WOULD YOU VOTE FOR A YARD SIGN?

Now is the time for a plethora of ugly yard signs dotting the landscape. Candidates seem to favor busy street corners near stoplights. Usually, you’ll see at least twenty signs lined up in a row or jammed in a muddled mess. I suppose if you’re riding shotgun, they give you something to look at. But if you’re driving, they’re mostly a nuisance distraction. I find it hard to believe that signs garner many extra votes, but then maybe they increase familiarity for a certain name. Would you vote for a yard sign if you had no idea of the person behind the name?

Early voting started last week in our county. About 300 people cast their ballots at all the voting centers on the first day. and the media considered that quite a crowd. By the time I voted the following Tuesday, there was only one other person before me. That doesn’t sound like an early voting crowd to me. However, in the State of Georgia, it’s another story. It’s a different population than ours, demographically, and folks have pretty strong feelings one way or the other, depending on which candidate they dislike the most.

Some reporters believe that the number of yard signs for a certain candidate has a predictive value. I didn’t see that with the last presidential election. There were Biden signs all over town, and yet Trump carried our county by a wide margin. I guess the Trumpers were the silent majority.

Personally, I never vote a straight ticket. I’m always amazed that anyone would do that, especially in a small town, where we’re familiar with most of the local candidates. Anyone who watches the news or reads the paper should have formed an intelligent decision about the incumbents. It’s not as easy with the challengers, but there are threads of familiarity in most of them. You knew the family, or they went to your church, or their kids ran around with your kids.

Sometimes, I don’t vote at all. As an example, there were 14 candidates for the school board. I only voted for two—one an incumbent and the other with an impressive track record in the community. Yes, I could have picked another name from a yard sign, just to fill in the blanks, but that would be fairly risky. What if the unknown came from out of nowhere, and has no credentials whatsoever?

I feel sorry for the candidates who spent a pile of time and money on yard signs, and lost anyway. You wonder what do they do with the old signs. Store them in hopes of a future run? Must be a pretty sad day when you burn them in a bonfire or take them to the city dump.

Nevertheless, my sympathy has it’s limits. If I had my druthers, there would be no yard signs allowed. But it’s a free country. Would you vote for a yard sign? I wouldn’t.

October 8, 2021October 8, 2021

WE MAY NEED A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE

For the past two presidential elections, most American’s voted against one candidate–not for. Even Trump was surprised when he beat Hilary Clinton in the 2016 election. But the fact is, lots of people didn’t like her at all, for various reasons. Misogyny, mainly. But others disliked her defense of her husband’s affairs, and the way she threw the women he targeted under the bus. And there was Benghazi, when our American ambassador was left hung out to dry while she was Secretary of State. And then came election 2020. By then, Trump had made so many ridiculous gaffes and mistakes with the Covid-19 pandemic, that people were willing to vote for anyone who opposed him. Hence, we elected a 42 year political hack who never had what it took to run for president—until now. Seems the Democrats and Republicans are so mired in their own party politics that they can’t come up with a truly appealing candidate. Makes you wonder. We may need a third party candidate.

We may need a third party for America to come to its senses. — We may need a third party candidate, since Democrats and Republicans can’t come up with an appealing one..

I’m an independent voter which has it’s disadvantages, because you can’t vote in the primaries. But I’ll be darned if I will go all out for any politician I don’t think would do a good job, just because I want to be part of a crowd. In the days before internet dating sites, young people used to join politically active organizations as a way to meet members of the opposite sex. Remember, those were the days when you were supposed to be a joiner if you were looking to find a spouse, Churches and political parties were fertile mating grounds.

The majority of young people I know vote Democratic. They love causes, and joining protest groups. Give them something to march about , and they’ll be there in rain, sleet and snow. Most older people are fairly quiet about their opinions, which more often than not are conservative. Middle age conservatives are a bit more vocal—driving around town with American flags and signs that say f*** Biden. But the truth is, neither party has produced a truly dynamic, appealing candidate for the past two elections.

I don’t know how anyone could support either party’s platform 100%. Do we really believe that all Republicans oppose abortion rights, and all Democrats want open borders? I don’t think so.

It may be time for a third party. Call it Common Sense, or whatever you like, but let it be centrist. And please, come up with an intelligent inspiring, candidate

September 20, 2021September 20, 2021

USA CAME CLOSE TO A COUP D’ETAT

When was the last time a United States presidency faced a military takeover? I think it was talked about back in 1861, after Lincoln was elected president. Southern politicians who supported slavery attempted a military takeover to prevent Lincoln’s inauguration. They even planned an assassination before he was able to reach Washington DC by rail. The coup d’etat didn’t succeed, but Civil War soon broke out. After that, there has never been such an attempt—until now. Last year, the USA came close to a coup d’etat.

Republican Donald Trump was probably one of the most divisive presidents we’ve ever had in the United States. Nevertheless, he won the election, defeating Hillary Clinton in 2016. Like it or not, he was the president until January of 2021.. Now, along comes General MIlley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who, with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, decides Trump is going crazy after losing the 2020 election. . No medical diagnosis, just a gut feeling.. They fear that he will attempt a coup to stay in power, and might even start a war with China. .With the encouragement of Pelosi, Milley calls China and offers to give them a heads up if Trump launches an attack.

To me, when one political party tries to undermine the powers of an elected president with the help of the military, that constitutes an attempted coup d’etat.

Coup d’etats were pretty common in Latin American countries. In fact, our government actually supported the 1955 military takeover of Argentina when Peron was the elected president. (Remember “Don’t Cry for me Argentina?) However, for the past 160 years, our country has always had a peaceful transfer of power, even in hotly contested elections like Bush vs Gore in the year 2000.

But now, a military commander planned to usurp the presidency with permission of the opposing party. This tells me the country is as close to a civil war as it’s ever been. When one political party colludes with the military to take over the powers of the president, that’s a coup d’eat. If we were that close to such a possibility in the year 2021, what will happen next in this deeply divided country?

March 3, 2021March 3, 2021

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR

2020 WAS the worst election year I can ever remember. And that’s saying a lot, considering my age. Politics got all mixed up with health care. President Trump went into denial, saying the COVID -19 pandemic would be over by Easter. Not true. New York Governor Cuomo was more afraid of Trump’s criticism than the lives of nursing home patients. Instead of taking advantage of a Navy ship sent to accommodate covid-19 victims , Cuomo shipped them out of hospitals into nursing homes. What a mess. Locked up at home, we binged watched the internet, listening to our TV cable news station of choice. It was exhausting. Now that the pandemic is nearing the end, do yourself a favor. Quit thinking about politics.

Don’t predict the dire outcome of Biden’s presidency before it’s even started. Let it spin. There’s nothing you can do and if you believe you can foresee the state of the USA in 2024, you’re kidding yourself. Already, Trump is saying Biden’s first month was a disaster. No one can know at this point in time whether the Biden presidency will be a success. A lot can happen in four years. Looking back on the history of our country, who could have predicted Pearl Harbor? The 9/11 attack on the world trade center? . The 2008 recession? The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020-2021?

This is what I know and believe: No matter who is elected as President, the United States of America is–and will remain—strong. . We are a nation of immigrants, with the courage to leave their native country, and the resilience to start a new life in spite of all the hardships they had to endure in a new land. Yes, some presidents do a better job than others. But: four years isn’t enough time to ruin all the marvelous things that we have achieved in the past four centuries.

So do yourself a favor. Return to school or work at home. Get some exercise. Play games. Take your family on a picnic. Have some fun. Turn off the news and enjoy your life.

January 4, 2021January 4, 2021

WHAT IF IT WERE TRUE?

In a couple of days, the electoral college will vote to certify the presidential election. A lot of Republicans are going to protest, saying there’s proof of voter fraud in several states. I doubt if that effort is going anywhere, but it makes you wonder if they’re going to keep pursuing it, like a dog with a bone. What if it were true, after all? Would we have to redo the entire election?

This latest election has been a wake up call for many voters, who thought the voting process was uniform across the United States. In my state of Indiana, you have to have a valid ID, and a signature check in order to vote in person or by absentee ballot. That seems like a pretty reasonable requirement. However, I did not know that other states have different rules. You can vote by mail with no signature or identification. Paper ballots can be run off on xerox machines, and they will be considered valid. In states like Nevada, people can vote twice.

Up until now, I believed that real people counted the votes. I was unaware that the task had been assigned to machines. It really undermines a person’s faith in the entire electoral process.

If certain states have allowed these loosey goosey voting requirements to go on for a long time, then it seems that both political parties are at fault.. Somewhere along the line, someone should have stood up and asked for election reform. But since they didn’t, they have only themselves to blame for the current mess we’re in.

What’s happened now is that most American’s believe that our electoral system is deeply flawed. Many of us have lost faith in the entire process. That’s not good for our country in the long run. The Democrats may have benefited from the loopholes in the system this time around, but it could come back to bite them in future elections if the Republicans figure out ways to beat the system in future elections.

Again, what if it were true? What if proof of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election finally comes to light a year from now? Would we have a do over election? Would Biden have to move out, and Trump move back in the White House? There’s no precedent for this scenario, and no rules established. I guess the legislature would have to figure it all out.

December 23, 2020December 23, 2020

DID TRUMP DODGE A BULLET?

Did you ever experience a broken engagement or get turned down for a job? It was upsetting at the time, and it took awhile to stop mourning your dashed hopes. But then later–maybe much later– the lost lover turned out to be a bummer, and the company that refused to hire you went bust. Or, with a more positive outcome, you found a better job, or met the love of your life. Looking back, you realize that the loss you mourned was actually a blessing in disguise. You dodged a bullet. Now, Trump supporters are grieving the Biden win during the 2020 election. But maybe it’s not a bad thing, after all. Did Trump dodge a bullet?

The stock market is climbing on good news of the vaccine. . But at least one financial advisor is predicting a once in a lifetime crash. During this pandemic, millions of jobs were eliminated in retail, restaurant and other business. Many of these jobs aren’t coming back. How long can the government keep on printing money before we have massive inflation and higher taxes?

Instead of the robust economy everyone is looking forward to, we could have stagflation–slow economic growth, high inflation and high unemployment. They say inflation is under control, but I’m not sure what indicators they’re using. Right now, the cost of food and housing is skyrocketing.

The cyber attack last March may lead to something disastrous for the country. Who knows what a hostile power is going to do with all the information they have now. We could experience massive power outages. Suddenly, you have no telephone, internet, heat, light or running water. Nothing works. Most large organizations have generators that tide them over until the power goes back on. But what if it doesn’t? Generators can’t run indefinitely. Imagine being the president of the United States during such a disaster.

Those are just two scenarios that the next President could face. We avoided foreign wars under Trump. But the luck may run out with Biden, with so many countries desperate after being ravaged by Covid-19. Only time will tell if Trump dodged a bullet.

December 18, 2020December 18, 2020

WHAT’LL WE DO NOW?

The 2020 Election is pretty well over. Yes, it’s being contested, but it doesn’t look like that effort is going anywhere. According to various polls, at least half of Americans think there was voter fraud, but there’s no proof. That may stir up a little flurry in the media, but the pre-election frenzy has fizzled out. As Richard Nixon said in 1962, after losing the California governor’s race, “you won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.” Trump could say the same thing. What’s going to happen to people like Rachael Maddow, Sean Hannity, Don Lemon, and Tucker Carlson? What will they rant and rave about, and what’ll we do now?

Print media will have the same problem. Have you read the newspapers the past few days? If it weren’t for the coronavirus epidemic, I don’t know what they would have to report. They’re filling their pages with more and more “soft news” on topics like disease, domestic abuse, and jail overcrowding.. Honestly, I don’t know why we still take two newspapers. Guess it’s just force of habit. None of our adult children have newspaper subscriptions, and I don’t think they’re going to start buying newspapers now.

Cable news, especially, will suffer. CNN, MSNBC have provided fodder for the liberals . while conservative Fox News scores highest in prime time viewing. . Network news is federally regulated, and makes it’s money through advertising. Higher ratings mean they can charge more to advertise. Unfortunately for them, Cable news isn’t heavily regulated, so they can up their ratings and attract more advertisers because of all their outlandish political diatribes against one party or the other.

This past week, we’ve done a lot more channel surfing. We’ll watch anything but cable news. The other night, we watched a fascinating documentary “Mountain Men.” Since both of us come from farm backgrounds, it probably appealed to us more than the average city slicker.

Actually, it’s been rather relaxing. You don’t have to endure irritating social media posts about politics. Or avoid people with opposing political views. The excitement is over. But, what’ll we do now?