Agrarian Society

I spent the day cutting firewood and clearing brush. It is not the kind of work that challenges the intellect. It does challenge all your muscles, your back and your will power. It would at times be easier to quit. Since the work was mindless it gave me time to think. I took the time to vote yesterday and afterward wondered why. Normally I would not talk about who I voted for but today I will make an exception. I am, and always have been, a registered Republican. I asked for a Republican primary ballot yesterday. I stood in the voting booth and looked at the list of Republicans who want to be president. I had hoped there would be one of the candidates I could back. As I scanned the list I realized there was not. So I voted in some local races but did not vote for any presidential candidate or any delegate for any candidate. There are those who will suggest that I should have voted for the lesser of the evils. I counter with the least evil is still evil. Back to thinking today. I was contemplating our presidential debates and what a waste of time they are. We ask a complex question about tax policy or national defense, oh what the he'll throw in foreign relations and ask for a response in 90 seconds giving the candidates position. His opponent gets 60 seconds to respond. The end result is a series of sound bites that do nothing to educate the electorate. When Lincoln and Douglas debated in the 1858 election the rules were as follows. The first speaker had 60 MINUTES to make his point. His opponent then had 90 minutes to respond. The first speaker was then allowed 30 minutes to rebut. When they were done you knew where each candidate stood on an issue. In our immediate world where information is at our fingertips we can't pay attention through an entire one minute television commercial. What happened? Well 150 years ago our economy was primarily agricultural. You worked by hand doing a lot of things that did not require too much thought. You could contemplate what kind of country you wanted and the person you wanted in charge. I guarantee that walking behind a horse all day plowing you will find plenty to think about that does not involve a horse's ass. When you are playing a video game all you are thinking about is the game. We need to be better informed and demand more than sound bite answers from our candidates.