I knew that already.
;)
On Sep 21, 2004, at 3:18 PM, Robert G. Seeberger wrote:
http://tinyurl.com/58aqr
[...]
There is no polite way to phrase this: when it comes to politics, the average person is an idiot.
It ain't just politics.
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For example, a large proportion of voters see no contradiction between being in favor of both lower taxes and increased government services.
Oh, I dunno, that could work to an extent. For instance if we were to reduce the size of the IRS by 90%, and cut congressional pay in half, we'd be able to get more services without raising taxes one iota.
:)
[...]
• Perhaps a quarter of all voters vote on the basis of factors that have no "issue content" whatever. They vote for candidates who seem likable, or optimistic, or for those whose campaign posters are particularly eye-catching.
IOW they are perfectly Pavlovian consumers in a consumer culture. This should come as no surprise whatsoever.
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According to Princeton political scientists Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels, millions of voters in the 2000 presidential election based their votes on what the weather had been like lately.
Which perhaps explains why Dr. Brin wanted to mention the weather in a certain phallic state?
[...]
Menand observes that this sort of data helps explain the otherwise puzzling fact "that the world's greatest democracy has an electorate that continually 'chooses' to transfer more and more wealth to a smaller and smaller fraction of itself."
That plus -- this is one area where I will agree with Michael Moore -- most po' folk believe they too will eventually be feelt'y steenkeeng reech, and don't want to tax the wealthy fairly or appropriately, lest those burdens one day be theirs to carry.
The odds of being rich like Gates or Murdock, though, are about on par with hitting a massive PowerBall payoff. (At best.)
I don't have a problem hiking taxes on the wealthy. Back when I was bringing home a much more substantial sum of money I felt the bite of taxation, yes, a significant percentage of my check going to the Fed. I put up with it and only wished that the money would go to programs I could really support (as opposed to funding military bloat, and our military is bloated whenever we don't have morons sending it out on frivolous, unnecessary wars; I guess it was a case of "look at all these wunnaful toys ... let's go play!").
[...]
Even if we ignore how many people have no coherent political beliefs, or base their voting on irrational factors, the sheer ignorance of the average American should take us aback.
Not in a nation comprised of astrology adherents, crystal/chakra balancers and believers in both creation and the noachian deluge, no it shouldn't.
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Seventy percent of Americans can't identify their senators or their representatives.
That's all right. Their senators and representatives probably can't identify them either.
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Around 30 million can't find the United States on a map.
Then let's send them overseas with a compass and a map and tell them to find their own way back. We'll call it the Golgafrincham Project.
-- Warren Ockrassa, Publisher/Editor, nightwares Books http://books.nightwares.com/ Current work in progress "The Seven-Year Mirror" Excerpt at http://www.nightwares.com/books/Flat_Out.pdf
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