Are You Voting Tuesday?

[Mr. Desmond]

Difference between campaigning and voting....

While walking down the street one day a US Senator was tragically hit by a car and died.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the Senator.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven.."

So, 24 hours passed with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell..

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.

What happened?"

The devil smiles at him and says,

"Yesterday we were campaigning ...

Today, you voted.."

[newtogolf]

They all suck at this point, for every Nancy Pelosi on the left there's a Todd Akin on the right so in the end the idiots just cancel themselves out.  The real issue is none of the senators or representatives seem to want to fix things, they just rather sling mud back and forth at each other, waste our money and watch our country fall lower and lower.

I'm going to learn Chinese because at the rate we're going that will become our national language, not Spanish.

[Lihu]

They all suck at this point, for every Nancy Pelosi on the left there's a Todd Akin on the right so in the end the idiots just cancel themselves out.  The real issue is none of the senators or representatives seem to want to fix things, they just rather sling mud back and forth at each other, waste our money and watch our country fall lower and lower.

I'm going to learn Chinese because at the rate we're going that will become our national language, not Spanish.

You're probably going to need to learn both. A few other languages wouldn't hurt either.

[meenman]

Mailed mine in last week since I wasnt sure that I would be back home in time.

Irrelevant though, since my wife made it to the polls tonight just to cancel out my votes.

[Lihu]

Yup, I voted yesterday. Got in at 7:32pm. That's the closest I've ever voted. . .

[newtogolf]

Elections went well, we got Bishop(D)  out of Suffolk County which was my main goal.  We're still stuck with Cuomo but he was the better of two evils.  Maybe next time the GOP will put up a candidate that has a platform.

[ilikefishes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilikefishes


You can't have it both ways.

I think he wants it only one way, the "Stop spending my money" way. This is more or less the libertarian point of view.

If you are for social programs, you would not be a libertarian. And since when is it your money? Just because you like the money spent on one thing and not another doesn't hold merit. Have a special needs child and you will see what I am talking about. Go fight for the very rights everyone is crying about, then try to come back to this society. I suppose we would be best of work no taxation.

[Mr. Desmond]

Voted as I stated above --- not for any incumbent that I know.

Voting got me thinking ... always a dangerous thing.

If we assume all politicians lie, do they believe their lies, and if they do, and we believe them, are we voting for their version of fantasia, and what can we do to get off this ride?

So I went to psychology today to find answers...

What happens if a lie is told often?

By telling lie after lie, we eventually can suffer from building a false version of reality that increasingly distances us from our real selves. After repeatedly lying about the same thing, we may even come to believe it is true.

So if we believe politicians lie, what is the effect ?

When people in positions of power lie, you not only become disaffected with them, but you become disaffected with the institutions they represent. Each time this happens, your identity and well-being takes a new hit. Identification with our jobs and our government are crucial to our self-concepts.  As we lose faith in them, we lose faith in ourselves.

How about attractive people? We can believe them, right?

People assume that good-looking individuals have other positive qualities. ^[5] Research reveals that in some cases, we view attractive individuals as kind, intelligent, talented, and—of great significance in political elections—honest. ^[6]

But are attractive people honest? Tell me -- I voted for good looking and not good looking people yesterday. Joanie Ernst was not on my ballot, although Wendy Davis wins that battle... but she lost.

Despite the tendency to presume good things about good-looking people, in reality, it has been demonstrated that "good looking" inspired stereotypical beliefs are not accurate in any area. ^[13]

Guess I should have figured that out a long time ago. But if politicians are lying, I'd rather look at the good looking liar for a couple of years. Right?

(No response)

But sometimes, people in government must lie to protect us. What about so-called white lies?

Politicians may be temporarily forced to lie to protect, for example, national security. They may not be able to reveal everything until a crisis recedes, at which point the voters expect to hear the truth. However, if politicians lie because they’re trying to protect their own interests, or special interest groups, the average voter (who doesn’t benefit from this) feels betrayed.  In order to avoid alienating (voters), leaders must take special care to be as fair, honest, and ethical as possible.

But if all we hear are mostly lies amongst a kernel of truth, what can we do to trust?

Find ways to keep your trust alive...

So how can I tell who is real and who is not? I need to know.

Integrate logical thinking with emotional awareness. If you feel an instant connection with somebody, take this into account, but don't make it the whole basis of your decision.  Don't ignore emotions, but  don't get so caught up in them that we see what we want to see, not what is actually there.

Thanks. I'll be ready for 2016 now. Anything else?

Try looking at what people do, not what they say. That way, you don't need to worry about lies.

[MS256]

I suppose we would be best of work no taxation.

Close. I'll concede them enough to protect the country and a little more.

I would rather have State and local governments and individuals handle the rest.

I'm not into having my tax dollars take a trip up to Washington where half of it is spent on running the bureaucracy, half of what is left over is doled out to people that won't work and would prefer to live off of the government tit, half of the rest is wasted on ridiculous pork projects to pay off political donors, half of what is left over after that pulls a disappearing act, and the people that actually need it can have the crumbs.

[Mr. Desmond]

Close. I'll concede them enough to protect the country and a little more.

I would rather have State and local governments and individuals handle the rest.

I'm not into having my tax dollars take a trip up to Washington where half of it is spent on running the bureaucracy, half of what is left over is doled out to people that won't work and would prefer to live off of the government tit, half of the rest is wasted on ridiculous pork projects to pay off political donors, half of what is left over after that pulls a disappearing act, and the people that actually need it can have the crumbs.

Guys, we all know the government is inefficient ... but what's that go to do with voting when almost everyone porks out?

Okay, forget that question ... how do you get pols away from the pork? But that's off-topic... sorry. Back to voting..

[Lihu]

Close. I'll concede them enough to protect the country and a little more.

I would rather have State and local governments and individuals handle the rest.

I'm not into having my tax dollars take a trip up to Washington where half of it is spent on running the bureaucracy, half of what is left over is doled out to people that won't work and would prefer to live off of the government tit, half of the rest is wasted on ridiculous pork projects to pay off political donors, half of what is left over after that pulls a disappearing act, and the people that actually need it can have the crumbs.

Many people feel this way. In fact, most people feel this way. Wasted money is the true issue.

[newtogolf]

Many people feel this way. In fact, most people feel this way. Wasted money is the true issue.

The larger something gets, government or business, the larger the overhead and waste gets, that's just unfortunately how things work.

The government has grown so large and so intertwined with the private sector it's like a cancer.  You can't remove it without killing the economy so you have to have a long term plan to shrink it.  Add up all the federal, state, county, local government workers, military, government contractors, welfare, unemployed, politicians and their staffs and you come up with a huge number of people that are all getting paid off of our tax dollars.

The waste is so high that you can't begin to scratch the surface without falling into the rabbit hole.

[dfreuter415]

The waste is so high that you can't begin to scratch the surface without falling into the rabbit hole.

And that is the reason why government approving more money for social programs, education, etc. just doesn't work.  Now it is time to tighten our belts, make cuts, and get our spending under control.

[Mr. Desmond]

And that is the reason why government approving more money for social programs, education, etc. just doesn't work.  Now it is time to tighten our belts, make cuts, and get our spending under control.

The sequester is doing its job on a limited basis ... but no one seems happy about it.

New tax code, flexible infrastructure to meet demands, spending/cutting decisions need to be made. This Congress just kicked the can down the road and we re-elected most of them. No one is accountable because we keep re-electing the same jokers who do nothing ... so they think we, the American public, are stooges. And it's working for them...

[dfreuter415]

What happens if a lie is told often?

By telling lie after lie, we eventually can suffer from building a false version of reality that increasingly distances us from our real selves. After repeatedly lying about the same thing, we may even come to believe it is true.

Mitt Romney said it best at the Oct. 5, 2012 debate, "Look, I got five boys. I’m used to people saying something that’s not always true, but just keep on repeating it and ultimately hoping I’ll believe it."

We've heard untruths so many times from this administration, "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor;" “Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency;" “We revealed to the American people exactly what we understood at the time;" “The Fast and Furious program was a field-initiated program begun under the previous administration" (it actually began in 2009); "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits – either now or in the future" (the ACA adds over one trillion dollars to the deficit in the next decade); the ACA will "cut the cost of a typical family's premium by up to $2,500 a year;" et al.

And who can forget when Harry Reid announced that he had inside information that Mitt Romney did not pay taxes for 10 years. (PolitiFact gave that a "Pants on Fire" rating.)

American initially believed Obama, but oh, how things have changed.

[Mr. Desmond]

Mitt Romney said it best at the Oct. 5, 2012 debate, "Look, I got five boys. I’m used to people saying something that’s not always true, but just keep on repeating it and ultimately hoping I’ll believe it."

We've heard untruths so many times from this administration, "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor;" “Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency;" “We revealed to the American people exactly what we understood at the time;" “The Fast and Furious program was a field-initiated program begun under the previous administration" (it actually began in 2009); "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits – either now or in the future" (the ACA adds over one trillion dollars to the deficit in the next decade); the ACA will "cut the cost of a typical family's premium by up to $2,500 a year;" et al.

And who can forget when Harry Reid announced that he had inside information that Mitt Romney did not pay taxes for 10 years. (PolitiFact gave that a "Pants on Fire" rating.)

American initially believed Obama, but oh, how things have changed.

I did not intend my initial post as a slam against any one party or individual.

Also, a lie is an intentional deception. Let's be honest (lol), some "lies" are mistakes. I mean, sometimes we do not know what a law says after it is in the books for a year or two ... heck, when we did pass tax reform many years ago, a technical corrections act would follow when someone figured out what the law would do -- did the President at that time lie about the initial law? No, he had no idea.

But if you want to go there ...

But who can forget Reagan's Iran-Contra Scandal that could have gotten him impeached; or his Saving and Loan Scandal;

Bush's lies to lead us into an Iraqi War; or

Bill Clinton's "I did not have sexual relations with that woman; or

George Bush 'Read my Lips, No New Taxes"

Let's not pound Obama without pounding everyone else. And why focus on Presidents? Look at your Senator, Congressman, Governor, State Legislator...

That's the point ... they all lie at some point... we lose confidence in them and the system.

Look at what they do -- not what they say or what they look like...

[newtogolf]

And that is the reason why government approving more money for social programs, education, etc. just doesn't work.  Now it is time to tighten our belts, make cuts, and get our spending under control.

I agree, I'm a fiscal conservative, but we have to be realistic.  It's easy to say, just tell the government to tighten their belt, make cuts  and get our spending under control but what does that really mean?  What gets cut, what are the short term and long term impacts?  Do we cut the military?  What happens to our recruitment numbers, what happens to the government contractors that make money providing consulting, services and equipment to the military.  Everything has a ripple effect and no cut is as simple as it seems at the surface.

I'd be happy with a balanced budget but we can't even achieve that.  I'd be happy if Treasury didn't print new money every time the threat of recession was mentioned.  I'd be happy if we looked at the long term impacts of programs like ACA before we just spend trillions of dollars to implement them and I'd be happy with a government that told the truth rather than telling us it's raining when they peed on us.

[nick1998bunker]

I've been taking an ap European history class and it's made me realize just how unstable our govornment is. Granted it's more stable than the absolute monarchies, but I still think we need to strengthen our military and exploration endeavors, and cut welfare, and govornment insurance. I also think our resession must be treated differently than the Great Depression. Where the govornment had tons of money to blow and a very liberal approach can be taken.It's the opposite now where the people have more money than the govornment so a less liberal approach can be taken and the private sector must be relied on.