Tag Archives: president

Why Goats Can’t Vote …

Posted on by under education, Election 2024, Political commentary, Social commentary, voting rights

I originally wrote this post in May 2016, nearly six months before the election in which Donald Trump would lose the popular vote, but manage to get enough votes in the right places to slide into office on the Electoral College vote.  And now … well, here we are again.  Although more than 7 years old, I think this post is just as relevant today as it was then.

What if voters across the U.S. suddenly decided to read the Constitution, to educate themselves in the ways of our democracy?  What if they took their right to vote responsibly, instead of simply responding to bluster and television ads? What if they actually took the time and trouble to seek the knowledge that would enable them to make wise decisions in November? I read the following quote earlier today, “Never have so many people with so little knowledge made so many consequential decisions for the rest of us.”  It resonated with me, because that is precisely how I see the upcoming election.  Citizens, some of whom have never voted before, will be going to the polls armed, not with knowledge of how our government operates, not with knowledge of what the candidates actually stand for, but with what they have heard from television, their friends, and social media blurbs.

When a person from another country wishes to become a U.S. citizen, there is a process, a road to citizenship, at the end of which they must pass a citizenship test.  I have no issue with this … if they are going to live, work and vote in the US, they certainly should have some knowledge of the history and inner workings of the country.  Just for fun, let’s look at some of the questions that have appeared on this test from time-to-time and see how we do:

  1. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? (Louisiana Territory)
  2. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years? (2 years)
  3. What is the economic system in the United States? (Capitalist economy)
  4. What year was the Constitution written? (1787)
  5. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President? (Speaker of the House)

Now granted, these are not rocket-science questions, but there are 100 of these questions, plus an applicant for U.S. citizenship must survive an interview which includes 10 oral questions, of which 6 must be answered correctly.  Now for the interesting part.  In 2011, Newsweek asked 1,000 citizens/voters to take the citizenship test.  Only 62% of those who took the test passed!  If we extrapolate those numbers, it would appear that 38% of the voters headed to the polls in a few months do not have even basic knowledge of the government for which they will be selecting a leader!

More than 60 percent did not know the length of U.S. senators’ terms in office (six years). And 43 percent couldn’t say that the first 10 amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. Only 30 percent knew that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Only 36 percent could name all three branches of the U.S. government. Only 62 percent knew that the U.S. Supreme Court was tasked with determining the constitutionality of legislation. Fewer than half of Americans knew that split decisions in the Supreme Court have the same effect as 9 to 0 decisions.  This is pathetic. These are the people who are going to pick, not only the president, but also 34 senators and all 435 representatives.  The people who will make the decisions that will affect our lives, are going to be elected by people who do not even understand what our federal government does or how it functions!  If you aren’t scared yet, you should be!

PrintI could go into a whole spiel about why people are so ignorant of the basics of our government, ask questions about exactly what the schools are teaching in civics classes, but there is, I think, a better question:  Why do people not care enough to educate themselves?  100 years ago, even 30 years ago, this might have been forgivable.  But today, with the vast resources available to every man, woman and child via the internet?  No, there is simply no excuse for not having a basic understanding of how government works, or at least is supposed to function.  No excuse for not understanding what the issues facing the nation at this time are, or what each candidate believes, and learning whether their past actions actually support their claims.

When the framers of the Constitution wrote the document back in 1787, they purposely made the language simple enough for We The People to understand.  That included farmers and craftsmen.  One could reasonably expect that if it was understood by a farmer 229 years ago when the average person had less than 8 years of formal education, almost every registered voter today should surely be able to understand it.  And it doesn’t take long to read … it is, after all, only 7,591 words, including amendments.  An easily readable document, yet it would appear that a large percentage of voters have not done so.

There have been numerous attempts recently at ‘voting reform’ that serve to disenfranchise certain groups, such as the poor, Hispanics, and African-Americans. I would propose instead of requiring certain forms of identification that are likely to disqualify voters based on race or income level, we mail each registered voter a ‘voter-aptitude’ test similar to the citizenship test.  Any voter who scores below 75% would not be eligible to vote in the November election. Even if they cheated by looking up the answers on the internet, at least they would have learned something, expanded their knowledge and become more worthy of making the decisions that will ultimately affect my life … and yours.

I honestly am not trying to sound like a snob.  I am simply appalled at the number of people in this country who will be choosing a president, senators and representatives based only on what they see on television or read on Facebook memes. I think we should have the right to expect our voters to be at least as qualified as we expect immigrants to be in order to make these choices. Knowledge is what sets humans apart from goats … it’s why goats can’t vote.

informed-voter-is-good-voter

Why Goats Can’t Vote … Redux

Posted on by under Election 2018, Political commentary, Social commentary

Recently I was having a conversation with our friend Hugh about voters and how so many are uninformed … should we even encourage those who haven’t taken the time to learn about the candidates, their  platforms and the issues, to go to the polls and cast a vote?  Later, as I was thinking about that conversation, I remembered a piece I wrote last spring, and thought that, with the mid-terms coming up in a few months, perhaps it was appropriate to run this one again.  (Yes, laziness/tiredness and my frequent companion, mind-bounce, all play a role here too.)  One of our goals in the coming months needs to be to encourage people to vote, certainly, but we need to also strive to help people understand the issues, understand the candidates’ views.

What if voters across the U.S. suddenly decided to read the Constitution, to educate themselves in the ways of our democracy?  What if they took their right to vote responsibly, instead of simply responding to bluster and television ads? What if they actually took the time and trouble to seek the knowledge that would enable them to make wise decisions in November? I read the following quote earlier today, “Never have so many people with so little knowledge made so many consequential decisions for the rest of us.”  It resonated with me, because that is precisely how I see the upcoming election.  Citizens, some of whom have never voted before, will be going to the polls armed, not with knowledge of how our government operates, not with knowledge of what the candidates actually stand for, but with what they have heard from television, their friends, and social media blurbs.

When a person from another country wishes to become a U.S. citizen, there is a process, a road to citizenship, at the end of which they must pass a citizenship test.  I have no issue with this … if they are going to live, work and vote in the US, they certainly should have some knowledge of the history and inner workings of the country.  Just for fun, let’s look at some of the questions that have appeared on this test from time-to-time and see how we do:

  1. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? (Louisiana Territory)
  2. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years? (2 years)
  3. What is the economic system in the United States? (Capitalist economy)
  4. What year was the Constitution written? (1787)
  5. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President? (Speaker of the House)

Now granted, these are not rocket-science questions, but there are 100 of these questions, plus an applicant for U.S. citizenship must survive an interview which includes 10 oral questions, of which 6 must be answered correctly.  Now for the interesting part.  In 2011, Newsweek asked 1,000 citizens/voters to take the citizenship test.  Only 62% of those who took the test passed!  If we extrapolate those numbers, it would appear that 38% of the voters headed to the polls in a few months do not have even basic knowledge of the government for which they will be selecting a leader!

More than 60 percent did not know the length of U.S. senators’ terms in office. And 43 percent couldn’t say that the first 10 amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. Only 30 percent knew that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. only 36 percent could name all three branches of the U.S. government. Only 62 percent knew that the U.S. Supreme Court was tasked with determining the constitutionality of legislation. Fewer than half of Americans knew that split decisions in the Supreme Court have the same effect as 9 to 0 decisions.  This is pathetic. These are the people who are going to pick, not only the president, but also 34 senators and all 435 representatives.  The people who will make the decisions that will affect our lives, are going to be elected by people who do not even understand what our federal government does or how it functions!  If you aren’t scared yet, you should be!

PrintI could go into a whole spiel about why people are so ignorant of the basics of our government, ask questions about exactly what the schools are teaching in civics classes, but there is, I think, a better question:  Why do people not care enough to educate themselves?  100 years ago, even 30 years ago, this might have been forgivable.  But today, with the vast resources available to every man, woman and child via the internet?  No, there is simply no excuse for not having a basic understanding of how government works, or at least is supposed to function.  No excuse for not understanding what the issues facing the nation at this time are, or what each candidate believes, and learning whether their past actions actually support their claims.

When the framers of the Constitution wrote the document back in 1787, they purposely made the language simple enough for We The People to understand.  That included farmers and craftsmen.  One could reasonably expect that if it was understood by a farmer 229 years ago when the average person had less than 8 years of formal education, almost every registered voter today should surely be able to understand it.  And it doesn’t take long to read … it is, after all, only 7,591 words, including amendments.  An easily readable document, yet it would appear that a large percentage of voters have not done so.

There have been numerous attempts recently at ‘voting reform’ that serve to disenfranchise certain groups, such as the poor, Hispanics, and African-Americans. I would propose instead of requiring certain forms of identification that are likely to disqualify voters based on race or income level, we mail each registered voter a ‘voter-aptitude’ test similar to the citizenship test.  Any voter who scores below 75% would not be eligible to vote in the November election. Even if they cheated by looking up the answers on the internet, at least they would have learned something, expanded their knowledge and become more worthy of making the decisions that will ultimately affect my life … and yours.

I honestly am not trying to sound like a snob.  I am simply appalled at the number of people in this country who will be choosing a president, senators and representatives based only on what they see on television or read on Facebook memes. I think we should have the right to expect our voters to be at least as qualified as we expect immigrants to be in order to make these choices. Knowledge is what sets humans apart from goats … it’s why goats can’t vote.

informed-voter-is-good-voter

Why Goats Can’t Vote …

Posted on by under Political commentary, Social commentary

What if voters across the U.S. suddenly decided to read the Constitution, to educate themselves in the ways of our democracy?  What if they took their right to vote responsibly, instead of simply responding to bluster and television ads? What if they actually took the time and trouble to seek the knowledge that would enable them to make wise decisions in November? I read the following quote earlier today, “Never have so many people with so little knowledge made so many consequential decisions for the rest of us.”  It resonated with me, because that is precisely how I see the upcoming election.  Citizens, some of whom have never voted before, will be going to the polls armed, not with knowledge of how our government operates, not with knowledge of what the candidates actually stand for, but with what they have heard from television, their friends, and social media blurbs.

When a person from another country wishes to become a U.S. citizen, there is a process, a road to citizenship, at the end of which they must pass a citizenship test.  I have no issue with this … if they are going to live, work and vote in the US, they certainly should have some knowledge of the history and inner workings of the country.  Just for fun, let’s look at some of the questions that have appeared on this test from time-to-time and see how we do:

  1. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? (Louisiana Territory)
  2. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years? (2 years)
  3. What is the economic system in the United States? (Capitalist economy)
  4. What year was the Constitution written? (1787)
  5. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President? (Speaker of the House)

Now granted, these are not rocket-science questions, but there are 100 of these questions, plus an applicant for U.S. citizenship must survive an interview which includes 10 oral questions, of which 6 must be answered correctly.  Now for the interesting part.  In 2011, Newsweek asked 1,000 citizens/voters to take the citizenship test.  Only 62% of those who took the test passed!  If we extrapolate those numbers, it would appear that 38% of the voters headed to the polls in a few months do not have even basic knowledge of the government for which they will be selecting a leader!

More than 60 percent did not know the length of U.S. senators’ terms in office. And 43 percent couldn’t say that the first 10 amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. Only 30 percent knew that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. only 36 percent could name all three branches of the U.S. government. Only 62 percent knew that the U.S. Supreme Court was tasked with determining the constitutionality of legislation. Fewer than half of Americans knew that split decisions in the Supreme Court have the same effect as 9 to 0 decisions.  This is pathetic. These are the people who are going to pick, not only the president, but also 34 senators and all 435 representatives.  The people who will make the decisions that will affect our lives, are going to be elected by people who do not even understand what our federal government does or how it functions!  If you aren’t scared yet, you should be!

PrintI could go into a whole spiel about why people are so ignorant of the basics of our government, ask questions about exactly what the schools are teaching in civics classes, but there is, I think, a better question:  Why do people not care enough to educate themselves?  100 years ago, even 30 years ago, this might have been forgivable.  But today, with the vast resources available to every man, woman and child via the internet?  No, there is simply no excuse for not having a basic understanding of how government works, or at least is supposed to function.  No excuse for not understanding what the issues facing the nation at this time are, or what each candidate believes, and learning whether their past actions actually support their claims.

When the framers of the Constitution wrote the document back in 1787, they purposely made the language simple enough for We The People to understand.  That included farmers and craftsmen.  One could reasonably expect that if it was understood by a farmer 229 years ago when the average person had less than 8 years of formal education, almost every registered voter today should surely be able to understand it.  And it doesn’t take long to read … it is, after all, only 7,591 words, including amendments.  An easily readable document, yet it would appear that a large percentage of voters have not done so.

There have been numerous attempts recently at ‘voting reform’ that serve to disenfranchise certain groups, such as the poor, Hispanics, and African-Americans. I would propose instead of requiring certain forms of identification that are likely to disqualify voters based on race or income level, we mail each registered voter a ‘voter-aptitude’ test similar to the citizenship test.  Any voter who scores below 75% would not be eligible to vote in the November election. Even if they cheated by looking up the answers on the internet, at least they would have learned something, expanded their knowledge and become more worthy of making the decisions that will ultimately affect my life … and yours.

I honestly am not trying to sound like a snob.  I am simply appalled at the number of people in this country who will be choosing a president, senators and representatives based only on what they see on television or read on Facebook memes. I think we should have the right to expect our voters to be at least as qualified as we expect immigrants to be in order to make these choices. Knowledge is what sets humans apart from goats … it’s why goats can’t vote.

informed-voter-is-good-voter

Bill Gates for President!!!

Posted on by under Humour, Political commentary

I don’t know why it didn’t come to me sooner.  Probably because I have always thought that the best person to be president of the United States would be one with upper-level experience in government, with legal expertise, with knowledge of foreign nations and policies.  But this year, of course, some portion of the public has determined that these are not requisite for the job of president and that they prefer, instead, a businessman with a loud mouth and a bad hairpiece.  Now, okay, I still like the idea of a legal scholar in the White House, but if we are going to have a businessman instead, wouldn’t it be preferable to have one who is also an intellectual?  And one who is successful at what he does?  Enter … none other than … drumroll, please … Bill Gates!  There are two main measurable areas in which Bill Gates is so superior to Donald Trump that they really bear a closer look: philanthropy and business acumen.

Philanthropy

Bill Gates’ net worth as of 2015 was $79.2 billion, as compared to Trump’s measly $4 billion.  Not that I think that wealth should be a requisite for the job, but it does show that Gates is far more successful than Trump.  More importantly, Bill Gates, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, supports numerous humanitarian causes (see below) to the tune of more than a billion dollars a year.  Trump, on the other hand, while claiming to be an “ardent philanthropist”, is said by every source I checked to be the stingiest.  He last donated to his own foundation in 2008 in the amount of $35,000.  According to NPQ (Non Profit Quarterly), his donations are small and overstated, generally involve a celebrity, and in some cases he, himself, is the beneficiary.  Several other sources have named him the Least Charitable Billionaire.

Here is a short list of just a few of Bill Gates’ contributions:

  • $35M grant to assist people in developing countries living on less than $2 per day
  • $5M – field research into assisting poor people in developing nations
  • $3.1M – financial & healthcare services for poor in Latin America
  • $19.9M to increase world’s rice production
  • $100M productivity & small farm production in Africa
  • $3.4M for sanitation systems and clean drinking water
  • $200 sanitation projects
  • $86M distribute polio vaccine in developing nations
  • $750M global vaccinations for HIV, TB and tropical diseases
  • $12.2M to help rebuild libraries in Louisiana and Mississippi after hurricane Katrina
  • $373M on education in 2009 alone

This is a only a sampling of his many contrubitons, as I couldn’t possibly list them all, but I think it makes the point that Bill Gates is a humanitarian philanthropist who has a deep desire to help others less fortunate than himself.  Donald Trump, on the other hand, is a narcissist who, when he does contribute to charity, does so mainly to gain favour from somebody who is in a position to help him.  It would seem that Trump is more concerned with reducing his taxes while Gates genuinely wants to help people and make the world a better place.

Failed business ventures:

  • Trump: Trump Airlines, Trump Vodka, Trump Mortgage, Trump University, Trump Casinos (4 bankruptcies), Trump Magazine, Trump Steaks …..
  • Gates: None

Successful business ventures:

  • Trump: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Trump Tower, Wolman Rink, 40 Wall Street, Trump Place, The Apprentice, Trump International Tower-Chicago
  • Gates: Microsoft Corporation

There are other situations that would make Gates a better candidate than Trump.  He has never filed bankruptcy (Trump has, a minimum of 4 times), he is a deep thinker (Trump, obviously, is not), he is much more reserved and professional in his public persona (I cannot imagine him saying any of the cruel, stupid things Trump has said in the past 6 months), Gates has been married to his wife, Belinda, for 22 years (Trump has been married 3 times and brags about numerous affairs with married women), and the list goes on.  Interestingly, both men have very similar IQ scores – Gates 160, Trump 156, which goes to show that intellect is about more than IQ scores. If I were going to elect a businessman as president, which I still don’t think is a particularly good idea, I would far prefer the likes of Bill Gates than Donald Trump.

Alas, I am not the first to think of Gates for president, as if you Google “Bill Gates for president”, you will come up with 19,600,000 matches.  And, sadly, the idea was already proposed to him and he rejected it, saying : “I decided the philanthropic role is where my contribution would be more unique, and so that is what I will work on the rest of my life,” Gates said. “I actually think, maybe I’m wrong, that I can have as much impact in that role as I could in any political role. In any case, I would never run for political office.”

On Dr. Ben Carson

Posted on by under Political commentary

Yesterday, when my granddaughter brought in the mail, there was a fat envelope from the campaign offices of Dr. Ben Carson with his picture prominently displayed on the front of the envelope. I frequently tease her about bringing in nothing but “junk mail”, so she wasn’t surprised when I gave her a mock-stern look and said “do you know who this is from and where it should go?” I explained to her that this was a campaign solicitation for Dr. Ben Carson, a renowned medical professional turned radical right-wing politician who is planning to run for the republican nomination for president in 2016. I further explained that Dr. Carson has been an extremely vitriolic critic of President Obama, going so far as to refer to him as a psychopath. My granddaughter is a smart girl and she picked the envelope up with two fingers, rather as one might a rag that had been used to clean the dog’s rear end, and tossed it in the appropriate place, the trash can.

Dr. Ben Carson has earned numerous awards in the field of medicine and he was the first surgeon to successfully separate conjoined twins joined at the head. He was the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. At 33, he became the youngest major division director in the hospital’s history as director of pediatric neurosurgery. There can be no doubt that Dr. Carson was an excellent and dedicated physician. He retired from the medical field in July 2013 and has recently thrown his hat in the ever-growing ring of GOP presidential hopefuls. It is too bad he didn’t stick with medicine and stay out of politics, as he is now merely another addition to the radical right wing of the Republican Party. Dr. Carson has very limited knowledge of international relations, which is critical in today’s global environment. During a recent briefing on the political system of Israel, Dr. Carson appeared bored and commented that “It sounds complex,” he finally said. “Why don’t they just adopt the system we have?” Sure, Doc, let’s just suggest that to Mr. Netanyahu! Run it up the ol’ flagpole, as they say, and see if it flies. Recently, the Carson campaign has lost four of its senior advisors who have not yet been replaced. Based on some of these comments and gaffes, it would seem that this man is in serious need of some level-headed and politically educated advisors. Now without further ado, let us get to know Candidate Carson.

• Carson is against the legalization of recreational cannabis. He believes it to be a gateway drug that leads to “hedonistic activity”. Hedonistic activity??? Really, Ben, who uses that term anymore? And do you honestly believe that the legalization of pot is more likely to lead to “hedonistic activity” any more than alcohol consumption, which has been legal ever since the ratification of the 21st amendment to the Constitution in 1933, repealing prohibition?

• He stated that he is strongly in favor of the Second Amendment. He also said that if in a position of national authority, he would allow citizens to own any weapons, including automatic and semi-automatic guns that they could buy. Wonderful, Ben, let’s have everybody running around toting sub-machine guns in Kroger!

• He claimed that the ACA (commonly known as Obamacare) originated with Vladimir Lenin, and quoted Lenin as saying that “socialized medicine is the keystone to the establishment of a socialist state”. There is no evidence that Lenin actually said this, and it was ill-advised for Carson to say it, as well.

• He supports a flat tax, which he calls the “proportional tax”. The problems with a flat tax are far too numerous and complex to cover in this essay, but my point in mentioning this is that Dr. Carson is not an economist and obviously doesn’t understand the impact such a taxation policy would have on the infamous 99%. Again, he needs to hire some qualified advisors soon!

• He considers political correctness to be “dangerous”, because it “goes against freedom of expression”. What is political correctness other than common courtesy toward those who are different, whether of a different race, religion, body style, gender orientation, or nationality?

• “Being president”, Carson says, “ain’t exactly brain surgery”. No, it sure “ain’t”, Ben, though I think each has specific qualifications and the two “ain’t” the same. I’m sure Dr. Carson was a highly qualified neurosurgeon, but he “ain’t” got the qualifications to be president.

• “Like most psychopaths,” Carson grumbled. “That’s why they’re successful. That’s the way they look. They all look great.” Said in reference to President Obama as he gave his sixth State of the Union address. I understand that Mr. Carson may disagree with some, or even most, of the President’s policies, but the name-calling is reminiscent of something that belongs on the kindergarten playground.

• He’s invoked bestiality and pedophilia while arguing against gay marriage, and earlier this month, during an appearance on CNN, he argued that homosexuality is a choice, “because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight, and when they come out, they’re gay.” (After an uproar, Carson issued an apology and declared he would no longer talk about gay rights.) Nothing like spouting a bit of rhetoric on a topic about which you obviously have no knowledge, huh?

• Railing against ACA, he declared that Obamacare is “the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery” and, in fact, “is slavery, in a way.” Similarly outrageous was his contention that “we live in a Gestapo age” and that America today is “very much like Nazi Germany.” You’re kidding, right Ben? I guess history wasn’t required reading in med school.

Though he ranks fairly well in some of the early polls, the odds of Dr. Carson winning the GOP nomination next year are slim. The field is so diluted by an over-abundance of candidates as to be laughable and because of his lack of experience and knowledge in the areas of economics, law and foreign relations, he is likely to be weeded out early in the process, perhaps even in the first debate. Dr. Carson did some great things as a medical doctor, and it’s a shame he gave that up for a pie-in-the-sky dream.

On Voting: A Short Primer

Posted on by under Political commentary

In a mere twenty (20) months we will be electing a new president to head up the executive branch of the government of the U.S. You scoff? Twenty months? That’s nearly TWO YEARS!!! Why worry about it just yet? And I would agree with you. Fully. Completely. Totally. Except, the potential candidates and the national parties are already circling the wagons, seeking weak spots in both the opposition and their constituency. Thus, it behooves us to start building our fortress and filling our moats! Man the battlements! Okay, okay … overkill, I suppose, though it is sometimes how I feel. Already, with nearly two years remaining in President Obama’s term of office, we are being bombarded on a daily basis by propaganda from BOTH parties and I can only imagine that by the time election day 2016 rolls around, we will all be nauseous, disenchanted, relieved, or perhaps suicidal. That said, to parody a popular, yet totally meaningless saying, “it is what it is”, and we might as well make the most of it. So, if the national parties and the candidates have twenty months to bombard and annoy us, that also means that we have twenty months to actually enlighten, educate and prepare ourselves for the final decision in November 2016.

Now, I lean toward a specific ideology, which is embraced by a certain political party, however my purpose here is not to sway anybody toward either side, but merely to assist in the decision-making process. Though I may favor one party in particular, I am more nearly a moderate and have voted, from one time to the next, for candidates representing both parties. As a popular old saying goes, I vote for the candidate, not the party. I’ve never been a “straight-ticket” voter, and I don’t recommend it for anybody, as there are good, not-so-good, and downright bad people on both sides of the aisle. It is good to keep in mind that you are voting for the person who you think is best qualified for the office and will do what is best for the nation as a whole. I have a few guidelines to share today, when thinking about the “upcoming” elections.

1. Make a list: List ten issues that matter to you. The first five should be things that matter to you personally, that will have direct impact on your life. The other five should be more global issues that you consider to be of significant importance in a more global sense, things you care about and that will have long-term impact or consequences for the nation and the world.

2. Research: Starting with the first item on your list and working your way through the list, find every scrap of reliable information available about that issue, what each potential candidate has said about the issue in the past, say, five years, ten years. Remember that what the candidate says today may vary significantly from what he or she has said in the past, and may vary from his/her voting record in the past. Be sure to study both sides of the issue, not just the one that you favor, because

a. You should be aware of the reasons each side feels as they do
b. You need to be able to clarify, in your own mind, why you feel as you do

It is likely that your research will lead to additional questions and thoughts on the topic … follow up on these with your research as well.
3. Organize: Start a spreadsheet or other type of visual tool to organize the results of your research, listing the issues and cross-referencing with each potential candidate. Make footnotes if you have found a source particularly helpful.

4. Ignore: Virtually ALL propaganda!!! I cannot stress this enough. You are about to be bombarded by trash. You will be told stories of each candidate’s indiscretions, both political and personal. Some may have an element of truth, most will be 90%-95% lies. For the most part, I recommend completely ignoring and disregarding anything you see on either Facebook, Fox News, or any of the other radical or questionable new sources. Even most mainstream news, think ABC, NBC, CBS, New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, are inept at telling a completely unbiased story. So … how, you ask, does one find the truth? Well, one looks to a broad variety of sources. I do use mainstream media, primarily print sources such as the Washington Post and New York Times, but I also rely on updates from Foreign Policy (both print and on-line editions) and Jerusalem Post for issues concerning the Middle East, Trove Today and Huffington Post for both national and international issues, and a wide variety of other sources as well. Where there are wide discrepancies, you will have to find other sources or use your instincts. The important thing is to use a broad variety, and never ever believe everything you see or hear, particularly on social media sites!!!

5. Understand: That no candidate will be perfect, no candidate will be 100% in line with your goals, beliefs and agenda, so it truly boils down to, as my father used to say, “the lesser of two evils”, or the candidate who shares the majority of your goals for the nation.
Voting is both a privilege and a responsibility that should never be taken lightly. The Preamble of the Constitution of the United States starts with a phrase, We The People. We the people are a very diverse group of human beings and each of us expect our elected officials to meet certain criteria which may vary wildly from one person to the next. We are truly blessed to live in a nation that not only tolerates, but encourages open and frank discussion among citizens. Use this wisely. Don’t let yourself be drawn into arguments that have no logical basis and exist solely for the sake of an argument. Remember that some people speak merely for the sake of hearing themselves talk. Listen … other opinions need not sway you, but sometimes you may learn from the wisdom of others. I steer clear of radicals on either side, recognizable by those who scream the loudest and are the most rigid in their thinking, convinced that their opinion is the only possible right answer. To sum up, start now doing your homework, and by the time election day rolls around in a short 20 months, you will be confident and secure that your decision is the right one for you. I am certain I shall be posting more over the course of the next twenty months, and I hope you will feel free to comment, whether you agree with me or not.