This is legislative season, so many registered citizens are looking at the prospect of new legislation targeting their lives. Members of online activist groups have begun fighting back and going to legislative hearings on all levels of government.
There is one little thing people must understand about politics-- elections are popularity contests. Remember-- you don't have to be a medical examiner to be the county coroner. You don't need degrees to say "Yay" or "Nay" to a piece of legislation. Hell, you don't even have to read the bill to vote on it (though that could soon change).
In a little bit of irony, I quote the Fox News story news link written by possibly one of the one Fox employees with a working brain, Radley Balko:
"Most Americans think their elected representatives in Congress deliberate and debate the costs and benefits of a bill before voting it into law. Unfortunately, most members don't even read the laws they pass. Neither do their staffs. Instead, they more often than not rely on summaries prepared by the bill's authors, or by interest groups whose judgment they trust. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., wrote a remarkable op-ed in the Washington Post last weekend titled "We Need to Read the Bills." By "we," Baird meant "Congress;" by "bills," he meant the laws Congress passes every day and expects you and me to follow."
I want to remind you-- politics is a popularity contest. Popularity does not equal effectiveness (As actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger made millions; as Governor, California LOST billions). In fact, many of them are downright dumb. We might want to keep that in mind we have to talk on their level. Someone told me there are a few differences between Republicans and Democrats-- Republicans are motivated by money, and Democrats are motivated by emotions. Both could use a little education. We have to cater to them. Consider the following lesson from the movie "Idiocracy," and remember we are dealing with people who rarely read and analyze a bill.
