The good news, with regard to this editorial, is that it can be read in less than 12 minutes.
There are several reasons to not be voting this fall. Please allow me to highlight two of these reasons.
First, America, as a whole, has developed Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). No, most of us do not have the bonafide variety which is largely genetic. Rather, the general American public has a severe case of programmed ADHD.
Psychological studies on ultradian rhythms, conducted in the 1950's, demonstrated that the average adult can focus for about 20 minutes without drifting off into a daydream as the individual loses their focus on the task at hand. Today, studies show that our ability to focus has been reduced to about 12 minutes which just happens to be the average amount of time between television commericals. As the children in this country have historically watched an average of 6-8 hours of television per day, the impact should be obvious.
Like a pack of Pavlovian dogs, America been classically conditioned to lose about 40% of their ability to maintain their collective focus.
And what do we get for this great obsession? We get a populace who knows the latest on Brad Pitt's marriage, or can recite the latest Paris Hilton fiasco. But we also get an American that does not read because they cannot. Our people perish for a lack of knowledge. Fifty-five percent of the country could not identify the Vice President in a recent poll. Need I say more?
Watching so much television further indoctrinates the populace into accepting the middle class' Karmic place on the plantation because 99% of all media is owned by six corporations. These six corporations have deep ties to Wall Street and to the (non) Federal (no) Reserve Board. The unpopular bail out bill passed without so much as a reflection of the American citizen's collective anger in the major media. However, less than a month later, where has happened to the anger of the American people? True to the disorder of ADHD, people are back to watching NFL football and immersing themselves in the corporate news message on Fox instead of continuing to focus on the major problems which most impact them.
It is not just TV that has led to our inability to think and collectively act, TV is only a symbol of the problem. America is the most distracted populace in all of human history. We have confused watching FoxNews with being informed, and a water-down high school diploma with being educated. Cell phones, video games and IPODS abound. When do people have the time to be alone with their thoughts?
The second reason for not voting lies in the fact that the voting system is corrupt and far from tamper-proof. Some people have thrown off the shackles of their corporate induced ADHD long enough to know that something is wrong, terribly wrong. However, many are quickly disallusioned when visonairies like Ron Paul, the late Aaron Russo and even our own Ernest Hancock are quickly marginalized as conspiracy nuts when they point out what should be clear to even the average American. Namely, that we live in a highly controlled, increasingly fascist nation in which the Constitutuion is quickly being relegated into the status of an irrelevant relic of history.
Voting does not provide freedom. Rather, the often fraudenlant results typically serve to validate the "status quo." The Diebolds' lack security. The intergity of the paper ballots suffer from a lack of accountability among the vote counters.
However, if you are still dumb enough to vote this coming election day, here are my recommendations which are presented for your review.
Dave Hodges’ Guide to the Candidates
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Ron Paul (R) <write in>
Thane Eichenauer (L)
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U.S. President
U.S. Representative in Congress, District 1
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Powell Gammill (L)
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U.S. Representative in Congress, District 2
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Michael Shoen (L)
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U.S. Representative in Congress, District 3
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Joe Cobb (L)
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U.S. Representative in Congress, District 4
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Warren Severin (L)
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U.S. Representative in Congress, District 5
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Rick Biondi (L)
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U.S. Representative in Congress, District 6
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Raymond Petrulsky (L)
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U.S. Representative in Congress, District 7
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Paul Davis (L)
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U.S. Representative in Congress, District 8
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Jack Harper (R)
Angela Cotera (D)
Dennis G. Grenier (L)
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State Senator, District 4
State Senator, District 12
State Senator, District 7
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Mike Renzulli (L)
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State Senator, District 14
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Sue Dolphin (D)
Paula Forester (D)
James Iannuzo (L)
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State Representative District 4
State Representative District 4
State Representative, District 7
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Scott Gibson (L)
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State Representative, District 10
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Ty Lundell (L)
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State Representative, District 19
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Mark Phelps (L)
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State Representative, District 27
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Michael Kielsky (L)
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Maricopa
County Attorney
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David E. Hodges (L)
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Maricopa
County
School Superintendent
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Ernest Hancock (L)
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Maricopa
County Recorder
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Rachel Kielsky (L)
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Maricopa
County Assessor
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Chris A.H. Will (L)
Max Wilson (R)
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Maricopa
County Sheriff
Maricopa
County
Board of Supervisors District 4
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Tom Rogers (L)
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Pima
County
School Superintendent
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If you are still dumb enough to vote, given the shoddy track record Secretary of State Jan Brewer and Maricopa County Recorder, Helen Purcell, with regard to the usage of their tamper proof $12.99 WalMart “Vote Totes” coupled with Brewer and Purcell's refusal to provide a proper chain of custody for the early votes, then be my guest to participate in this political version of World Federation Wrestling where many of the really important outcomes are already predetermined. At least the former
Soviet Union was honest in their approach to elections, as the Kremlin provided one clear cut choice for every office.
Still Voting? Then, here are my recommendations on the Arizona Ballot Initiatives.
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Dave Hodges’ Guide to the Propositions
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Proposition
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Yes
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No
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100
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Yes. This measure prevents the legislature from enacting a real-estate transfer tax.
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101
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Yes. Prop 101 will ensure that Arizonans will always have a choice on where to secure their health care needs so that any proposed single-payer system (one that would prevent consumer choice, by law) would not be enforceable.
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AN INDIVIDUAL IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR MORAL CHOICES TO THE GOD OF THEIR CHOICE OR TO THEIR CONSCIENCE.
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NO. AN ATTEMPT TO LIMIT THE INITIATIVE PROCESS
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200
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NO RECOMMENDATION
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201
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NO. The Sheet Metal Workers
Union that put Prop 201 on the ballot to enrich their own particular lobby
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202S
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NO, BASED ONLY ON THE FACT THAT THE LAW IS POORLY WRITTEN. THE
USA IS IN DIRE NEED OF COMPREHENISVE IMMIGRATION REFORM. PROP 202 WILL CREATE MORE CONFUSION THAN PRESENTLY EXISTS
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300
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YES. ARIZONA IS NEED OF CITIZEN LEGISLATORS, NOT CAREER POLITICANS.
ARIZONA TAXPAYERS NEED TO PAY ENOUGH SO THE COMMON MAN CAN AFFORD TO RUN FOR OFFICE
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Congratulations to my fellow ADHD Americans, you have presumably made it through the entire article. YOU ARE CURED AND YOU ACCOMPLISHED THIS FEAT WITHOUT RESORTING TO THE USE OF MIND-NUMBING AND DAMAGING PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.
Author's Note: If you are upset about the use of the metaphor, ADHD, to describe America's penchant in demonstrating a lack of focus, please spare me your letters, emails and comments. The use of the term, ADHD, was merely symbolic and was not meant to lessen the horrors of the disorder. By the way, the American Pediatric Association unashamedly states that Ritalin is over-prescribed by 600%. WHO IS IN YOUR WALLET?
In the paraphrased words of Garth, "Vote on dude!") |
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