Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Vote? Mickey Mouse? What About...?

It is election day. I hope you take the time to vote. I hope you think about what the candidate you vote for wants to accomplish while he or she is in office. One of many problems I have with elections and candidates is the tone and content of political advertisements. It seems so much time is wasted trying to tell me what a worthless, low down, lying piece of shit your opponent is. That information has absolutely no value to me as a voter. I need to know what you want to accomplish if you are elected. What do you see as our greatest needs? How do you want to address the high cost of healthcare? Drug prices continue to rise seemingly out of control. Do you have a plan to address that issue? What is it? The budget deficit has risen dramatically due to the tax cuts and increased defense spending. How do you intend to address that issue? Do you plan on cutting social security and government subsidized healthcare to reduce the deficit? Where do you stand on the Mueller investigation? Should it continue? Should there be more oversight provided by Congress on the actions of the current president? How do you plan to address immigration? Is it appropriate to send our military to the southern boarder? Those are some of the questions I think the candidates should answer. I'll use healthcare as an example. Those folks running for office say they want to protect preexisting conditions and expand healthcare. What they don't say in their advertisements or on their websites is how? Don't give me broad strokes of policy wishes. Tell me what, when, how, cost, benefit. As I was always taught, the devil is in the details. About now you are wondering what the hell Mickey Mouse has to do with this. Good question.

Sunday night, two days before an election, ABC broadcast a special celebrating Mickey Mouse's 90th birthday. Really? This is how we want to spend our valuable broadcast time, celebrating the birthday of an imaginary mouse. Those of you who know me are aware that I have no love for that little rodent bastard. I understand the economics of the broadcast. ABC is owned by Disney. Clearly since Disney raised worker wages they need to encourage more folks to attend their theme parks. So, while we should be focused on an important election, we are watching a celebration for a rodent. You see a mouse on your floor in your house. Do you wonder when his or her birthday is so you can plan a party? I think not. Time for glue traps, snap traps, and poison. Maybe wack that son of a bitch with a broom. Mickey Mouse- please just go back in the wall and eat that cheese on the snap trap.

What about? Don't be distract by bullshit. I keep hearing about this invading caravan of immigrants traveling through Mexico headed north. It has become the center theme of what the president has had to say. Think about what is going on here. They are over 600 miles away. They are walking. If they walk 20 miles a day they are still a month away. They are mostly women and children. They are not, as best as we can tell now, trying to cross illegally. They are coming to seek asylum from the horrible conditions in Central America. Conditions that our government's actions helped create. It is another distraction from the real issues that we need to address as a nation.

Today, go vote. Know who you are voting for, what they stand for, what they hope to accomplish. Then take time to follow up. Did they actually do those things. Are they working to earn your support in two or four years? Make them accountable.

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