politics

[jac]

So whats the general opinion among you guys on the results of your voting ? how will it impact farming/logging… seems you have a similar set up to us now…
John

[Michael Colby]

Everyone I voted for lost. But, then again, that’s been the case for me for years. Socialists just don’t seem to win elections around here. Yet.

The American political experience has become an ugly spectacle in my opinion. All superficial, all hype, all marketing and two parties laughing all the way to the bank.

Until enough of us step outside of the two-party duopoly, we’re doomed for more of the same every two/four years.

But thanks for asking.

[dlskidmore]

People want to feel like their votes matter, and today very few third party candidates win. The tea party is trying to split that quandary down the middle by hijacking the primary of an “official” party. (Not that I disapprove.)

I do whenever possible vote for candidates on third party lines instead of on the big two. It’s just a small protest that I don’t want the big two controlling my vote, although they often have more qualified candidates than the third parties around here.

[dominiquer60]

In New York State politics we have a big divide, New York State vs. New York City. Sort of a country vs. city thing overly simplified. Up until a couple years ago we had many politicians that were farmers or grew up on a farm or even just owned pleasure horses, they had some connection to rural living. Yesterday we were down to one state senator that had a direct connection, a dairy farmer from the northwest part of the state were winter is an understatement. Today we don’t even have him anymore. It will be very hard to get legislatures to understand what impact their bills will have on the less than 1% of the population that is responsible for producing food and the number 1# industry in our state (since wall street’s problems Ag has taken the top again). New York State farmers have some of the highest costs of doing business in this country and I fear that we haven’t seen anything yet.

[Carl Russell]

I only voted for two people on the ballot, as they were the ONLY two whom I knew would represent my interests. Both were 3rd party candidates, one Progressive, she won as my state rep, and one Secessionist for Governor did not win.

What an absurd fraud this entire election process has become. The two big party candidates run on hollow rhetoric, negative advertising, and play the numbers to vie for power. Any third party candidates are automatically demoted to the back of the pack by all media, so regardless of their messages they never get traction.

As far the affect on natural resource and land use….. it doesn’t matter which party, they all have their heads where the sun doesn’t shine. I have no hope for the political/legislative process. I also don’t allow myself to validate the political arena as having any real bearing on my life, and just keep breaking laws that are stupid, and trying to set the best example I think I can.

Carl

[gwpoky]

I always knew I was in good company here, but wow, I too think the two party system has failed us and see much of the national political scene as a farce. I see changes coming down the road as oil becomes to expensive for the common person, I think that is going to be a big wake up call. Many around here think I am crazy for my ways of farming, but I am happy with them and their ability to run on grass and oats.:D

What a beautiful fall, I hope all is well in your homes.
Cheers

[J-L]

We actually had a few good candidates here at the local level. I’m not sure how the elections turned out. There are times when we’ve had folks run in one party or another just to get on the ticket. It doesn’t always matter the party affiliation at times.
It would be nice if there were a better chance for the third party (or more) folks to do well in any election. I have to agree that elections seem to be influenced to a huge degree by mainstream media. Too bad people in general won’t look just a little deeper.
I feel for you guys in rural NY. Tough to outvote a huge block like NYC. We see that (in much smaller form) with Cheyenne and Casper (both about 40-50 thousand people). Big cities in a state with less than a half million people. Still there are enough ties to agriculture to help us in the long run.

[Marshall]

What I have always wondered is how do we know who really won the election. Vote all you want and then take the politican and medias word for it as to who won? I know how the process is supposed to work but is that what is really being done?

[mitchmaine]

my problem with elections is polling. besides the debates where candidates make promises they can’t keep, like creating jobs and lowering taxes, and the only jobs they actually can create are more beaurocracys making more regulation requiring more tax base to fund, they show endless results of current polls meant to sway voter opinion from one candidate to another, then on voting day they post results with 15 percent showing, and call the election before its over. sometimes before i’ve even voted (i go over after work). i doesn’t seem responsible to me. if they are going to try and manipulate us, at least have the decency to hide it a little.

[Marshall]

If the word poli means many and tics are blood sucking leaches does that mean we have many blood sucking leaches running our country?

[dlskidmore]

@Marshall 21821 wrote:

What I have always wondered is how do we know who really won the election. Vote all you want and then take the politican and medias word for it as to who won? I know how the process is supposed to work but is that what is really being done?

Doesn’t do us much good to speculate. Either your vote counts or it doesn’t. You can volunteer to work the polls if you want to at least get a closer look at the process. I think it’s technically a paid position, not volunteering…

[OldKat]

@jac 21795 wrote:

So whats the general opinion among you guys on the results of your voting ? how will it impact farming/logging… seems you have a similar set up to us now…
John

Not that I wish to wade in too far on this subject, but your post intrigues me.
Not familiar with your system over there, but this comment makes me curious what you are saying. …”seems you have a similar set up to us now”… Care to expound?

John, are you at all familiar with the late Will Rogers? Here is a quote that is attributed to him during the 1928 presidential election that probably answers your question; “how will it impact farming/logging?”

Q: What does the farmer need? A: Obvious: “He needs a punch in the jaw if he believes that either of the parties cares a damn about him after the election” (August 23, 1928).

And finally, it seems as if cynicism about our electoral process is nothing new. These are also Will Rogers quotes, but I don’t know when he said them. Of course he died in the mid-thirties, so they aren’t recent … though you would think they were from this year. Hope you enjoy …

“The average citizen knows only too well that it makes no difference to him which side wins. He realizes that the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey have come to resemble each other so closely that it is practically impossible to tell them apart; both of them make the same braying noise, and neither of them ever says anything. The only perceptible difference is that the elephant is somewhat the larger of the two.”

“Every guy just looks in his own pocket and then votes. And the funny part of it is that it’s the last year of an administration that counts. [A president] can have three bad ones and then wind up with everybody having money in the fourth, and the incumbent will win so far he needn’t even stay up to hear the returns. Conditions win elections, not speeches.”

[jac]

OldKat we have a coalition government over here now .. the power is split with 2 of them.. our prime minister doesnt have it all his own way.. I dont like politics either. Its interesting that these quots came from the 20’s.. A programm on the wireless today was talking about the “modern” banking system of creating money out of nothing and how it actualy started back then.. Perhaps the politics and banking went to hell at around the same time ??
John

[OldKat]

@jac 21864 wrote:

OldKat we have a coalition government over here now .. the power is split with 2 of them.. our prime minister doesnt have it all his own way.. I dont like politics either. Its interesting that these quots came from the 20’s.. A programm on the wireless today was talking about the “modern” banking system of creating money out of nothing and how it actualy started back then.. Perhaps the politics and banking went to hell at around the same time ??
John

Oh, I didn’t say I don’t LIKE politics (I am fascinated by it); I just don’t TRUST politicians!

Interesting comment about banking. Our constitution made NO provision for a central or “government” bank. At one point a sort of de facto federal bank had been established, but one of our relatively early presidents (Andrew Jackson) put a stop to it … circa 1830’s. For about 80 or 90 years thereafter things went relatively smoothly without one, but in the teens or roughly the time period you are talking about our current system of the Federal Reserve was established. This is a quasi government system of so called regional non-commercial banks which was established to regulate currency in circulation. It has had a fairly mixed success, but one thing it has definetly done is move power away from the citizenry and to the government. Was watching a show this afternnoon about the possibility of it collapsing, sending the US and probably the world into economic chaos. Cheery stuff, huh?

[jac]

I think there are some tough times ahead for he developed world. The systems in place are non sustainable and it seems to have taken a hundred years to wind down.. 2 world wars propped it up for a while but now its gone .. why else are the banks getting bailed out all the time? playing with money that isnt real is always going to be a non starter. In the early days a lot of land owners and mill owners and army types went into politics.. these people had their finger on the pulse/ Nowadays we have “professional” polititians !!!! these guys have never held a job down for cryin out loud… so how can they decide a countries future?? ….Im trying to become completly self sufficient but its hard to step off the tread mill..
John

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