Yesterday I visited my recently widowed sister, and she asked me to tell her who to vote for. I told her that our ballots were called "secret" for a reason, and were supposed to reflect our own personal decision about an issue or a candidate.
She gave me a puzzled look and said, "But Al, (her deceased husband) always told me which ones to vote for."
Much to her distress, I told her that this year, she was going to have to figure out which persons and issues to vote for on her own. Not that I think she will do it. She is sure to find some other relative or neighbor who will be only too happy to take the matter out of her hands.
Lest you think I am totally heartless, I should say that she and I have talked about most of the ballot measures and many of the candidates for months during our weekly telephone visits, and are both pretty much in agreement on them so I couldn't see any reason why she needed help in actually making her mark on the official "secret" ballot.
However, it did make me stop and wonder just how many senior citizens are turning their ballots over to other people to do their voting for them. In our state, all voting is done by mail so the opportunity for this type of vote influencing is always there. Maybe it is time to go back to the voting booth at the school gymnasium. Or better yet, maybe we each need to have a doctor's statement that we are of sound mind in order to vote.
Showing posts with label voting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voting. Show all posts
Tuesday
Thursday
Are We Being Bribed To Bail Out Wall Street?
The government calls it sweetening the deal--I call it bribery!
A few years ago, a large section of the State of Oregon depended on the logging industry, not only for daily wages, but for taxes to support schools, law enforcement, etc.
When the spotted owl, an endangered specie, was discovered to inhabit Oregon forests, logging slowed to a crawl. Large areas of timberland were suddenly off-limits to loggers, and taxes in many areas dried up.
In return for not logging in the spotted owl areas, the federal government granted the state a specific amount of money to replace the tax money that had been eliminated.
Over the years, the federal payment was slowly phased out, and this year, the area where I live was told that there would be no more timber money coming our way.
Although there was the usual complaining that accompanies a withdrawal of federal monies, the state seemed to be adjusting fairly well. That is, until the recent Wall Street bail-out mess in Washington.
After the bail-out plan was rejected, due largely to an outcry from the public, the government quickly got busy figuring out how to make the plan more appealing to that public.
Oregon has been told over and over again that they will receive NO MORE MONEY to replace lost timber money. Now, suddenly, the government has added that money back into the bail-out bill that will be voted on by the house of representatives tonight.
To me, this is out and out bribery; if our representives change their vote and bail out Wall Street, our state will receive the timber money that had previously been denied.
It does make one wonder how many other bribes are being written into the revised bill to change the minds of those in states other than Oregon. And, just where is all this money to sweeten the deal coming from, when a month ago, we were told there was absolutely no more money available?
Something to think about, isn't it?
A few years ago, a large section of the State of Oregon depended on the logging industry, not only for daily wages, but for taxes to support schools, law enforcement, etc.
When the spotted owl, an endangered specie, was discovered to inhabit Oregon forests, logging slowed to a crawl. Large areas of timberland were suddenly off-limits to loggers, and taxes in many areas dried up.
In return for not logging in the spotted owl areas, the federal government granted the state a specific amount of money to replace the tax money that had been eliminated.
Over the years, the federal payment was slowly phased out, and this year, the area where I live was told that there would be no more timber money coming our way.
Although there was the usual complaining that accompanies a withdrawal of federal monies, the state seemed to be adjusting fairly well. That is, until the recent Wall Street bail-out mess in Washington.
After the bail-out plan was rejected, due largely to an outcry from the public, the government quickly got busy figuring out how to make the plan more appealing to that public.
Oregon has been told over and over again that they will receive NO MORE MONEY to replace lost timber money. Now, suddenly, the government has added that money back into the bail-out bill that will be voted on by the house of representatives tonight.
To me, this is out and out bribery; if our representives change their vote and bail out Wall Street, our state will receive the timber money that had previously been denied.
It does make one wonder how many other bribes are being written into the revised bill to change the minds of those in states other than Oregon. And, just where is all this money to sweeten the deal coming from, when a month ago, we were told there was absolutely no more money available?
Something to think about, isn't it?
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