Comments on: The Impending Collapse

By: Larry Conley

Larry Conley — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:41:44 +0000

Dani,

I share your concerns. The recent recall in Wisconsin shows the power of highly funded advertising to obscure the truth and influence the outcome of elections.

I know in my core that the Republic was not created so that offices could be bought and some wealthy boor could speak 400,000 times as loudly or as frequently as a person of character and wisdom with less financial clout.

One person one vote AND one person one voice!

Thanks again for the insightful comments.

Larry

I am going to check out that movie.

By: Dani Heart

Dani Heart — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:32:08 +0000

Me too Larry. me too. I am afraid. Julian recommended the movie (The Corporation) in regards to my article, and we watched it last night. It was frightening. Big corporations have lots of money to throw around, they can afford to purchase those misleading ads. I wouldn’t have thought that elections could be fixed in our time, but I am not so sure, and I am afraid. There is far too much indifference and gullibility and I don’t know how we can fight it. I mean look what has already happened! This kind of crap is making (The Hunger Games) not look so far fetched. sighs..

By: Larry Conley

Larry Conley — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:54:01 +0000

Dani,

You are absolutely right! Far too many of our fellow citizens are not thinking and fail to appreciate how important the act of voting is. They listen to preachers even when those preachers are pulling the wool over their eyes. Alternatively, they listen to ads paid for by Economic Royalists. Ads that are cleverly made and cleverly presented to distort the truth and misguide the gullible.

Between ignorance and indifference combined with tampering with voting suppression, I am beginning to be afraid for the fairness of the 2012 elections.

Thanks for your cogent comment!

Larry

By: Dani Heart

Dani Heart — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:13:48 +0000

Larry this is an outstanding article. Sadly there are too many people who don’t understand politics. I use to be one of those people and I am still trying to grasp economics. It is overwhelming to try and stay educated and discern what’s what. So too many people just don’t. The other major problem with people coming to their senses is religion. The Republican party is aligned with the religious right, and they will vote how their pastors and party tell them to without question. They will stupidly oppose that which is in their best interest simply because they are told to do so. I have seen it first hand. That’s the kind of uncompromising faith we are up against. Not saying that everyone who is religious is bad, but that far too many just follow and don’t think for themselves, and they are being woefully misled. It sickens me when women stand up for having their rights taken away because their religion tells them it is Gods will. There is a whole segment of our population that refuses to vote because of their faith. The JW’s believe they are a society within a society and they refuse to participate in that which they don’t believe in. How stupid is that? Clearly what is voted in affects them yet they stand by and do nothing. Free thinkers want people to think for themselves, but sadly many people do not want to think for themselves they prefer to be led. Told what to think.. it’s easier, and horrifically those who want to lead don’t have the best interests of their followers at heart. We may indeed need a pulpit to change this tide Larry. sighs….

By: Larry Conley

Larry Conley — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 17:35:20 +0000

Julian,

I think the spending imbalance has relevance because of something called the “availability heuristic.” Too often people make decisions based on information they can recall even if this information is incomplete, inaccurate, or downright false.

These massive ad buys are premised [I think] on this phenomenon and also, the hunch that most people as voters do not truly do any diligent search for sound information.

I was dismayed, but not genuinely surprised, by this outcome. I am somewhat concerned that the tsunami of slime may completely drown out sound evidence and sound thinking in November. Couple this with voter suppression efforts and I am dubious about the fairness of November’s election and most subsequent to it.

That is why I feel we may be looking at an impending collapse. What a depressing thought.

Thanks for you cogent comment.

Larry

By: Julian Gallo

Julian Gallo — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:53:10 +0000

Excellent, Larry. The last line of this says it all -- yet I have to shake my head from time to time -- as I did last night when the results of the Wisconsin recall vote came in. Not that I’m all that surprised at the result, but it is a sign that does not bode well for the “99%”. Some have made the argument that it was because that Scott Walker has “outspent” his Democratic rival. I don’t buy that argument. Have you ever voted for someone based on how much money they raised? Doesn’t anyone have a mind of their own? After all that protesting, organizing, etc, I can only be saddened by the result of this, because, in my mind at least, shows where this country is headed. I actually heard one guy on the news broadcast say in his comments to a reporter, after voting for Walker, that at least “Walker fought for his principles” and he was a union guy who has the most to lose! While I agree with your assessment here, I still don’t feel all that optimistic that people are going to do what’s in their best interests. It happens all the time. Perhaps Walker’s victory will wake up the “99%” a little -- and show them that this is something they have to REALLY fight for. It’s not a game anymore….