Thanks to everyone who took the new survey I rolled out on Friday. We have almost 1,000 replies so far. Sorry for asking you to consider this new one so soon after the other one; someday, maybe I’ll get better organized! I’ll share some of what we learned below. By the way,
When I vote, I often feel like I'm voting for the lesser of evils. Or here in Northern Ontario, as people tend to vote NDP (New Democratic Party), I feel that even though I mostly like what the NDP stands for, they never have any true power to change things. It is surprising that people vote Liberal and Conservative in Ontario (or in Canada for that matter), as most people are working class, and the best party to represent us would be more in keeping with the NDP platform. I fear there are many that keep voting like their parents voted. I also like what the PPC (People's Party of Canada) has to say, but again, they have no power.
I recall the movie Brewster's Millions with Richard Prior. Remember the category none of the above? Now wouldn't that send a strong message, people voting none of the above.
It’s a shame we are stuck with a two party system. Ranked choice would give more candidates an opportunity to run and provide voters with more choices. That might eliminate the need to vote for the single “lesser of two evils.” It would also eliminate gerrymandering. Short of that, it makes the most sense to let a simple majority of voters select a candidate. That is true democracy in action. If I happen to live in a “red” state or even a severely gerrymandered state, my vote will never truly count.
Thanks for the 7 other thing too. Truck info really was interesting and it’s nice to see at least one thing government do really well.
Sad to see an Air Force general so out of touch with life. Once again the phrase officer and a gentleman takes a hit due to stupidity, arrogance and whatever else drives such men.
Good morning Bill. I figure that you’ve got at least 6 months of newsletters out of the information you’re gleaning from your surveys. Way to go Big Guy! I’m thoroughly enjoying reading about your results. It speaks highly of your writing when it elicits no snarky comments that one can find elsewhere. When this stuff starts to run dry do another one on Dogs vs. Cats. FYI, I just adopted a dog so that might give one an idea of where I stand on that subject already.
Anyway, the weather down here is gorgeous and I’m getting a bit more exercise now(yay!). Hope you have a good day. Here’s to Thursday.
With being concerned about politics over the years I’m seeing some very different trends since the 1960’s. Congress, thanks to the 1970’s Tea Party, is no longer about issues. It’s about emotional reaction. I do a lot of research (even in the 60’s) and found that in the past, the reps would vote in line mostly with their constituents and consider the bigger picture. But now, constituents be damned, reps vote according to their party and in my state no longer hold “town meetings”. This worries me. I have a rep recently who’s a Republican who always voted on the party line, but announced he’s not running again (after Jan 6), and his voting is more flexible now. I also see Democrats resigning too and their voting also is more flexible. But who will replace them? And with the gerrymandering going on, I can see why some folks don’t see the point of voting.
When I studied Germany leading up to WWII, I see a lot of similarities in the US and France. Fear of immigrants taking over and inflation, leaving people vulnerable to the future. So I work on the personal level (the only place I can have an impact) and try to find the driving force with folks in the extremes. There seem to be a lot of fear and control issues. Maybe that’s where we need to start. The big picture is lost.
When I vote, I often feel like I'm voting for the lesser of evils. Or here in Northern Ontario, as people tend to vote NDP (New Democratic Party), I feel that even though I mostly like what the NDP stands for, they never have any true power to change things. It is surprising that people vote Liberal and Conservative in Ontario (or in Canada for that matter), as most people are working class, and the best party to represent us would be more in keeping with the NDP platform. I fear there are many that keep voting like their parents voted. I also like what the PPC (People's Party of Canada) has to say, but again, they have no power.
I recall the movie Brewster's Millions with Richard Prior. Remember the category none of the above? Now wouldn't that send a strong message, people voting none of the above.
It’s a shame we are stuck with a two party system. Ranked choice would give more candidates an opportunity to run and provide voters with more choices. That might eliminate the need to vote for the single “lesser of two evils.” It would also eliminate gerrymandering. Short of that, it makes the most sense to let a simple majority of voters select a candidate. That is true democracy in action. If I happen to live in a “red” state or even a severely gerrymandered state, my vote will never truly count.
I wonder if voters are happy with the election results.
Interesting results. Though I don’t think surprising. Well done Bill for the shout out to your nephew. 😊
Thanks for the 7 other thing too. Truck info really was interesting and it’s nice to see at least one thing government do really well.
Sad to see an Air Force general so out of touch with life. Once again the phrase officer and a gentleman takes a hit due to stupidity, arrogance and whatever else drives such men.
On your chart: OMG the bell shaped curve is alive and well ! Althea Jones
Good morning Bill. I figure that you’ve got at least 6 months of newsletters out of the information you’re gleaning from your surveys. Way to go Big Guy! I’m thoroughly enjoying reading about your results. It speaks highly of your writing when it elicits no snarky comments that one can find elsewhere. When this stuff starts to run dry do another one on Dogs vs. Cats. FYI, I just adopted a dog so that might give one an idea of where I stand on that subject already.
Anyway, the weather down here is gorgeous and I’m getting a bit more exercise now(yay!). Hope you have a good day. Here’s to Thursday.
With being concerned about politics over the years I’m seeing some very different trends since the 1960’s. Congress, thanks to the 1970’s Tea Party, is no longer about issues. It’s about emotional reaction. I do a lot of research (even in the 60’s) and found that in the past, the reps would vote in line mostly with their constituents and consider the bigger picture. But now, constituents be damned, reps vote according to their party and in my state no longer hold “town meetings”. This worries me. I have a rep recently who’s a Republican who always voted on the party line, but announced he’s not running again (after Jan 6), and his voting is more flexible now. I also see Democrats resigning too and their voting also is more flexible. But who will replace them? And with the gerrymandering going on, I can see why some folks don’t see the point of voting.
When I studied Germany leading up to WWII, I see a lot of similarities in the US and France. Fear of immigrants taking over and inflation, leaving people vulnerable to the future. So I work on the personal level (the only place I can have an impact) and try to find the driving force with folks in the extremes. There seem to be a lot of fear and control issues. Maybe that’s where we need to start. The big picture is lost.
Typo: based on your pie chart 2/3 of trump voters were UNenthusiastic.