This is a simple questionnaire which should clear up any doubts as to which candidates you might be willing to vote for…or rather which party’s candidates should NOT get your vote. If you answer the following few questions truthfully you will know without a doubt who NOT to vote for:
- Do you believe that voting is every adult American’s constitutional right? [please answer yes or no.]
- Would you consider it wrong, or unpatriotic, or even un-American, for anyone to attempt to deny you your constitutional right to vote? [ please answer yes or no]
- Should adult Americans vote in elections when they can? [please answer yes or no]
- Are you aware of the current (2011-12) ongoing efforts by one party to suppress your constitutional right to vote? [please answer yes or no]
- If you were, would you want to vote for that party which was attempting to take away your constitutional right to vote? [please answer yes or no]
- Now, please google “voter suppression 2011
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” and, after you read what you find, and if you have answered the above questions truthfully, you should now know at least who NOT to give your precious vote to the upcoming presidential election.
© tony powers and Barking in the Dark, 2011.Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to tony powers and Barking in the Dark with appropriate and specific direction to th
Barking In The Dark 
Beware the New Yorker with a big stick against the hive of unthinking viscous wasps..
Note: wasps, not WASPS
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Posted by Rachael Black | January 14, 2012, 3:09 amthanks Rachael, and a lovely distinction there. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 14, 2012, 9:34 amI got to your blog through my wife’s blog (Young American Wisdom). I have read through your posts and enjoy your perspective on things. You do a pretty good job of nailing the hooligans that have hijacked the Republican Party. As a Thomas Jefferson Republican that does not vote based on party anymore, I wonder if you believe that the Democrats have not been just as corrupted? Since 11/22/1963, I don’t think either party has been the same. I wasn’t alive then and it took me almost 30 years to come to that conclusion. It is hard to shake political party allegiance and both major parties prey on that, in my opinion.
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Posted by Tom | January 12, 2012, 9:35 pmi completely agree that both parties have been utterly corrupted. and that it is difficult to change party allegiance ( i grew up in the time right after FDR and The New Deal, and was imprinted thusly). But i think it goes back further than 11/63…at the very least to when DDE warned us of the military-industrial complex. having said that i do believe that within the terrible electoral system we have, 2 parties, electoral college etc. more damage by far has been done to the middle class by the republican party, economically and socially, and topped off by the citizen’s united judgement by the current republican led and dominated supreme court, which is almost the nail in the coffin of any great change (and must be eliminated via amendment). thank you so much for reading, and for the thoughtful comment…and congratulations on being married to a very witty woman. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 12, 2012, 10:03 pmI agree on Eisenhower. Perhaps better said, things were in motion but the last presidency (other than Jimmy Carter’s) that had integrity was JFK’s. Unlike Jimmy Carter, JFK’s talent made him a threat. JFK’s reluctance to escalate the situation in Vietnam and during the Cuban missle crisis certainly frustrated the military industrial complex. Our military has been overwhelming the world ever since. JFK was a true Libertarian and his commitment to sound money was not welcomed by the banking cartel. There were so many powerful people that benefitted by his death that it is hard for me to believe the findings of the Warren report – Especially when LBJ moved 180 degrees on Vietnam and on our money. Any coincidence that we began debauching our currency in 1964?
Ronald Reagan had a lot of the same sound money agenda during his campaign and prior but he was shot before he could do to much damage. Is it a coincidence that he abandoned his top priorities on a dime? I think he survived the bullet but his integrity was mortally wounded. Ross Perot and Ron Paul are candidates that have highlighted our flawed banking/money system.
I think the Bushs and the Clintons are some of the most evil people our country has known. I think our current president is owned by special interests but Romney is unlikely to be any different. I will either write in Ron Paul or vote for the Libertarian candidate this year.
Regarding Democrats, I believe the social agenda does not work. The war on poverty and the Great Society have been failures. I don’t think that these policies were without virtue, but we have learned that government can’t solve our problems. Government is too easily corrupted.
“Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
If only it were that simple. I feel that real change will come one way or another but I fear that it will not be peaceful.
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Posted by Tom | January 13, 2012, 9:16 pmTom, where to begin? well…your quote “I think the Bushs and the Clintons are some of the most evil people our country has known.” is a good starting point. Prescott Bush, the Bush family patriarch, was Hitler’s banker, and a fascist who wanted to overthrow our government. you can look it up. His nephew George W. Bush, as front man for Cheney and Rumsfeld, attacked a country (a war Rumsfeld was aching for since the ’80’s) based on a bald faced lie, thereby causing the deaths of 114,268 Iraqis -and counting, and almost 4,800 of our young men and women, 32,000 + who have been wounded, maimed, or mentally scarred, by this obscene exercise in willful power, this exercise led to the near destruction of our economy, and thus to the present troubles of the world’s economy. (this can also be looked up) While i agree that Clinton’s repeal of Glass-Steagall, paved the way for the banker’s to run loose, and here I must remind you that FDR created the Glass-Steagall act which was passed by Congress in 1933 and which prohibited commercial banks from collaborating with full-service brokerage firms or participating in investment banking activities, in no way can the actions of the Bush family be compared with those of Clinton (and especially his family) when it comes to “evil”. And to your point that gov’t can’t solve problems…the New Deal? That solved the problem of the depression, and at the same time created jobs by building roads, dams, mass transit, hospitals, schools…and the Glass-Steagall act was a government solution vis-a-vis the greed of the bankers. As to Ronald Reagan – he personally destroyed the greatest free University educational system we have ever had…here in California… you can also look that up. And, with all due respect, I think to lump Obama in with Romney ignores most of the facts. As far as “the war on poverty” is concerned i would much rather see a Democratic “war on poverty” than a Republican war on an innocent country like Iraq. There is a quantum light years difference in objectives here. The blanket statement “but we have learned that government can’t solve our problems.” is not only untrue, but is the same as throwing the baby out with the bathwater…with too few exceptions, historically it has been Republican administrations that have failed us, and Democratic administrations that have to clean up the mess…that can be looked up also. i myself think our major problems are money in politics (now worse than ever thanks to the Republican supreme court), our voting system (the electoral college, and no nation-wide instant-run-off voting.) I will always believe that people can have a government that will serve the greater needs. On this point we shall agree to disagree. and I do not think that anyone affiliated with the present Republican party can provide that kind of a government. On this we shall also agree to disagree. there’s so much more – but i am late for dinner. I am glad for the dialogue, but, like you, i can’t – at present, be convinced otherwise. Tom, thanks for the thoughtful comment. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 14, 2012, 2:07 amBravo! You nearly mirror everything I believe!!!! Or I mirror you, would be more proper. If only Clinton had not repealed the Glass-Steagall act. You did not go into this, and it may be because you don’t agree, but (in putting it very simply), what we’ve been told with 9/11 and the WTC’s is not the complete truth – and Bush/Cheney need to be held accountable for the thousands of innocent lives taken, both on and off American soil.
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Posted by She speaks.... | January 14, 2012, 3:00 amThanks for your thoughts. I do think the Clintons are bad people, but agree on the Bush family. I have done some of the same research you have. I suppose equating the 2 was lazy. Bill Clinton has association with the Bush family that predates the 1992 campaign. However the futher I go into that that, the nuttier you will think I am.
Also, I don’t think either party has cornered the market on virtue as you suggest. For example, you give me Iraq and I will give you Vietnam. Both were terrible mistakes. The boys Young American Wisdom writes about will pick of a gun and fight in a needless war over my very cold dead body.
JFK and Ronald Reagan were the last 2 that proposed restoring our currency and both were shot. One survived and one did not but in both cases the bullet killed that agenda – any coincidence? Maybe, maybe not…. Ron Paul is promoting that agenda. If he were taken seriously, I wonder if he would live to see the White House.
“A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.” – Thomas Jefferson
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Posted by Tom | January 17, 2012, 2:54 pmP.S. as to my point “it’s Republican administrations that have failed us, and Democratic administrations that have to clean up the mess…” it usually takes the Democratic administration most, or all, of the 4 yr term to clean up said mess…which is exactly what’s happened to Obama – being saddled with the bush/cheney mess.(as well as a republican congress of “no” ) thanks again for the comment. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 14, 2012, 2:19 amAgain, where you and I disagree is blame assignment. You say the Republicans are all bad and the Democrats clean up after them. Some say the complete opposite. I say it goes both ways. Sure, Bush left a mess for Obama (George Bush was horrible) but Richard Nixon (although he was bad human being) was forced to clean up after LBJ as well. In 1971 he closed the gold window b/c of the “Great Society” agenda. We continue to pay dearly for that mess. In the end, neither party serves anyone but themselves, in my opinion. There might be a few good eggs in each party but I believe the real servants are either marginalized by those threatened or worse they are corrupted and converted into self servants.
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Posted by Tom | January 17, 2012, 3:09 pmthank you for another thoughtful comment/response Tom. i did not mean to imply that the Dems have “cornered the market on virtue”…i do not believe they have. i do believe tho’ that while i can agree with many of Ron Paul’s positions i.e. his stance on Afghanistan, ( i am glad you will NEVER send your precious sons off to a war) pot, Guantanamo Bay, i do not believe he is fit to lead this country due to his many regressive positions i.e. against Roe v Wade, dissolving the Board of Ed, (he stated: ” education was simply not a right, but rather something that should be purchased.”) in my view a repugnant position and one which completely ignores the fact of how uneven the playing field has become – tho’ he sees nothing wrong with gov’t vouchers for parochial schools, (he said that this “didn’t violate the separation of church and state”), and has voted against No Child Left Behind and against the DC Scholarship program. he does not believe that we have a “right” to healthcare, but instead supports health savings accounts, tax incentives for individuals, and allowing people to pay for their own health care and remove themselves from the third-party payer system of insurance and government involvement. again – this completely ignores the inconvenient fact that many people can’t pay their rent, or their mortgage, or for just one doctor visit for a sick child, let alone pay insurance premiums for healthcare, he supports the Marriage Protection Act – in other words it is against his moral view that gays have the right to wed, he has voted against every stem cell research bill that has come to a vote while in office, noting that the federal government is not granted this power in the Constitution (as if the founders knew about stem cells in 1787), he voted against the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, he voted against the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Continuation Act. and he voted against the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act, he is pro-gun, anti- UN, thinks social security is a “lottery”, opposes the “fairness” doctrine in broadcasting (in other words those with the money to own the airwaves can only give us one side of an issue if they so choose – see Murdoch/Fox News, Clear Channel, Republic, NY Post, The Christian Broadcasting Network, etc)., opposed hate crime legislation. etc., etc.,
in all of this he seems determined to look away and steadfastly ignore the present plight and/or situation of millions of our citizens as if it is day one in this country, and none of the injustices perpetrated by past administrations, supreme court decisions, corporate sponsored legislation, robber barons, etc have ever happened, and that the Constitution – to which he steadfastly adheres – is written in stone, not to be interpreted, as if the year 1787 presented us with the EXACT set of social circumstances we face today – and would that we had “A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.” we need only to look to Wisconsin to see Mr. Jefferson’s ideal has yet to be attained, and that government SHOULD, as he says, be brought to bear to make certain men do not injure one another. this cannot be achieved by the absence of conscientious government.
with all due respect i believe Mr. Paul’s view to be far too narrow to encompass the great canvas that is present day America, let alone achieve the ideal of Thomas Jefferson, who, i believe were he alive today would do some re-writing on the Constitution he wrote so long ago.
Thank you again Tom for your most thoughtful comment. with respect, continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 18, 2012, 1:55 amI enjoy the back and forth and I think you have some very thoughtful opinions. I think we agree on quite a bit. I think we both agree that Thomas Jefferson was one of, if not the greatest political figure in American history. I think we would disagree on what Jefferson would feel about today and thus disagee on Ron Paul. Much like Jefferson, Paul’s social positions can be viewed as ultra liberal and/or conservative but all are formed from the perspective of limiting gov’t (Federal). Both were/are fiscal conservatives – similar to JFK.
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” – Thomas Jefferson
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Posted by Tom | January 19, 2012, 2:50 pmthank you for your comment Tom, and for the lively exchange…i think we’ll just agree to disagree on Ron Paul – yes? the good thing is we are “free” to vote for who we want, unless of course we are poor, and live in a state where the Republicans have so changed the voter id laws as to make it impossible for the poor, most of whom do not have driver’s licenses, or passports, or bank account photo id (because they have no bank account.) these voters mostly being democratic ones are now effectively disenfranchised…by the republican party. the party position being that it’s to prevent “voter fraud”. of course when fraud occurs in an election, be it JFK’s father stuffing ballot boxes, or Maryland’s republican “robocall” election scam of 2011, it is usually not “voter fraud” but “election fraud”…in other words the party, not the voters, is the one committing the fraud…and it is the party who we should be making strict voter laws against…not the voters. the Brennan Center found that voter fraud is so “exceedingly rare” that “one is more likely to be struck by lightning than to commit voter fraud.” trying their mightiest to document “voter” fraud, the Republican National Lawyers Ass’n. turned up a grand total of 311 cases…IN THE LAST DECADE. Given the larger national context — over 131 million Americans voted in 2008, for example — that’s an infinitesimally small number when compared to 131 million x 10. that so-called practically non-existentent “voter”fraud is the reason they say that “voter fraud” is a massive problem and therefore they must change the voting laws…and, of course, these new laws mostly disenfranchise Democratic voters.
Matthew Vadum, a Fox News favorite and part of the paranoid right’s brain trust, isn’t being remotely funny when he says “registering the poor to vote is un-American.” Nor was American Legislative Exchange Council co-founder Paul Weyrich back in the 1980s, when he said, “I don’t want everybody to vote. Our leverage in the elections quite
candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.” i’m sure you are aware that in the recent Iowa primary your man Ron Paul was cheated out of at least a tie by massive “election” fraud – perpetuated by the oligarchs of the republican party who need Romney to win.
i bring this up this point – and the distinction between “voter” fraud and “election” fraud to point out that not only is the playing field not level, but our vote is being compromised…and the folks making it harder for many of us to vote are the Republicans, and though corporate money gets funneled into both parties, their is a large difference in the goals of the two parties, (see the union -busting in Wisconsin as an example – a first step in getting Republican hands on the great tranche of union pension funds which they want to place in their own privatized hands, along with the great tranche of money within Social Security, and Medicare ) and until such time as we have a third, or fourth party, or instant run-off voting, i know that the lesser of the two evils -by a wide margin – is the Democratic party. respectfully, tony
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 20, 2012, 2:12 amSorry, I just can’t resist…
I will reiterate that I separate Republican ideals and the GOP. The GOP is absolutely and 100% corrupted and no longer receives my vote. I get that there is fraud and I believe it exists on both sides. JFK’s father was a slime and maybe JFK didn’t deserve the office, but I still admire JFK and what he stood for. Imagine GWB-43 during the Cuban Missle Crisis. We needed a tender but firm hand and we were fortunate to have had one. We might not have a human race if GWB had his finger on the trigger in October of 1962.
A tried and true Democrat will always have many examples of atrocities against this group or that group (mainly “the poor”). They hang on the responsibiltiy of the Federal Gov’t to take care of its citizens. There are all sorts of wonderful examples to support the position. Personally, I get it and I get that one can’t make an argument on those terms and win. I spend much of my free time volunteering in my community. I read to poor kids in the city, coach sports, tutor elemantary math in our public school, give to charity, etc. I understand and feel for those less fortunate. I am lucky and feel obligated to give back. But I can’t control or judge what others do to give back.
Fortunately, the US gov’t remains viable but with any impartial analysis of our balance sheet, it is impossible to suggest that we are anything other than insolvent. I happen to make a living in finance and understand solvency, currency, banking, etc very well. If it were not for our ability to manipulate world currency, that insolvency would be realized. The point is that we simply don’t have the funds! We spend money we don’t have (see: $trillion defecit).
We can blame whoever we like but we can’t solve the problem by assigning blame. We can solve the problem only by looking forward and making tough choices and sacrifice. Our bloated standard of living was never earned but borrowed. Both “rich” and “poor” are spoiled in this courntry.
What is the present count on the national debt? $15 Trillion? Include unfunded liabilites and it baloons to anywhere from $45-$70 Trillion. Cutting $1 billion here or there will not get us anywhere. The elephants are (in no paticular order) military, social security and medicare. All of these items are government created, controlled, manipulated, etc. In other words, gov’t (not matter how well intended) got us into this mess. Why would we expect them to get us out of the mess? We have already acknowldeged that our representatives are mostly self serving. Some have rhetoric we like better than others but what are the results? (remember assigning blame will not solve the problem). “Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt. I got you to admit that there is no ownership of virtue in either party. Why should anyone feed into partisanship?
Ron Paul might seem harsh but he is the only active candidate that gets the big picture. You accurately point out that some will suffer. But, suffering will occur one way or another. We have a choice. We can deal with our problem orderly and peacefully or the problem will deal with us. Allowing the problem to deal with us means collapse, revolution, and/or chaos. People will suffer regardless but, trust me, more will suffer with the latter.
In my opinion, those that continue to vote along party lines and believe in messages of “hope” and “change” are setting themselves/ourselves up for chaos at some point. Obama and Romney (or any other GOP minion) are the same in that regard. Sure they are different if you want to look into the minutiae. Nonesense like abortion, gay marriage, displaying the 10 commandments here or there make them different. I contend that federal gov’t doesn’t belong in these issues period. I believe that Gov’t uses these issues to divide us and take our eye off the ball and strengthen their influence. Ron Paul wants to push these issues to to states – good idea. Pushing these issues to the states weakens all 3 branches of Washington gov’t – good idea.
Romney and Obama are very similar on the larger picture. Romney wants apples with his gov’t healthcare program and Obama wants oranges with his. Either one will worsen the situation in healthcare, which is a mess. I do agree that they are quite different on the minutiae but I also believe that this is by design. They also essentially differ on how to dig us further into a hole. Both are controlled by those that have or will put them in office. Goldman Sachs will likely give $1 million to each campaign. What does that tell us about the banking cartel? Most people don’t understand the banking system and how destructive it is to our Republic.
In my opinion, Ron Paul is the only one, in either party, that has an agenda to solve our issues. However, on “the left”, at least Dennis K or Ralph Nader and not establishment minions. I respect liberals much more that vote for/support guys like that. I believe they are not whores, which is a step up from those that will win the support of either party. They get no support for any establishment and are a threat. The media will never give any of these guys a fair shake b/c they are a real threat. Stuff must be cut and everyone will dislike some of it.
I still contend that well intended issues like “the new deal”, “the great society” , “the war on poverty”, “the war on drugs”, Vietnam, Iraq, pretty much all wars, may have had some merrit but all of these have contributed to our current national dilemma. Much of the new deal, for example, helped ease the pain of the great depression but created items that were later abused by gov’t. Creating new stuff today might be great but can be abused in the future.
“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” – Winston Churchill
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Posted by Tom | January 20, 2012, 4:05 pmTom,thank you for another thoughtful comment. I agree about Dennis Kucinich, i voted for him…and I commend you for all you do in your community. I also get that you are disenchanted with our present 2 party system – as am I. it scares me though that you think Social Security is a problem – it is fully funded until 2037 – but besides that, it is a moral issue to want to insist that people who have worked all their life and who have paid into this system should have the safety net of Social Security. and it is a myth that medicare is either a drain on us or is in trouble; see the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities at: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3532
I agree that we have, and continue, to mismanage and waste our revenues. as you note we are some 13 trillion in the red. am i mistaken to think you are making the case that all that money went to Medicare and Social Security? That it’s poor, old, and sick people who have sucked all the money out of our system? and then – you write; “well intended issues like “the new deal”, “the great society” , “the war on poverty”, “the war on drugs”, Vietnam, Iraq, pretty much all wars, may have had some merrit [sic] but all of these have contributed to our current national dilemma.” I’m kind of left breathless by that sentence – i don’t understand how you can lump the crime of the Iraq, and Viet Nam wars in with “well intended issues like The New Deal, The Great Society, and the War on Poverty – but it is kind of revelatory…very revelatory actually. and, when one blames “Government” for our problems it also reveals a critical failure to distinguish between “Government” and the “Administration””of that “Government”. the failure we agree on is not, as you repeatedly state, the failure of “Government”, but the failure of those we put in charge of “administering” said “Government. and as an aside; any perusal of our history shows that for the most part this country is generally economically, and socially, better off under a Democratic “Administration”. however, I agree that you should vote for Ron Paul. you’ve convinced me that he is your guy…and i know Ayn Rand would vote for him also. i think we should now end this because as i say, you’ve convinced me. we need to agree to disagree on the merits of Ron Paul vis-a-vis the office of the President of our country. respectfully, tony
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 21, 2012, 2:39 amTony,
I really like your thoughtfulness which is why I posted in the first place. I will read your other posts and respectfully reply when inspired. Your readers will enjoy your opportunity to pick on an opposing point of view. Clearly, we see things very differently. For me, it is not about those that can’t fight (the poor, the elderly, etc). I feel for those people and volunteer to help more than most. I simply don’t trust those that control the purse strings. I believe gov’t is in the business of getting more people to depend on gov’t. There is a tipping point which we are rapidly approaching. It might be an oversimplification but when you think about things my way, you can liken wars which were falsely sold as “spreading democracy” or fighting “evil communists” to social programs which give politicans access to more power and influence. If you look at it from the other side – all the dead and immdeiate destruction vs. the people who were fed by gov’t checks, it seems awful. I understand that. I also think that Democrats and Republicans understand those contrasting mindsets better than anyone and exploit them everyday. Your summary of me is mostly correct – I believe that our 2 parties are taking us to the cliff and when we fall from the cliff, we will all suffer greatly.
Thanks Tony. I feel your passion and I enjoy your poems.
Tom
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Posted by Tom | January 23, 2012, 3:26 pmTom, I appreciate your thoughtful, and most kind response, and I thank you for sharing your concerns on where we are with me, and by extension, with others. I will always welcome your thoughts on anything I write, and I too, feel the passion with which you voice your feelings. As you note, I believe our goals are identical, but we do differ vastly on the means to attain them – given the present circumstances. Again, I sincerely thank you, and hope to see more of your comments in future. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 23, 2012, 10:23 pmp.s. my best to your witty wife who, i fear, having had no notice of her posts since, has cut me off over this. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 23, 2012, 10:25 pmOh no! She has no idea that I even posted here. I know she is flattered by your posts. It’s funny, I have seen goodfellas about 14000 times. Well before your posts, I would go to the front door to get our Sunday paper and say “I’m gonna get the papers, get the papers”. She would roll her eyes at me but she was thrilled to tell me that you had subscribed to her blog and knew I would know who you were. I do know that she was preoccupied over the last week and had not posted much but I will let her know b/c you are likely not the only one….to borrow your phrase, “please continue” on her blog. She loves your support and I would feel terrible if I interrupted that.
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Posted by Tom | January 24, 2012, 3:14 pmnot to worry Tom…your Nancy is far too witty to lose me…and I’m glad to hear i was only having a paranoid moment. thanks for letting me know. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 25, 2012, 2:27 amWhew! I appreciate the kind words. You would like Nancy as everyone does. She is kind to all and has lots of friends that adore her. She is a classy lady- kinda like Jackie Kennedy with a wicked sense of humor. She has very little interest in politics. However, if she added up her thoughts on things, she would lean to the left of me but without the passion. She is a California girl and I suppose you can take the girl out of California but you can’t take the California out of the girl.
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Posted by Tom | January 25, 2012, 7:43 pmthe older i get, the more i become convinced that voting in a booth does not get me what i want (although I’ve never missed an election). voting with your dollar makes more sense and impact. i don’t shop at big corp stores, i don’t bank with the evil greedies, i pay extra to make sure bad guys never get my support. when was the last time something real ran for office? ugh. don’t let the election distract you– don’t miss it, but don’t forget where the real power is. money.
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Posted by girl in the hat | January 1, 2012, 7:17 amagree… it’s all about money. good for you and the actions you’ve taken Anna…and let’s remember -Kucinich ran, and nobody wanted him because we care more about looks than brains or intent. we are the problem. thanks for the great comment. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 1, 2012, 10:25 pm“..party’s candidates deserve your vote.” Deserve our votes? Personally, none of them deserve our votes from any party until they start representing what is best for the people, what the people want… not what’s best for the corporations, for the private banking system, etc.
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Posted by She speaks.... | December 30, 2011, 6:17 amyes She, i agree wholeheartedly. my purpose here is to focus on who should definitely NOT get a vote, and to try to get “independents” or “undecideds” to at least discount republicans who i believe to be the far greater of the 2 evils. are you familiar with Americans Elects? at americanselect.org interesting. anyway, thank you for the riled up response. and again, i do agree that our candidates must reflect our needs and not the needs of the corps. i stand corrected on that point. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | December 30, 2011, 6:27 amAs an life-long independent I tend to find anyone running for office of a level higher than town council to be suspect just on the basis of the fact they want the office. That being said, there are decent human beings who do run for office who belong to a variety of parties. While a party as an organization may do things that I despise, it does not mean that a particular candidate is involved or can change what is happening. Look at Truman – he came from a hideously corrupt system which he finally told to bugger off once he became President.
Historically, the shenanigans around politics and voting go back practically to the founding of the country. Before the Australian ballot came in ballots were not private and there were gangs of bullies to beat people up for not voting the “right way.”
Both major parties stink to high heaven. That being said, the Republicans reek more at this point. In Massachusetts the presidential outcome is not in question as it is a Democratic state. However, I have not made up my mind regarding Scott Brown vs Elizabeth Warren.
As an attorney I am appalled by the concept of corporate personhood, which began as a notation in a decision and has now taken on a life of its own.
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Posted by Another Boomer Blog | December 30, 2011, 11:57 amp.s. i have gone back and re-worded that phrase She – because you are correct, and i did make a poor choice of words there.thanks. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | December 30, 2011, 7:17 amOh, you didn’t have to do that. I was a bit extreme in my response. Just happened to be in an overly frustrated mood when I caught your post – which my frustration does seem to be growing more and more every day – and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you in that manner. I do apologize. I have simply never seen a more pathetic group of candidates ever before in history. And Bachmann has really gotten under my skin. The only thing she is capable of running is tap water. If she (and several others, too) had their way, our troops would return from Iraq long enough to give a few hugs, pat their dog on the head, then be shipped off to Iran. They’re feigning the reason is Nukes, but I believe it’s because they want to set up a western privatized banking system, gain power and control. A pattern is clearly showing. The entire GOP candidacy is a circus, and I scratch my head every day wondering why a more viable candidate isn’t running. I have my suspicions, but will keep those thoughts to myself for now. I have to admit, though, I’ve been a Dem my whole life, and I’m not real happy there either. I think the bickering and finger-pointing between all is really bringing me to lose faith altogether in our government. Reality TV shows is not helping the problem either.
I was not familiar with the American Select site and did check it out. Interesting…. will have to dig in deeper there. Thanks for the point.
Here’s hoping to an improvement in 2012… but my faith is dwindling. In a nutshell, I’m tired of myself and the majority of the citizens of our country being martyrs at the hands of our failing system, but I refuse to give up the fight. Truthfully, politics and government have never been my strong point… my background is very deep in science and technology. But that does not stop me from reading, researching, learning, making mistakes and bad judgment calls, learning from those mistakes, and basically becoming more educated and aware. I only wish others would do the same as our future really does depend upon one another and the public become more aware and interactive. When I took my Mensa tests, there were two tests… one which focused on past education and the other was more logic and reasoning. The logic test is the one I blew out of the water (yeah, Spock and Data are my idols)… and I just do not see a lot of logic in our system anymore. Mostly “knee-jerk” type reactions, paranoia, and pure greed combined with “what’s in it for me.” Well, enough ranting and rambling. Back to what I meant to end with…
Here’s hoping to an improvement in 2012!
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Posted by She speaks.... | January 1, 2012, 3:13 pmhad to. words matter. yes, the lack of logic and an ability to connect the dots by a great number of our electorate as well is mind-boggling, but that’s how the power wants it, hence the attack on education and the dumb tv shows et al. i’m glad you have not given up the fight, as disheartening as it is sometimes. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 1, 2012, 10:32 pmMichelle, i most definitely think clinton made a huge mistake in repealing glass-steagall…and it is i who agree with you. thank you, no, thank YOU, no – thank you…a little marx bros shtick before nighty-night. BIG football day tomorrow. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 14, 2012, 9:29 am1. yes
2. yes (assuming they are not convicted felons, illegal aliens (you too Sting) etc etc as defined by current law)
3. yes (although I wonder about this a lot as time goes on. getting jaded, cynical or realistic. hard to say. still vote though. meet the new boss…)
4. yeppers
5. I’m thinking no
6. Already a given Tony. And a big shout out to you posting political pieces just begging for attack and flames. Naturally no facts though.
As far as asking for ID? I got no Id ’bout nothin’ ~Newt Gingrich. Um,,don’t Google that last quote.
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Posted by Rachael Black | December 30, 2011, 5:37 amRachael, i accept your shout out and i shout backatchya. i welcome all attacks (and flamethrowers too). happy noo yeer girl. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | December 30, 2011, 6:34 amAmen! It’s so obvious.
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Posted by lisahgolden | December 30, 2011, 3:58 ami hope so. thanks lisa h. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | December 30, 2011, 6:31 am1 – Yes, although not ALL adult Americans are eligible to vote for a variety of reasons.
2. – Yes – assuming all things are equal and you are actually eligible to vote.
3. – Yes, assuming that they understand the issues and the candidates
4 – Voter manipulation and suppression has been going on during most of our history – what else is new?
5 – No
So we know that the Republicans are working toward voter suppression. They’ll say they are attempting to keep out fraudulent votes.
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Posted by Another Boomer Blog | December 30, 2011, 3:41 amthey can say that all they want. my purpose is to put the thought of voter suppression into voters minds. thank you boomer. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | December 30, 2011, 6:28 amBoomer, agree with what you say regarding “particular candidates”…however, i do think tho’ that the “reek” you refer to that comes from the Republican side is so overpowering as to almost discount anyone running with their imprimatur. as to the Warren v. Brown race…it is patently clear to me which of the two is more feared as a threat to the both the banks, and the insane notion of “corporate personhood”, which, by the way, was brought to court by Citizen’s United – a lovely euphemism to be sure, kindly excuse my cynicism – and, which any amount of research will show, is a right wing front group for corporate America, and which law was passed by the Republican majority Supreme Court, led by corporate lawyer Republican John Roberts), and it should be obvious which one of the two, Warren (a staunch advocate for the middle class and working Americans) or Brown, is more likely than the other to fight to get corporate personhood/money out of the process. of course, i’ll leave it to you to decide which of the two that is. thank you for the thoughtful comment, and happy new year. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | January 1, 2012, 10:34 pmThose shenanigans with Diebold weren’t enough for them?
I wonder why there’s so much fascination with zombies these days in our pop culture … is it to take our minds off the real horror of Republicans?
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Posted by Sparks In Shadow | December 30, 2011, 3:14 amguess not. people have to know the lengths that republicans will go to ensure they retain their grasp on the power. thanks Re. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | December 30, 2011, 6:31 amThese Rethuglicans are absolutely amazing in the scope of their gall and lack of shame or sense of decency. This only points out their desperation and their realization that the likelihood of them winning an honestly brokered election is very low in this particular year. I mean, when there are people in this country who are truly suffering right now and need real solutions and all this morally bankrupt party can offer is a car filled with clowns, then what other recourse do they have but to try to rig the elections and keep potential Democratic voters away from the polls? Yeah, even the state of South Carolina could not come up with enough cases of proven voter fraud to warrant the initiative for voter photo IDs. Let’s hear it for the right to vote in the land of the free and the home of the brave–uh, would that be the United States of America? I don’t know…used to be.
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Posted by Carole Monferdini | December 30, 2011, 3:10 amand in texass the I.D. criteria is less stringent to get a firearm then it is to vote??? whassup wit dat? well, we know – don’t we. thanks Carole, as always, for the inciteful comment. continue…
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Posted by barkinginthedark | December 30, 2011, 6:37 am