STUMPTALK: Voter Apathy

Opinion

August 31, 2009

Jim Sykes  / Chronicle contributor The Crossville Chronicle Mon Aug 31, 2009, 04:55 PM CDT

The greatest form of government ever created by man is being destroyed from within. Almost all of the politicians in Washington, DC, have only one primary purpose, to get re-elected. Professional politicians are damaging our Republic to the extent that it will no longer exist unless we the people remove that type of politician from office.

It now requires enormous sums of money to campaign for any national office and the current elected officials have learned that to raise the required sums of money, they must solicit funds from ‘special interest’ groups. Those special interest groups expect something in return for those donations. The big special interest groups donate huge campaign funds to candidates of both national parties resulting in very little difference between candidates who accept those funds. The only way that we will ever have elected officials who will listen to the people is for the people to contribute time and money to candidates who are not supported by special interest groups.

If you doubt the truth of this claim, examine the last Presidential election. The most liberal Democratic and the most liberal Republican ever to run for President were our only choices. Both were supplied with large campaign contributions from special interest groups in the primaries. Do you think that these special interest groups made these contributions solely for the benefit of our country? Do you recognize that the apathy of voters contributed to the election of the most liberal Democratic ever? Do any of our current elected officials do what they say they will do? We must accept responsibility for what has happened and what is continuing to happen in our country. If we want America to return to the greatness that our founding fathers created, we must get involved in the process of selecting and electing our representatives. This will require much less time than you might think. It will only require learning about the candidates and who is providing their campaign funds and then talking to our friends and neighbors to make certain that they also know. Since most politicians now say whatever they think is required to be elected, we should not believe what they say. We should watch and observe what they actually do. Pay attention to their honesty, character, their common sense and logic. They can’t solve problems unless they recognize the cause and their proposed solution will waste time and money. It should no longer matter if the candidate is a Democratic or Republican; what should matter most is his (or her) honesty, character, integrity and who he (or she) will represent if elected.

Your time and a small contribution of your money can return the government of this country to the people. Our current course will require a large contribution of your money as taxes and your children and grandchildren will not enjoy the freedoms that we have enjoyed.

If we follow this procedure, when our elected officials enter office, they will work for all of the people instead of the special interest groups. Between elections, we can enjoy our freedom and doing what is required to support our families.

Text Only

Opinion

Gary's World: The magical Star Wars summer of '77
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

May 24, 2012
Lion and the Lamb: When politics and religion meet
Several wealthy contributors to the Republican presidential campaign are once again trying to figure out how they can use a video clip containing three words that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright used in a sermon on April 13, 2003. Wright, now retired, had been pastor of the 6,600-member Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago when Barack Obama was a member there.

May 22, 2012
Random Thoughts: Returning vets fight fire
Cemeteries are given special attention this week in preparation for Memorial Day next Monday. During the Civil War gracious ladies of the south laid flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers from both sides. The custom spread across the country and was called Decoration Day until the early 20th century.

May 22, 2012
Tidbits: Finding more time in your day
If we had another two hours in every day, we'd all probably still be begging for just a little bit more to get all our stuff done before that clock strikes midnight and it's game over.

May 21, 2012
Stumptalk: Hooray for the innovators
In his brilliant article in the Free Market, Daniel Sanchez says, “There will always be a one-percent. The well-being of the 99-percent depends on who makes up the 1-percent: innovative entrepreneurs or the state and its cronies. This in turn depends on the ideologies adopted by the 99-percent.” This is the way societies have always been organized and always will be.

May 21, 2012
GARY'S WORLD: Graduates, create your own opportunities
Time flies. One day you have a baby boy who is fascinated with stuffed Miss Piggy and Kermit rattles and the next day he wants to wear his cowboy boots and hat with every outfit no matter what the occasion. Before you know it, he's playing in the elementary school band, going into high school, learning how to drive, driving to school, going to prom and graduating.

May 17, 2012
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Truly a January in May
“It’s June in January” became a popular standard after Bing Crosby introduced the song in 1934. A strange thing happened last week. I call it a tale of ‘It’s January in May.’

May 15, 2012
LION AND THE LAMB: Our challenged nation
Three major social justice issues have been a source of contention in our nation over the years, and interestingly, each of them has involved the subject of equality.

May 15, 2012
WE THE PEOPLE: Repressing the ‘Grapes of Wrath’
Sometimes a hole appears, ever so briefly, in the curtain that hides the plans of those who control our government. One such opening occurred when Alan Greenspan testified to the Federal Reserve Board on Feb. 26, 1997. During that testimony, Greenspan revealed that “worker insecurity” was (in his view) a boon to the economy, allowing productivity to increase without causing workers to demand increased earnings.

May 15, 2012
TIDBITS: Never stop moving forward, grads
This week is a week of celebration. According to my files of graduating seniors, Cumberland County will see more than 550 students earning their high school diplomas this week. Now, those youngsters will venture out into the world, armed with the knowledge and character instilled in them by their parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, teachers, principals, classmates, coaches and others.

May 14, 2012
More Opinion Headlines

Opinion

Search Results

STUMPTALK: Voter Apathy

Site Map

Contact Us