated into focusing on whatever nonsense is going on right now instead of focusing on the very real and troubling issues that America faces.

I am shocked, appalled, and embarrassed to see so many Americans get caught up in this drama. I am not proud to say that I have also fallen victim to the insane crap these politicians and pundits are shoveling on us.

This is not going to stop until we as a nation stand up and shout to our politicians and pundits that all political discourse must be based on fact and reason, and hold our media accountable for covering the facts, not the crazies.

We also must make sure that we keep each other on track because it is so easy to get distracted by the little stuff, the crazy ramblings or the issues that simply do not exist. We need to watch each others’ backs because our political system is not doing that now. We need to respectively and honestly work with each other to stay on track and stay on topic.

We have to look America, each other, and our political system objectively, factually, and critically for us to have any chance of growing as a nation.

We must not re-elect those that waste our time with nonsense. We must turn the channel, page, or URL when the media gives imagination more coverage than reality.

We need jobs and healthcare. Right now millions of Americans are without both.

We need fair and easy taxes. Right now income and taxation disparity between Americans is at a record high.

We need honesty and integrity within our society. Right now we allow the misinformation and lies to rot our core.

We need to have a prosperous and cutting edge America that is once again a contender for greatest nation in the world. Right now, we are falling short, terribly short, of what our forefathers had hoped for. We can’t allow America to be that country that can only work together when things like 9/11 happen.

America’s issues can be solved, but not until we all decide to be honest and respectful. We must pledge to have an open mind with everything we see and hear. We must vow to think objectively and critically.

I make this pledge to myself and to you. I ask that you do the same for yourself. Then together, regardless of sex, age, religion, or any other affiliation we can all push forward to a better, brighter America.

Invisible Mitt Romney at the Democratic National Convention?

steaming-pileNow that the Republican National Convention is finished, we are left wondering what the heck just happened. It seems all the DNC needs to do now is to try not to feature a senile rant at an empty chair. Who knows what this convention has up its sleeve? It seems we as a nation have lost grip with reality, and in many cases, sanity.

Why is it that so many people are so loyal to one party or the other? It’s as if the political parties are family and they cannot fathom disloyalty to that party, even when that family member lies, cheats, and steals. For some reason so many feel that they still need to defend a political party, along with every bit of their platform, with their last breath.

The real question I have is why did the Republican National Convention find it so important to blatantly lie to the party’s faithful? The unapologetic lies should disgust anyone with a shred of decency.  Sure, more than just Republicans heard some of what was said at the RNC, but the message at these conventions is aimed at energizing the Republican base. And shouldn’t their base hear facts from their leaders?

Politicians have always twisted the truth or omitted some information in order to make a point (or a sound byte). But it seems like they used to take some pride in having some measure of truth in their speeches. Now, they’re just making up lies and hoping no one catches them in order to justify their viewpoint. Then they scramble for excuses when they are called out on those lies.

Why are they doing this? Either they are trying to deceive their own supporters—people who are already planning to vote for them, or they are either so incompetent or lazy that they can’t be bothered with ensuring the veracity of their own speeches. If a person can search “closed auto plants”, that person should also be able to check what year that plant closed, and who was president at the time. Or if time is short, just typing Factcheck.org can help save some fumbling and backpedalling later.

Since I can’t handle the idea of listing all the lies that were told at the Republican National Convention, you might want to check out one of the fact checking websites to get an idea. They are able to be diplomatic and call it “exaggeration” and “misleading” instead of “stinking mounds of manure”.

I am really hoping that the Democratic National Convention takes the same appalled view I had of the Republican’s convention and decides to take the high road. It seems that America needs to be reminded that President Obama took the reins at one of the worst economic times in America’s history, and that his attempts at bipartisanship were met with scorn, and his compromises were met with anger from both sides of the aisle. He has accomplished much, and those things he could not accomplish were because Republicans blocked him so many times—even on legislation they were previously in favor of, and on legislation that was favored by the majority of Americans, regardless of party affiliation. Perhaps they just need to be reminded that the Republicans’ number one priority for the past four years has been making sure President Obama doesn’t receive a second term in office.

They say fight fire with fire, but I am not sure how to fight bat shit crazy. However, I think if we can all donate a chair to a progress-blocking representative, we can let them shout at it for the next few years while we try to continue to repair the horrible damage they did to America and the rest of the world.

Flipping the Issue on Women’s Health Care

people-politico-i-want-youAt times I find myself amazed, confused and simply dumbfounded by the sheer amount of ignorant rhetoric that is spewed out by our politicians in defense of idiotic, sexist, racist, and amoral political ideals and political policies.

The particular political issue that has gained so much ground is the recent attack on women’s health care and health services. It boggles my mind that so many can so easily dismiss decades of health care advances. It seems ridiculous to even suggest some of these things let alone honestly campaign and push legislation to legitimatize these fringe ideas.

However, I realized that maybe it doesn’t seem insane to those that cannot comprehend women’s health care or the system that so many have tried so hard to get in place for them. Even with all of these health services, women’s health falls way behind that of men’s health care. There’s a debate about whether rape victims should receive care but erectile dysfunction is covered without question in men’s health care.

So I thought if we flipped the political issue around, maybe then it would help give us a more appropriate perspective. I find that looking at the other side of things can often help to give a valuable point of view.

Men’s Health Care – Draining a Nation

For far too long we have wasted billions of dollars on insurance premiums for men’s health care. There are several areas I can identify which would save us all money.

End Vasectomies

Not only are vasectomies an affront to the natural order of things they are also incredibly costly. Vasectomies are so common that anyone can stop by their doctor’s office, grab a vasectomy, and then head off to a weekend of infidelity or even (shall I say it?) responsible sex. If we pass legislation to severely limit, and in many cases eliminate vasectomies, we will not only be saving a lot of money each year, we will also be able to stop the deviant behavior of men who have easy access to vasectomies. Men should not be having sex except to procreate anyway, so why is this procedure necessary?

In the extreme case that a man does want a vasectomy, the option could still possibly be available, perhaps in a more “liberal” state. After taking a class about the hazards of vasectomies, the patient would need to submit to a trans-rectal proctologic ultrasound exam to determine his health and sign a form indicating that he agrees that he is a horrible person for taking charge of his own reproductive future.

Stop Wasting Our Money On Drugs

For far too long, we as a nation have subsidized our male neighbors’ drug habits. We must, once and for all, put an end to the distribution and use of erectile dysfunction medication. Erectile dysfunction is a contrived term by the drug industry to push drugs out to millions of men.

Insurance companies should no longer cover this drug and people with erectile dysfunction should be classified properly as sex addicts in need of rehab. If they are found to have legitimate issues, and aren’t just dirty sluts, then it’s just a sign from “on high” that they shouldn’t be so immoral.

Make It Illegal for Businesses to Cover Men’s Birth Control

Even though very few men take on the responsibility themselves to have birth control, there are a few that do, and science may someday make it easier. For those few who do take their reproductive responsibility seriously, we need to make sure that they have an incredibly difficult time getting insurance, and if they do it should be very expensive for them. Insurance companies should pay for the birth and care of their unplanned children instead of the vastly cheaper cost of preventing unwanted pregnancy.

Stop Covering the Treatment and Management of STD’s

Let’s face it; if a guy gets an STD, he deserves it. Because he was obviously acting irresponsibly and he got what he deserves. However, the poor woman who gave him the STD should have the treatment covered by insurance. As mentioned earlier, men are dirty sluts, but women… well, girls will be girls, am I right?

Sexual Education

All sexual education programs need to be eliminated. Millions are wasted every year helping to teach men sexual education and sexual responsibility.

The best way to handle this topic that no one wants to talk about is to pretend it doesn’t exist. If sex doesn’t exist then we do not need to teach our children about it. We can just handle it like that troublesome evolution thing: put your fingers in your ears and say, LA LA LA! That should take care of it.

Outlaw All Sexual Adult Establishments

When it comes right down to it, all of the above problems can be totally avoided if there is nothing to enable this sick, deviant behavior of a sexually active male. We all know that if there were no gentlemen’s clubs, pay per view channels, or triple fold outs in magazines there would be nothing to worry about.

So as long as we make sure to criminalize PG-13ish content and above we will no longer be enabling men to cause this tremendous burden on our society. And our country will be saved. Be sure to encourage violent behavior in our young males, however. After all, they will need to blow off some steam.

To The Ladies

And don’t you worry, women of America. You are the favored gender. You are entitled to all the health care you could ever ask for, all the drugs to increase your pleasure, and there is no question that you have the right to make decisions about your body, your health, and your future. Of course, those choices are between you and your doctor! The government would never dream of interfering with these decisions. It’s the men that are the problem. We have to keep those dirty sluts in line.

Voter Fraud: More Evidence of No Evidence

voter-infoI saw this article last weekend on NBC news. It has a some good, detailed information regarding the big drive to pass voter fraud bills. Again we find, as has been obvious in many other reports, that voter fraud at the polls is so minute and inconsequential that it should outrage all Americans that our politicians are wasting the valuable time they have to try to tackle an issue that doesn’t even exist.

Not only did this article dive deep into the entire issue of voter fraud, it used the raw data collected by News21 and their new database to illustrate just how inconsequential in-person, at the polls, voter fraud is. The number of actual cases is somewhere near the 1000th’s of a percent range. That is .001%.

All the voter fraud legislation will effect around 10% of the population, effectively stripping them of the right to vote in the coming general election unless they take extra action to assure that they are still registered and able to vote. Many of these voters are not even aware that these laws have taken effect, taking away their ability to vote in future elections. That does not sound very patriotic to me!

I have actually been a victim of this legislation. I was surprised to learn that the legislation in my area had removed me from the eligible voter list. Even though I do not fit into any of the “main demographics” that are going to be affected by the voter suppression legislation. As frustrating as that is, it is easy to re-register.

So your first order of business is to make sure that you register to vote again. It only takes a minute and it will save you frustration come election day. As Americans it is our duty to vote, every single one of us.

Here are some places you can use online to register to vote:

Next, check out this very interesting and educational article regarding voter fraud legislation and suppression:

If you want to jump right into the voter fraud database go here:

Now, contact your representative and demand that they spend their time on actual real life issues that actually affect Americans before they start a six week debate about the best way to legislate free roaming unicorns and to determine if they are subject to restrictions in state boundaries.

 

2012 Presidential Debate Schedule

people-politico-president-barack-obama-debatingThe Presidential Debates have been scheduled and their formats and topics have been chosen for the 2012 Presidential Election season.

I always look forward to these Presidential Debates because we get to see what the candidates are going to say and they are put on the spot, and face to face, with all of the political rhetoric that they have been firing at each other for months. Not only do they have to answer the questions that are presented by the debate moderator they often slip these other counter points into their responses. More often than not it seems to draw the presidential candidates into a more real and genuine response instead of those that are tailored by their publicist.

The Republicans have Mitt Romney as their candidate this year and I really do not feel that he is going to be up to the challenge of truly and honestly competing with President Obama at the podium. These Presidential Debates should be very interesting and unless Mitt Romney begins to truly solidify his platform beyond the catch phrases he is going to be in a world of trouble come these Presidential Debates.

I have discussed these Presidential Debates with many others and they seem to feel that though President Obama will likely dominate the Presidential Debates they are not going to be nearly as interesting as they might have been with Rick Perry or Herman Cain. Both of which have incredibly interesting personalities which may have been far more entertaining. What are your thoughts on these debates?

Regardless of who you are supporting in the upcoming elections it is important to watch these as they should help you forge your opinions come the general election. Mitt Romney is going to have to get studying and practicing for these debates because he is going up against a skilled and seasoned challenger who many agree is a master of debating.

2012 Presidential Debate Information

The Commission on Presidential Debates has announced the formats for the 2012 presidential and vice presidential debates, each of which will be 90-minutes long. Moderators will be selected in August.

  • First presidential debate: October 3, University of Denver, Colorado: Domestic issues, questions selected by moderator.
  • Vice presidential debate: October 11, Centre College, Danville, Kentucky: Domestic and foreign issues, questions selected by moderator.
  • Second presidential debate: October 16, Hofstra University, Hampstead, N.Y.: Town-hall meeting format with questions from undecided voters.
  • Third presidential debate: October 22, Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida: Foreign issues, questions selected by moderator.

Make sure to tune and and watch these important debates Presidential Debates. We often get some real insight into what and who these presidential candidates are and what their platforms and plans are for the United States of America for the next four years. Even more importantly, we often see who is not going to be up to the challenge of being the President of the United States.

Political Conspiracy Dooms Us To Failure

people-politico-conspiracy-word-cloud-colorfulPerhaps one of the most invasive and destructive problems with today’s politics is the amazing amount of radical conspiracies that crop up in main stream media. These ludicrous and often hilarious conspiracies should be laughed off, and once would have been. However, they now seem to be easily accepted as truth by everyday people. Our world, our country, and our lives are inundated with problems and troubles of the everyday sort and we should not be wasting our time with convoluted and often outright crazy conspiracy theories. We have enough basic political issues already that don’t need to be further muddied by strange and bizarre conjurations of paranoia.

Now, I understand why conspiracies are so exciting and intriguing–I do. They speak to a fantastical part of our imagination, where wizards, dragons, and the Easter bunny reside. This is a part of our brain that we unfortunately are forced to push aside as we age. We all look back to our childhoods and think about the magic and awe that surrounded these fantasy stories of the unreal. Something in them touches each of us. It sets off something in our brains that allows us to imagine the possibilities.

In some ways this is good. This helps us to use our imagination and inspiration to test our world to see what is really real. Our imagination, and these fantasies can be a useful tool for us to think of possibilities that we otherwise may not consider.

However, if people start to imagine these fantasies could be real, they can begin to haunt us. It’s important to keep reality and critical thinking as our guiding principles. We may convince ourselves that there are monsters under the bed. We might worry ourselves into ulcers. We would design our roofs in completely unreasonable ways to prevent once-a-year reindeer hoof damage.

I think many people want to believe these political conspiracies because they want to think that the people in charge of our government and our country are really, really smart. I think all of us want to have the best, the brightest, and the most altruistic people running our government. Politicians have to be smart to be able to handle the complex issues and stresses that come with political office, right? If they are as smart as we think they should be, it also means that they are smart enough to pull off elaborate conspiracies. That means they can orchestrate political conspiracies that involve decades of planning. They can organize and monitor thousands of people to ensure they don’t tell anyone about the conspiracy.

Conspiracies can make a great novel or movie. But that is about all they are good for. The brutal fact of the matter is that these politicians we hope and pray are so much smarter and better then us aren’t. The real fact is that they are no smarter then anyone else. The difference is, politicians are rich. If you could hire a PR firm to change people’s perceptions of you, then you could seem much smarter, too!

Conspiracies help to give us confidence in our leaders as it attributes a great deal of unwarranted intelligence to them. However, in recent years I have seen little evidence that our politicians are smarter than anyone else. This is the truth that we the people need to understand and believe. The evidence is there and unfortunately our government and the politicians are about the exact opposite of super genius world-dominating supermen. We watch these politicians day in and day out while they attempt to conduct the business of running our government. They are so inept at it that we somehow, miraculously, think that they are actually doing it all on purpose as part of some super secret conspiracy. But they aren’t. They are selfish, narcissistic, greedy, lying people that can’t work together in the most basic sense.

People need to wake up and stop being distracted by these crazy conspiracy stories and ask themselves; “Can [insert crazy conspiracy theory here] be true when our elected and appointed officials cannot even perform the most basic functions of their jobs?” The answer of course, is no.

Conspiracies are based on fantasy instead of reality, and the solutions to our fantasy problems tend to be fantasy solutions. Our leaders need to be looking at the reality of America’s issues and tackling them simply, basically, and up front. We have bogged ourselves down in a political, social, and economic quagmire, and we won’t escape it until the people of America force the politicians, the media, and each other to return to looking at the world with reason and logic. We need to shift the focus to the basic reality of the world around us. We need to use common sense and the intelligence we do possess and put it towards the issues we face. Only then will we be able to improve America again.

Socialism is Not a &!%# Bad Word

people-politico-happy-socialist-peopleIt’s strange how we allow ourselves to be manipulated and convinced that something that is at the very core of humanity is somehow bad, somehow evil. Since the dawn of propaganda, political leaders have been turning innocuous words into words with unsavory connotations. But twisting a word around for your own political purposes, and therefore misleading people about the idea that word represents, just stifles communication.

In this era of sound bites and quick headlines, it seems we have diluted politics and our extremely complicated social and political issues down to labels, and one of those labels is socialism. The trouble is, for me as well as millions of others, socialism isn’t a bad word.

Here’s why.

First, let’s take a look at the actual definition of socialism.

Socialism
A political theory or system in which the means of production and distribution are controlled by the people and operated according to equity and fairness rather than market principles.

So in the most basic sense, socialism is a political system and/or government controlled by the people with equity and fairness as the guiding principle in all decision making.

The problem is, as politicians who have made socialism the boogeyman certainly understand, all the scary things going through your mind as you ponder the word are not true. So let’s bring the big bad boogeyman out of the darkness and take a look at some of the basic principles of socialism, and apply those principles at both a micro and macro level.

We wouldn’t even exist today as a species if we did not have instinctual social and socialist habits. Humans were never the biggest or the strongest of creatures in the animal kingdom. In fact, as far as superior animalistic traits go, we are runts of the animal kingdom in almost every way. One of the most important things that set us apart from the rest of the animals is our intelligence.

Humans are smarter by far than any other creature. This “big brain” of ours figured out, in our early history, that the only way for us to survive is to work together as a social unit, to be socialist, with each member of a social unit helping the others in the unit. Not only did this socialist behavior save our species, it was the driving force behind how incredibly well we have thrived over the long journey of our evolution.

Now down to a closer view, something closer to home: our family structures. We instinctively cling to our families due to this socialist drive to work together for the benefit of the family unit. If we did not have a social nature, we would not have friends, families, or even groups working together for a greater purpose, such as businesses.

When we consider family, friends, and community, the happiest and most successful work together, as a cohesive unit, with each member doing his or her share, and one or more members doing more when necessary:

  • When Dad hurts his back and can’t work, Mom and the older children work a little harder to help pay the bills.
  • When a member of the church or book club who lives alone is diagnosed with cancer, the congregation or her friends bring over food, money, help with housework, and anything else they can do while she battles the disease. Now she can focus on getting better, not just surviving. They each give a little but the patient gets a lot.
  • When a woman gets pregnant, the family pitches in for food, clothes, baby gear, and tons of advice. They will help out after the baby is born, and she can focus on the care and well-being of the baby. The family members have a vested interest in the well-being of the next generation.
  • When a friend loses his job and can’t afford the rent, friends and family may loan him some money until he can get on his feet again. If that isn’t enough, someone will offer a place to stay, to be safe and not worry about where the next meal is coming from.

These are just a few of the socialist things we do, but we don’t call it socialism. We call this being neighborly or simply doing the right thing. We have learned that helping others makes us feel good, and if we help others when they need it, we will get help when we need it. This behavior strengthens the bonds of family and community, and smoothes the ups and downs of life. These supportive behaviors create a feeling of belonging and security, benefiting each member. Not only is this socialist behavior good for us, it is good for our families, neighborhoods, and local communities.

However, when we take from others for ourselves we may benefit ourselves in the short term, but we know we weaken ourselves in the long term. By taking from those around us we ultimately weaken ourselves.

Just imagine the chaos and misery if these ideas of socialism, equity, and fairness were frowned upon and discouraged. If families and communities truly lived by some candidates’ political campaign speeches, it would in fact destroy our family and communities:

  • When Dad hurts his back and can’t work, the family abandons him as so much dead weight. If he can’t bring in any money, what use is he?
  • When an acquaintance gets cancer, it is probably because of something she did wrong. If she survives, it was meant to be. If not, that’s just the way of things.
  • When a woman gets pregnant, that is her problem. If she can’t afford prenatal care or a car seat for the infant, well, she should have thought about that before.
  • When a friend loses his job and can’t afford the rent, his friends tell him he better find a new job quickly, since it’s much harder to look for jobs while homeless.

These scenarios might seem silly, but Republicans have been busy introducing bills to include drug testing requirements before receiving welfare while at the same time baulking at the idea of drug testing for themselves, even though both are paid through taxes. They are also actively and specifically blocking women from access to health care. And the one that takes the cake, this ridiculous obsession with repealing health care reforms that are supported by the majority of Americans. What makes this so amazingly hypocritical is that the majority of the health care reforms were originally conceived by and pushed for by the very party that now opposes them. Look to Senator McCain’s work with First Lady Hillary Clinton during the Clinton administration and the shining example of this health care working, Romneycare.

A Reference Guide to Socialism

A Reference Guide to Socialism

Yet wouldn’t these same politicians help their family members, community members, and friends, if they were to fall upon hard times? A politician’s community is so much bigger; it would seem they would understand the benefits of socialism more than most. After all, they are supposed to be representing the community—understanding the hard times that its members face, and trying to make things better.

What makes the morality of needless suffering so terribly wrong when you are talking about someone you know and love but when you are talking about someone you don’t morally righteous?

The fact is we must have social interaction to be successful; rich or poor, young or old, man or woman, we all benefit from socialism. It has made us who we are today and is the key to our success. We all know this and the idea and practice of socialism can and should be the same at the macro level as well as the micro level.

Socialism is not a bad word; it is the way we progress and the way to success as a nation.

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