All you have to do is vote. For many of us, absentee ballots have arrived and in many states, early voting has begun or will shortly. Vote for whomever you choose, but remember this.
The internet and the media are floating with misinformation. If you are like me, you listen -- and then you fact check. Your favorite news source might be CNN. It might be MSNBC. It might be FOX. Especially in the latter cases, you're hearing one set of info presented with "authority." The authority (including the candidates) aren't always spot-on accurate.
We hear out of context clips. We see ads, some of which may be AI-constructed. We hear sound bites on everything from news shows to late night comedy. A lot of it is clever. (In fact, the late night shows are very clever indeed!). But they still come with a point of view.
Ask yourself -- "What matters to me?" Is it child care? The economy? Immigration? Democracy, freedom and the future of America itself? The right to make your own choices -- what to read, how to create (or not create) your family? The justice system? Higher education? The list is never ending.
After you ask yourself what matters most -- ask "who will be most able provide it for me?" And then ask, "Is the information I've been following accurate? Have I checked the facts? And if I have, how do I feel about it?"
Maybe you are a lifelong party member. Party support can be based on family history or even the regions in which we live. But if that party no longer serves you, there is no shame in voting for the other party. It doesn't make you a traitor, it doesn't make you a turncoat, it doesn't make you "bad."
It makes you smart. Because you are voting your values. You are voting for the country. (And guess what -- you don't even have to tell who you voted for!)
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| Source: Ohio State News |
But -- and it's a big but -- do it intelligently. Pick that issue that matters to you most, and then the next one and the one after that. Go to respected fact-check sources, not necessarily those favored by your favorite cable network or news source. (Two of note are FactCheck.org and League of Women Voters, which has links to other respected sites.
And mine them for all they are worth.
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| By Peter Max |
Because guess what -- there is no candidate that doesn't misrepresent the facts. We heard downright intentional lies. (Yes, Governor Kemp DID speak to President Biden, long before one candidate outright lied and said they hadn't communicated and the White House was ignoring Georgia. And the person who confirmed that was Kemp himself.) And we hear spin, interpretation and mis-speaking. Ask yourself, "Is it significant enough to matter?"
You may not know either -- until you do your homework.
I have been inspired by the courage of those who believe very differently on many issues from the candidate they are voting for and supporting in this year because they are voting their values. Voting for who they must this time. In another four years, there will be other candidates -- maybe even one of them. But for now, they are taking the courageous step of voting for the sake of the country over party.
They have done their homework. And doing our homework can be exhausting -- but it is essential.
And they might not -- probably don't -- agree with all they know about that candidate. But they know what they cannot, under any circumstances, support. And to protect that, to do the best they can to prevent that from happening, they will vote their key values for this election.
Too many of us find it easy to be sheep -- and I say that for all parties, all people. We get glitter eyes from the brightest, shiniest object. We remember past times through a gauzy lens. Think about gas prices. These days you hear people say "they are higher than they've ever been." That's not completely true.
Fact check, people. Use your internet talents! You don't know what you find what but it might be surprising. and don't forget to factor in inflation. For example, based on gas-per-gallon costs from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics data, in 2021, it was gas averaged at $3.13/gallon ($3.44 inflation-adjusted). Hmm. $3.13 is what I saw on every pump in Lansing, Michigan on September 7. So, I looked at 2018. Yes, it's higher now. By 34 cents. And there's a whole lot more going on internationally now than in 2018. When we're looking back at those days of $1.35/gallon, we're forgetting what that price would be now, that inflation adjustment.
Point is, everyone talks about gas. It goes up and down, like everything else. And rarely, down to "what it used to be." If you get gas prices that are super low, back to prices of many years ago, chances are we are in the next pandemic or another serious national event. Everything costs more than it used too (and more than often, more than it should). But the days of a nickel candy bar are long past -- even at the dollar store.
That gas search led me to the "are you better off now that four years ago?" question. In 2020, the average rate of inflation was 1.2% -- very low. And then came Covid. Portable cold storage trucks turned into morgues, people getting insane advice on injecting bleach and doctors and nurses who couldn't get enough protective gear to safely care for their patients. Perhaps you know people who died. I did. And others who came perilously close.
Supply chain issues sent prices and inflation up (the old supply/demand story). It went as high as 8.0% in 2022. BUT -- it's a big but -- in a mere two years, it has come down to 2.53%.
That's just an example. If you can tell me why I pay $2.29 for a dozen large eggs here and the grocery up north sells the same eggs for $3.59 -- apart from greed -- I'd be curious to hear. Either the avian flu is bringing up prices in one market but keeping them down in another? Or is it price gouging?
Much that happens in our lives comes down to choice. I drive an economically responsible car. Not a hybrid or electric -- I'm not that economically responsible (as anyone who knows me will tell you.) But I make a choice.
People who do not need a truck to haul things about on a regular basis but drive one and complain about gas have no room to do so in my book. Nor does the SUV owner who is a solo person (or even a couple) who are basically going back and forth to work or on a vacation. (If you're hauling around the sixth grade soccer team, a hard-core antiquer, a home woodworker or regularly carting around your merchandise to an art fair or trade show, for example, it's a different matter.) Enjoy your vehicle, ride all you like. But don't complain about gas!
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| My mileage on my 2016 Toyota. (It'll fall this winter with city driving only into the mid-30s.) |
It is a choice. So don't complain when filling the tank costs more.
It's important to look at trends -- not just the past. Trends lead to the future. (And our overall economic trend is a good one.) Yes, we can learn from the past and we must, and yes, our world is fluid. Wars, strikes, natural disasters can affect everyone, not just those in the immediate path. But moving forward is essential.
This election is about choice. We are making a choice as to which candidate we will choose. I will vote for the one I believe will best deliver on choice, freedom, democracy. I will vote for integrity, for facts, for compassion. Those are the values I will vote for.
Other issues popular today -- immigration and the economy to name two, mean a bit less to me. (And I believe the economy is resolving considerably and in time will continue to improve, no matter who wins, with periodic setbacks. That's just life.)
So, I will vote for the candidate whom I feel best supports those issues and best supports people that most need it -- the under served, the children, those working their hardest and getting by on less than they need -- not want, but need. I will vote for the candidate who will best figure out how to intelligently and compassionately handle issues at our borders and those immigrants already here who have worked hard to establish a new life in a new country after living in danger in their homeland.
I will vote for the candidate who will support democracies around the world and not pander to authoritarian leaders and dictators. In the company of our allies, we are infinitely safer than going it alone. And I will vote for one who will preserve our Constitution and protect its values.
I will vote so that Carson and Cameron can read the books they want to read, whether others approve or not, and for those I know who will or are facing issues related to gender, personal relationships or reproductive freedom will have the freedom to do so.
And if I have to pay more taxes, I'm good with that. (Although since I fall nowhere near the $400,000 level, that's not an issue, And if the few people I know who fall into that category of an income well above that (I rather doubt they read this blog) -- well, you SHOULD be paying more. It will make little difference to you -- a trip abroad, a new model of car, an addition to your already lovely home. It could make an enormous difference to others.
You may well have early-voted or sent in your absentee ballot. If you are at the polls on November 5, good for you. Voting is a privilege and it is important to do so. If you have to "hold your nose" and vote against party, please do so. What matters is that you vote. We can't complain if we don't vote!
And heaven knows, we all love to complain! (Comments are off for this one.)
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