Thoughts About The 2012 Presidential Election

I absolutely hate elections, and more specifically years when it‘s time to choose a President!  Looking back, the first time I was authentically enthused with any of the national candidates, was in 1960 when Senator John F. Kennedy was running for the White House.  Being a young, liberal Democrat, I cast my first ever vote for him that year, and when he actually won I thought it was certainly because of ME.  In the end, however, he ultimately lost on November 22, 1963.

The next time I was truly enthused about a candidate, was in 1968 when his brother, Bobby Kennedy, was running for the Oval Office.  This time my enthusiasm was shattered when he was shot and killed at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California Primary.  And while my vote had helped him win here, I would never get the chance to vote for him on a national ballot.

As for all the presidential campaigns after that, they simply boiled down to voting for the least objectionable candidate on the ballot, or whoever I deemed to be the best of the worst.  No enthusiasm, no real political passion, just a personal exercise in fulfilling my voting franchise as a good citizen.  How sad a comment is that?

These days, my readers know I view most politicians as corruptible, feed-at-the-public-trough, special interest ass kissers whose main work ethic is positioning themselves for the next election.  And the only thing more distasteful than them, are the surrogate creeps that “spin” their every word in an attempt to stay on whatever script the campaign feels will make them look good, and garner future votes.  In this campaign the BS has been going on for well over a year, and it’s either turned most people’s brains into mush, or just turned them off completely.

I could list a page of other things I hate about elections in general, but one stands out as the most upsetting of all.  If you’re a moderate or conservative in a state like California these days, the vote you cast on election day is absolutely a wasted effort.  I mean, left coast pollsters could accurately predict winners and losers by simply asking ME who or what I just voted for.  That’s because I almost always end up on the losing side, whether it‘s for a specific candidate, a bond issue, or a statewide Proposition.  Oh, what I’d give to live in one of those “swing” states like Ohio, where I could at least embrace the illusion that MY vote will make a difference.  Here, NOT voting left of center is like peeing in the ocean and expecting to see it rise.

So what am I going to do in this election?  Obviously, I’ll bike down to my local polling place and vote as I always do.  But perhaps if I was smart, I’d service my bicycle, pack a huge lunch, and start peddling my ass off towards Ohio.  And were I to  make it there alive, coherent, and on time, maybe for the first time in many years I’d feel like my vote was actually going to count for something.

As to who will get my vote this year, let me tell you a story like one I might use in the Elementary classroom:

“Pretend, Boys and Girls, I inherited an old house that was falling apart, and I hired a contractor who convinced me he was SO DARN GOOD, that in four years my old house would be returned to good or better condition.  When the time was up, however, the house looked pretty much the same, even though the nice contractor had been on the job every day, and spent more money than I actually had.  Beyond that, some of the house looked even worse than it had when he first started, and his only explanation was that the bid he had won turned out to be VERY difficult.  Seems like he’d need four more years to deliver on his promises and fulfill the contract.

Now, this contractor was certainly a nice guy, and convincing in his promises to do better.  But the fact was, I had had to live in the broken down house during the first four years of his “fixing up” efforts, and that had been very hard on me, my family, and the neighborhood.  So the thought of having to do the same for another four years, plus me steadily losing confidence that this man and his company were even able to do the job, I turned to “Angie’s List” to find another contractor who might fix my house more quickly, and do it effectively.

In the process I heard about someone who claimed to have strong rebuilding credentials, and confidence in his ability to turn projects like mine around.  Realizing he certainly couldn’t do worse than the first contractor, common sense said to let the first one go and hire the replacement… with hopes that he and his workers could accomplish what the first hadn’t, or perhaps couldn’t.  In short, Boys and Girls, it was nothing personal. My switch of contractors was a simple business decision based on practical necessity.”

That said, Columnist Hal Lancaster once wrote this line that seems to sum it all up:  “Getting fired is nature’s way of telling you that you had the wrong job in the first place.”  Based on that, and despite my dismal winning record, let’s just say that this year I’m voting as a serious environmentalist… with a willingness to do what I can to help Mother Nature out!

That’s how the Paisano sees it, lose or win.  And, OH, by the way… don’t forget to honk if you pass me peddling east to Ohio!
 

A Way To Find My Old Stuff

This post is simply an index of all the things I’ve written since this Blog began.  I’m sure there was a more savvy way to do it with direct links and all, but since I’m technically challenged and couldn’t find a “gadget” to accomplish the task, I thought I’d just list every post since the beginning, for those who want to read older stuff on a variety of topics.

The posts are listed from oldest to newest.  The last portion of each URL gives the title of the post on that date.  Skimming just that part, gives you a pretty good idea of what the post is about.  You can go to that specific post by highlighting its entire address, “copying” it to your browser’s address bar, then clicking the “GO” icon.

 Of course, if you want to review posts by subject matter, you can just click on a specific heading in the “Labels/Tags” column in the right margin.  I hope this helps those of you who haven’t been with me since the beginning, and don’t have hours to plow through stuff that preceded your arrival.  And, thanks to my small but loyal band of readers who drop by every now and then!  Peace!

Paisano 

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http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-heck-am-i-doing-here.html    

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/07/artichokes-who-would-have-known_14.html      

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/07/safe-harbor-captain-phil.html          

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/07/something-creative-from-past_18.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/07/keep-your-fingers-outa-my-happy-meal.html               

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/07/forgive-me-little-black-sambo-i-let-you.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/07/happy-birthday-to-my-diabetic-friends.html          

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/07/mayhem-in-express-checkout-line.html                   

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/08/spam-e-mails-can-they-really-improve-my.html            

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/08/political-porn-courtesy-of-washington.html              

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/08/three-things-i-need-to-bag-and-toss.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/08/another-washington-payoff-another.html              

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/08/another-creative-bit-from-past-teachers.html          

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/08/little-kids-highly-underrated.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/08/elvis-presley-remembered.html         

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/08/practical-suggestions-for-new-school.html              

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/08/municipal-bonds-or-voluntary-bondage.html           
        
http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/o9/what-happened-to-honest-discourse.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/09/why-I-don’t-tweet-twitter-or-talk-like_07.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/09/conspiracy-theories-about-september.html                 

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/09/something-from-paisanos-e-mail-file.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/09/kids-view-on-illegal-immigration.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2010/09/glimpse-back-at-print-advertising_24.html         
              
http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/02/its-wonder-im-still-alive.html
   
http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-teenage-escape-from-alcatraz.html            

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/03/more-stuff-for-bs-bag.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/03/truth-it-all-depends-on-your-point-of.html              

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/03/suggestion-for-new-survivor-series.html           

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/04/cable-television-todays-traveling.html           

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/05/another-diabetic-treat.html               

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/05/science-and-religion-compatible.html          

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/06/fortune-cookie-messages-lets-get-real.html           

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/06/hardest-letters-I-ever-had-to-write.html
           
http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/07/improve-your-mental-health-talk-to.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/07/one-year-of-prattling-who-would-have.html         

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/07/when-love-goes-down-drain.html               

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-type-of-post-named-after-tiny-pasta.html        

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/07/with-gratitude-to-mighty-oak.html          

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/07/living-among-dinosaurs.html           

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/12/when-life-itself-was-green-movemet.html
          
http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/12/diet-that-reflects-times.html           

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/12/male-and-female-compatibility-another.html              

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2011/12/preparations-for-new-year.html           

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-theory-on-how-they-found-osama-bin.html        

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/01/role-model-with-mask-and-gun.html          

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/01/kids-view-on-dealing-with-world-bullies.html           

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/02/about-parent-teacher-conferences.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/02/feeling-at-home-in-ninety-nine-cent.html           

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/02/success-is-only-signup-away.html
   
http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/03/you-cannot-multiply-wealth-by-dividing.html            

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/03/chopping-away-at-bad-word-choice.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/03/is-it-authentic-or-high-tech-forgery.html         

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-take-on-hbos-game-change.html              

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/04/abbot-and-costello-discuss-government.html                 

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/04/learning-from-firsthand-experience.html               

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/04/jaywalking-on-history-street.html                

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/04/tribute-to-patience-and-love.html            

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/05/hey-weight-just-darn-minute.html                

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/05/disappointment-at-30000-feet.html     

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/05/some-time-ago-reader-said-she-thought-i.html        

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/06/where-politicians-look-for-solutions.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/06/gassed-by-our-own-government_18.html            

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/06/three-cheers-for-duct-tape.html           

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/07/idiots-among-us.html                 

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/07/which-word-says-it-best.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/07/no-hassle-corn-on-cob.html              

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/07/some-geriatric-humor_30.html            

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-freebie-frenzy-at-costco.html         

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/08/e-mail-why-teachers-drink.html            

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/08/government-subsidized-porn-in-golden.html          

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/09/more-fuzzy-government-math.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-mayan-calendar-and-end-of-time.html             

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/09/bulge-or-weapon-of-mass-destruction.html           

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-bs-bag-is-back.html        

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/10/more-from-mighty-oak.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-way-to-find-my-old-stuff.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/10/thoughts-on-2012-presidential-election.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-attack-on-childhood-by-frito-lay.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/11/inside-special-ops-mission.html 

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/11/memories-of-jfk-assassination.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-first-new-car.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/12/if-whales-can-sing-so-can-we.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-dental-patients-view-of-mayan-calendar_16.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2012/12/santa-cant-so-i-will.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/01/in-defense-of-dirty-old-men.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/01/prattling-in-local-newspaper.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/01/deer-me-another-california-study_21.html 

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/02/fortune-cookie-messages-for-pessimists.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/02/get-interested-in-interest.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/02/to-immigration-reform-advocates-fight.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/03/get-heck-out-of-my-way.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/03/confessions-of-energy-vampire.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/03/let-music-play-on.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/04/young-paisano-public-prattler.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/04/oh-how-things-have-changed.html 

 http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/04/california-not-so-golden-state.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-slippery-slope-gets-slipperier.html 

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/05/children-and-self-esteem.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-instinct-to-get-around-stuff.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-death-rattles-of-paisanos-prattles.html 

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-famous-feline-got-it-right.html

 http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/07/for-better-or-worse-boys-will-be-boys.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/07/romance-at-local-park.html

http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/07/another-attack-on-fortune-cookie.html 

 http://theprattlingpaisano.blogspot.com/2013/12/woes-of-solitary-man.html

More From The Mighty Oak

The other night I was flipping through the channels when I came across the last of the Harry Potter movies.  Now, while I’m not a rabid fan of the series, I have seen bits and pieces of each movie on HBO.  In this final installment, the evil Lord Voldemort raids the tomb of Hogwart’s Head Master, Dumbledore, in order to steal the powerful and sought after Elder Wand.  He plans to become its true master, which would make him not only invincible, but give him immortality in the Wizarding World.

Supposedly this “Wand of Destiny” was made of wood from the elder tree, a member of the Honeysuckle family which is sacred in Magic and Witchcraft lore.   I had never actually seen its design  before, that is until it was being taken from Dumbledore’s burial vault in the movie.  For just a short moment, the camera zoomed in for a close-up of the object.  And distinctly apart from the fictional element of its magic, I was immediately overcome by it’s simplistic beauty and artistic craftsmanship.

 Now as you might know, I love objects made of wood. (See post #38, July 2011).  And oak has long been my favorite from which to fashion things.  So seeing the Elder Wand up close prompted me to go out to the workshop and give the whole wand making thing a try.  What I ended up crafting was not the Elder Wand itself, but two others that just “emerged” as the wood and I interacted.  They’re solid oak, of course, and all you have to do is feel their rugged but delicate smoothness in your hand, to know there’s magic in them somewhere.

The BS Bag Is Back !

You may have noticed that I haven’t gotten the BS Bag out for quite some time.  That could seem to indicate that either the sources of aggravation in my life have dried up, or I’m heavily sedating myself so as not to notice.  In truth, both reasons are inaccurate.  For, some time ago I decided to use this special container for only the most outrageous and disturbing stuff I encounter on my daily trek.  And, the incident that “ticked me off” had to cause a blood pressure elevation of at least 180 over 100 before committing it to writing.

Well, today I got my latest property tax bill.  Immediately I was hit with a flashback of what made my sphygmomanometer blow up last year when I tried to, (for the first time I must add), pay these taxes electronically.  And since I consider what happened then to be bullshit of the vilest vintage, I thought it good therapy to finally exhume the distasteful memory, and give it a proper burial in today's bag.

Here’s what happened.  The electronic process forewarned, that if I used a credit card to pay the tax bill, a “Convenience Fee,” (whatever that is), would be assessed and added to the total.  Now in my book, any added fee is certainly not convenient.  But sometimes one finds himself in a weaken state due to fighting the “system,” and simply not in the mood to quibble over small issues of little practical consequence.  I mean, even an unexplained amount of five or so bucks wasn’t going to sabotage my budget for the month.  So I filled in the necessary information and proceeded to the “Check Out” page.

This is where the excrement hit the fan !!  In the box that represented the so-called “Convenience Fee,” I found a number more odious and ethically immoral than I could have imagined.  For someone’s “convenience,” (certainly not MINE), they had the nerve to access a total of THIRTY-FIVE DOLLARS !!  Not only that, in red there was a disclaimer that the “convenience fee” would NOT be going to the tax assessor, but to an outside agency that processes credit card payments.

Now, I assume the “outside agency” was the credit card company, itself.  And I’m almost positive I know why they wanted to charge me $35.00 up front.  It’s because they knew the chances of them making any money on this type of transaction, were questionable at best.  It had nothing to do with “convenience” of any sort.  They anticipated that I (and others like me who might use their credit cards to pay taxes), would be paying the full balance when it was due, and NOT sending in a “minimum” payment.  So they colluded with the bureaucrats to include their service fee up front, as part of the overall tax payment.

Now, if there’s one thing I hate, it’s an opportunist. And if there’s one thing I hate even more, it’s more than one opportunist teaming up to take advantage of me.  So the combination of a taxing agency AND a credit card company in cahoots, adds up to appropriate content for anyone's B.S. bag.  In the end, of course, I didn’t end up paying my tax bill using a credit card.  For MY convenience, I sent them a check which cost me nothing.

I’m thinking that maybe when I pay this newest bill, I should seriously consider showing the assessor’s office how repulsive I find  their monetary collusion with private sector Shylocks.  It might be as simple as just boxing up and shipping them the amount of taxes I owe… all in those rolls of PENNIES I've been saving over the years.  A rough calculation tells me it would add up to about 900 POUNDS of coins they’d have to process in order to call us even.   Now for me, it certainly would be a “convenient” way to get rid of all those pennies.  And for the tax assessor and his minions, it might be a “hands on” way to learn this concept: One person’s convenience, is another person’s pain in the ass.