|
Well here we go again. It’s time to get on the ol’ voting bandwagon and make those decisions that will theoretically impact our lives until the next election. I say theoretically because many propositions on the ballot will have little to no impact on many of our lives.
But they are there. Even if you don’t think these propositions are something that will stir your world in the slightest, you owe it to your fellow citizens while in that claustrophobic little booth punching out your chads, to vote. But in order to make an educated decision you have to know what it is that you are voting for or against. Some are a no brainier like Prop 71.
Anybody who would vote against it either doesn’t have a family member or friend with Cancer, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Disease, a spinal cord injury, or is too short sighted to think that their lives will never be touched by them.
So how do we voters nowadays decide which way to vote on a proposition or a candidate? Well we read our Voter Information Guides cover to cover, visit all of the web sites pertaining to each proposition for and against, and watch or listen to every word of the debates. In a perfect world we would all do these things, but as we all know this world is far from perfect.
Unfortunately, most people don’t have time to do half if any of those things and who can blame them? To do all of the aforementioned tasks you would have to dedicate all of your waking hours between now and November 2nd to process all of that information. I don’t know about you but I have a couple of other things on my plate like work, kids, and for better or worse the time consuming little task of writing an article every week.
Equally unfortunate is how too many people make their decision on how to vote. Which is by watching and believing the nauseating barrage of misleading commercials that flood our TV sets and radios during every election. Both sides, whether for or against, seem to have problems with the truth. If politicians have taught us anything it’s tell them what they want to hear and they will follow.
I don’t care how sincere the people in those commercials seem to be, they have an agenda. The only true way to get to the bottom of any of the issues is to read up on what is actually on the bill that is before you. Once you do that, as I have done, you will see the inaccuracies that these commercials perpetrate. Like I said, the only way to get to the bottom of the mystery is to read about it. I am not talking about reading the miniscule little blurb they put in the sample ballot, I’m talking about the full version that is in the Voter Information Guide.
If you haven’t received your Voter Information Guide yet, and you are a registered voter, you will soon. When you get it you may mistake it for a phone book based on its girth. In order to get information out of it here’s a little suggestion: skip the arguments for and against. All they equate to are written versions of the commercials and like their TV counterparts they are a waste of your time. Stick to the verbiage in the proposition itself and judge for yourself.
Trust me when I tell you it’s not that difficult to decipher, despite being written in a toned downed legal speak. If you want the real answers, they are there. Most people take one look at the size of the booklet and once they open it and see all the words, they close it without reading a single syllable. Why? Because when faced with what equates to homework, adults don’t want to do it anymore than their kids do. So they do the next worst thing. They decide how to vote based on what they see in commercial breaks while watching Fear Factor.
The ad that really sticks out is also getting the most airtime. Prop 68. If you believe the ads, if you vote yes on this proposition, there would be an invasion of Las Vegas size casinos flooding into California. If you read the proposition in your Voter Guide you will see this is not true. On the third page of its explanation you will find a map that is being mimicked on the commercials against this proposition. What is shows and says is that these are not new casinos as the ads suggest, they are instead existing card clubs and racetracks, including Santa Anita in Arcadia. This proposition says that it will give these venues the ability to have slot machines if the Indian tribes don’t agree to pay the State a 25% tax on their revenues.
So you see, the negative ads you are seeing are based on the tribe’s fear of competition. Not as they advertise, traffic congestion and rising crime rates. Traffic congestion already exists around these areas. What’s a few more cars compared to the revenues it will generate for the State and City governments. But don’t take my word for it, read it for yourself. Personally I never understood California’s arrogance about not wanting and restricting gambling in this state. I have always felt that we could be the richest state in the union if we allowed gambling as Nevada does.
This is just one example of the type of deceptive advertising that is out there and there are many more. Unfortunately there isn’t a proposition on the ballot that prevents anybody with deep enough pockets from airing fraudulent ads because of their own personal agendas. Well maybe next time around.
I wish I could say that if you don’t do your homework you shouldn’t vote, but I can’t. Because I respect anybody, no matter how politically challenged they may be, who takes the time to get off of their ass to exercise the most precious of our rights, the one to vote.
To those who don’t, for whatever lame reason they may have, all I can say is what it says at the top. Vote you dope!
The Shrub Speaks: We're facing a -- a -- group of folks who have such hatred in their heart, they'll strike anywhere -- with any means. First Presidential Debate, Coral Gables, Florida, Sep. 30, 2004
B.D.’s Response: I just want to point out the terrorists are not a “group of folks.” They are cold hearted killers, not your neighbors on the farm. Please, Dubya, you are the President of the United States. Speak like one!
|
