Always, the best thing I can say about elections is that they are over. I get so tired of the junk mail, the negative personal ads, and the very often completely misleading or downright fraudulent proposition campaigns. What often bothers me is that people believe them without doing any research into the issues at all.
I can almost repeat the ads people listened to by looking at the voting results. I am sure there are a lot of people unhappy about some results of the election. Meg Whitman comes to mind. $140M of her own money? Jeez … how many students would that educate? How many welfare-to-work programs?
Throughout the elections, as the campaign costs mounted up, often I found myself thinking about the deficits — both state and federal. There are a helluva of a lot better ways to spend that money. I can think of about a thousand off the top of my head.
Oh, and congratulations, Scott Miller, our new Sheriff. I am not sure you are the right man for the job, but I sure as hell know the old Sheriff lost my vote July 3, 2008.
A lot of dollars went to the TV networks.
WAY TOO MUCH. I stopped watching TV pretty much to avoid the ads.
Well, if you think of the election industry as a jobs program, there are sure a lot of folks making a pretty darn good living off the over $3billion that got pumped into elections this round…. regardless of who actually wins or loses, the industry thrives on more elections and more spending per election – and THAT’S who is winning!
High priced football game. No apparent changes. I see more creative change and solutions being generated by the struggling private sector out of real desire and need.
Kate we know Scott Miller personally. I can assure you he will be much better than our present sheriff. I’m hoping he will pull in the BIG GUNS and try to rid the gang troubles this county has been facing. Far too many dead children and daily violence. I’m also in agreement with you over negative campaigns. I was fed up & people like Meg W would have never gotten my vote based solely on the madness that went on. All that money wasted gives me knots in my stomach.
Amen
Money–ha–think of the money spent on WAR and what ought to be done with such funds? How about retraining/education programs for green job industries for all the unemployed?
Oh and you folks in CA at least kiecked Meg W’s rich butt–but here in Missouri we have MORE of Roy Blunt. No, I am NOT a happy camper.
I wonder if all millionaires/billionaries and CEO’s and corporate people were BANNED from politics what the people ‘do’? I do mean banned literally–as in NO funding opportunities, no running for offices, and NO appointments. Just cut the the rich elite minority of what 1-2% totally out of the show. Yep, this would be a form of discrimination–but isn’t that what “they” practice already against the working classes?
Just thoughts, folks, just thoughts….
Yes indeed, thank goodness it is over. I continue to be disappointed in the choices that we have, especially in the two major parties.
I’d vote for banning that 1-2% in a heartbeat! Well actually, I’d rather just ban their money.
Dave Z–I thank you heartily for your statement of support. Seriously–I was venting/ranting–but the more I think about it–the more postential that ban concept has for my braincase. Thank you.
Good thoughts on elections, Kate. I have always wondered, with the negative ads and the way the candidates are represented, if we truly know who and what we are voting for anymore. I spend more and more time over the years searching to find something on candidates that appear believable and discusses issues that I am really concerned about. It seems, more and more, the large issues such as education, jobs on the homefront, and the economy, and protection of our natural resources get wrapped up in so much generalization and the issues that are off-shoots of these (not that they aren’t important) get analyzed to the point of confusing me. I wonder how many people spend as much time as I felt I needed to in order to be informed enough to cast an educated vote for what I believe in?