The old galoot, as the years have passed, is probably like a lot of us of a “certain” … harumph ... age — increasingly more aware of the passage of time. But in this case the clock is literally ticking and it ain’t slowing down. November 3 is going be here before we know it.
Wait now, what’s happening Nov. 3?
An election to amend our state constitution and make a choice for our representative to our national legislative body and a couple of our state legislative bodies? Hey, my one vote just doesn’t matter.
Well, let’s look at what’s going on out there in the real world: wars, grocery prices, jobs, inflation, immigration, runaway corruption, closing stores, homes being sold on the courthouse steps, repossessed vehicles, AI, flock cameras, data centers, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, catastrophic melting glaciers, mega mergers… and enough horse *bleep* to fertilize Nebraska, Kansas and maybe even the heart of Texas, with Oklahoma and Missouri thrown in.
Now hold on. I just need to concentrate on my favorite smooth talking, plastic smiled talking head. He’ll reassure me that it’s those Commie, socialist, leftist perverts in collusion with cat eating Haitians, rapist Hispanics and welfare loving blacks trying to kill our babies, take away our God given AR-15s, SUVs, super cab 4WD pickups and 75-inch flat screens. Just gotta focus, you know?
Dang, what the hey! We’ve been voting that party line for years. What’s going on here? If you think about it, maybe we could just stop voting that party line.
Maybe we ought to listen to what each candidate actually has to say, not what his “party animal” is, though they are kind of cute, sort of, kind of ... nah.
And then we could maybe ask them some questions. Maybe questions like this:
Would you pledge to impeach leaders regardless of party who’re corrupt? Who lie, steal and commit fraud? Will you speak up for, create legislation for and vote for raising taxes for the obscenely wealthy.
Will you do the same for meaningful education reform? Immigration reform? Health care reform which will ensure every citizen has the ability to adequately address our health and wellness? Will you do the same to ensure our moral and ethical leadership in the world? Will you do the same to do everything we possibly can to protect the lives and rights of our fellow human beings anywhere?
Will you do the same to address climate change, the growing threats of AI? Do you know we’ve got a 40 trillion Dollar debt? Do you intend to take away my social security and/or Medicare to reduce it or tax the wealthy instead?
Will you do everything you possibly can as my/our representative to ensure all of us as citizens are able to exercise our constitutional right and responsibility to vote to select responsible, ethical and adequately informed public servants? Will you do everything you possibly can to ensure we as a nation commit the lion’s share of our funds to encourage collaboration, community, partnerships and minimize international conflicts rather than for bombers, missiles, destroyers, carriers and increasingly complex and pointless killing machines?
Hey, the old guy’s been through a bunch.
Can’t say “I been everywhere, man,” like Johnny, but I’ve seen a lot of suffering and a lot of our human capacity to inflict damage and destruction on each other.
And, I’ve seen what we as human being’s can do if we reach out to try to really listen to and understand each other.
Take it from the old guy, listening’s a whole bunch better than shooting. And asking questions and voting in response to the answers we get is a whole heck of a lot better than continuing to rubber stamp some type of “party line.”
