Vote Smart

Vote Smart: My Advice, Not the Website

Start with what you know (thanks, Daddy, for this sound advice that has served me well)

1. Republicans will vote with their party, for corporate interests and against the 99%. If you do not know this, please crawl back under your rock until you are ready to grow up and pay attention.

2. Team work can only be achieved by voting out all Republicans and by giving President Obama a team of people who are willing to read bills (even 1,000 page ones), debate them, and listen to the people. More than ever, it is important to remember this at the state level because the Republicans have given us the messes we see in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, etc. and are trying to disenfranchise voters in every state.

3. Protest votes have not and will not work. They only hurt those of us who understand 1 & 2 and you, too, because that makes it difficult for those of us who want to protect you from yourselves.

4. Pretending that you believe both parties are the same so there is no reason to vote is lazy and childish. They are not the same and being lazy and childish does not make you look intelligent or cool when you try to blame everyone but yourself for the problems you cause by propagating this ridiculous notion.

5. Someone will win even if you don’t vote. And that someone will most likely be a Republican or a Democrat. Your chances with an Independent are 50/50 – think Sanders and Leiberman – and consider how well you think Democrats and Republicans will work with the Independent you have in mind.

6. The President, believe it or not, is not the dictator of the world. He cannot make all of your wishes come true, even if he wanted and that was what the majority of people wanted. He is responsible for making decisions that benefit most people, even when most people don’t understand what benefits them, and for representing us responsibly in the world. He cannot do these things without cooperation from the congress.

7. Truth matters. Investigate, consider character, determine which candidate will be able to work with others to accomplish things that matter to you, to your community, and to this world.

8. Even if you believe there is a better system, it can’t happen in a week or a year. Work on that when the stakes are not so high.

9. If you hate government and taxes, try living the next two days without using a single thing provided by the government. While you’re sitting there in the dark with nothing else to do, figure out how many of the things you miss you could actually provide with the taxes you paid last year.

A Little Late With My Union Dues

I have lived a good life. Better than good, really. My mother quit working outside the home before I was born and my father supported the family with a civil service job that provided more than basics. As far as I can remember, I wanted for nothing.

I worked twenty-five years in non-union jobs that enabled me to support my family, provided great benefits, ensured my safety, afforded me the pleasures and security of vacation and sick pay, and kept me in comfortable conditions both at work and at home. I have always been warm; have never been hungry. Until recently, I did not realize that unions played any role in how comfortable my life has been.

Still, I jumped right in there to stand in solidarity with the people of Wisconsin, and Ohio, and Indiana. When it became apparent that the Republican Party is determined to spread dishonest information about public workers, to bust unions, and to eventually harm all workers in every state, I was ready to rally the forces and show those Republicans that we will not stand for this.

I attended rallies and listened to speakers, and started organizing events on my own. I got to know union leaders and workers. They didn’t tell me how ignorant I had been, but my ignorance became painfully obvious to me. I might not have belonged to a union but those who did provided the luxuries I had enjoyed and taken for granted. I had the benefits of livable wages, great benefits, safe and comfortable working conditions, forty-hour work weeks, paid vacations, sick days, and holidays – all without paying my dues.

I did the unthinkable, only because I was too moved to think about my fear of public speaking. I took the microphone, apologized to my newfound union brothers and sisters, asked their forgiveness, and thanked them for my better-than-good life. And. I vowed to stand beside them until this battle with the union busters is over.

I urge everyone to do the same.

My earning days are over so I don’t have a dog in this race. All of you who do still work, or whose children and grandchildren do or will, have huge stakes at risk. If the Republicans manage to do away with collective bargaining, non-union employers will have no reason to pay anything more than minimum wage (which Republicans also hate, along with unemployment, social security, and pretty much every other security net we have), or to provide benefits and safety. What happens then?

I seldom hear anyone say that their employer is overly generous, and cares more about the welfare and happiness of employees than about profit. When I do, those people almost always work for an individual or a small business (a genuine small business, not a Koch Bros. façade).

Do you trust your employer enough to risk the influence union pressure has on them to provide decent wages, benefits, and conditions? Do you believe the Republican plan to do away with unions will help you in any way?