Voting is not an option

People in other nations are dying in the street for the right to a fair vote. In America eligible non-voters are given a flippant “If you don’t vote you can’t complain.” slap on the wrist. It’s not enough. Voting is not an option, it’s a duty.

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Gerrymandering Kills Democracy

There are many parts of the political process that are kept in the shadows. Civil Citizens may not know about them or only know of them in a vague way. Gerrymandering is one of them. Gerrymandering is when redistricting commissions draw voting districts in bizarre shapes for the purpose of having a “safe” seat for a political party. The district will encompass a population known to favor a particular ideal or party.

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Political Strategists: Knowing a candidate’s political strategist can tell you more about them than any speech.

Political strategists make and break political careers. They hold a lot of political power but are able to avoid much of the public scrutiny that would normally accompany a position of power.

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How to fire an elected official before the next election.

The recall tool is a powerful tool in the Civil Citizen’s tool kit. It is the nuclear bomb of the tool kit not to be used lightly or for minor infringements on an elected officials part. It is the shadow side of a Democratic system that someone is not going to be happy with a legislative decision. If one were to recall any elected official that offended some one the recall elections would get costly and ridiculous and would stop the ability of a government to do its work.

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When Talking Points Attack

It’s important for every Civil Citizen to know about talking points. Talking points are specific points that a politician, political party or special interest group wants you to know. Like an advertisement there are varying levels of truth to these statements. We have seen some masters of the talking point, I must say many from the Republican Party.

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What makes a great candidate?

What makes a great candidate? There seems to be plenty examples out there of what we as Civil Citizens don’t want. Yet, what qualifies someone as a great candidate?

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Do we really need a year of Presidential campaigning? Will the country survive?

Watching the June 13, Republican debates begs the question does the old way of running long campaigns still make sense in the modern era?

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Passion alone does not a leader make

I should be elected President because I really, really want to be president is not a platform. However, in political races of every level, especially as the Tea Party has come on to the political scene there have been more and more of this type of candidate running for office.

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Getting lost in the fog of political rhetoric

Politics today is reminiscent of pre-school children. Throwing temper tantrums when they don’t get their way. Claiming the entire sandbox to be “Mine!”. Calling the opposition foolish names and saying “I want that, I want this.” without rationalizing the cost. They can want all they want but if it doesn’t make fiscal sense than it’s not going to happen. Made up, unrealistic numbers can be thrown out in a speech, however if they have no basis in reality they are worthless to the American public.

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