For the last few debates on CNN, the network has taken on the sadistic innovation of filming man-on-the-street style interviews from the audiences. I say sadistic, because there is a sick pleasure to be had in subjecting certain viewers, i.e., me, to the responses they tend to receive.
I swear, it seems less likely that these people are attending a presidential debate and much more likely that they are attending a sporting event or church service. And I know CNN knows what they are doing because of the questions they ask. For example:
CNN: “How do you think Sanders did tonight?”
Audience Member: “He was awesome. On his feet and very articulate.”
CNN: “What do you think of his economic plans?”
Audience Member: “I think he’s stepping up for the little guy and really going to bring good stuff.”
CNN: “How is he going to pay for that stuff?”
Audience Member: “Oh, you know, tax the one percent and stuff.”
Mind you, that is not an exact word for word, but it does capture the gist of those on-air conversations. To apply the same to Trump, et al, just substitute “tax the one percent” with “toss all the Muslims into the ocean” or something.
My point is that followers of the current clowns running for president are showing themselves, by and large, to be, for lack of a more tactful term, idiots. Just complete imbeciles who shouldn’t be allowed inside a voting booth, if they even know where to find one or how to get there. That’s harsh, but it brings me to the purpose of today’s column.
I know there has been a huge campaign of convincing everybody to vote since the 1996 election between Clinton and Dole that brought MTV’s “Rock the Vote” into popularity. It was compounded in 2000 and 2004 by Puff Daddy (P. Diddy?) throwing out the notion of “vote or die” (Remember my column on fear? Huge example right there.)
Not only have these campaigns proven ineffective (only one-third of the voting population voted in the last national election), but they are incredibly misguided. Yes, it is very important that every person who is able to vote does so. But do you know what is even more important than that? Those people must know and understand what they are voting for.
Thoroughly. Completely.
And if a voter has any doubt in their mind as to understanding what they are voting for, then they ought not vote. Must not vote. There. I said it. There are people out there who must not vote.
And now, I wish to spend the rest of my column giving examples, Jeff Foxworthy style, of instances in which people must not vote:
If you are not comfortable stating the exact purpose and abilities of the presidential office, please do not vote.
If you think a president has more power to change things than a senator does, please do not vote.
If you think taxes can successfully be used to pay for universal services, please do not vote.
If you haven’t taken an economics, philosophy, ethics, logic or civics course, nor could you comfortably talk about those things on a whim, please do not vote.
If you do your taxes by handing your W-2 to someone else to sort it out for you, please do not vote.
If you do not know the name of your representative in state or federal congress, please do not vote. Et cetera.
I hope by now you are getting the feeling that I have my tongue firmly in my cheek and I am spitting sarcasm onto my keyboard. Because, honestly, I acknowledge and appreciate the power behind voting. I just don’t believe others do, and it makes me very uncomfortable.
To keep this very short, our government runs based on our input. “We the people” are those who are in control of our government, and it only works well when “we the people” put the necessary effort into it.
The representatives and senators we elect are our voice. The president is our chief executive. The decisions they make are (supposed to be) based on the information “we the people” give them.
So let’s be clear about what we are telling them.
You want to elect Bernie Sanders because the models of taxation he presents could, if implemented properly, provide important services to underprivileged people. Not because what he says feels like it makes sense. You want to elect Donald Trump because there is a supposed threat from foreign incursion on American soil and he has developed a plan to prevent it from happening. Not because he tells it like it is. I want to elect Gary Johnson because he has already proven as a governor that he knows how to narrow government power and extend private solutions. Not because he says government is bad. It is vitally important for the future of this nation that we collectively understand how that future will be produced.
We cannot be shoddy in our role. We cannot just wing it. Let’s elect a president. Not just “whatever.”
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