WHAT HAPPENED IN NOVEMBER 2012
We have a new Website and Blog!
A place to meet, work and share how to get more power to our votes.
As described on the powertomyvotes.com HOME page, I just had to do something positive politically. I got a sense of direction from Dr. Eitan Hersh’s book:
Politics Is For Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change.
Is this even possible? How can a voter do such a thing?
Well, voting has been around for thousands of years. And clever people have learned to get more voting power by:
- Knowing that voting decides who gets good stuff instead of bad stuff.
- Being sociable and discussing with others why to vote for what.
- Knowing the decision makers (politicians) and voting in all elections—local, state, national.
This is common sense. But in America only about 50% of voters vote in federal elections. And in state and local elections voting turnout is far, far less.
Furthermore, only a very small percent of voters have real and personally important issues that specifically cause their Republican or Democratic vote.
Instead, they vote from a “menu” of issues their political party created to have the best chance of winning the election. So, instead of voting for issues, most voters loyally vote for their Republican or Democratic Party. The research statistics show this to be the case.
On my journey so far, I’m repeatedly amazed at how we American citizens have lost our voting power by our dislike of politics, by not learning about issues important for OUR work and welfare, and by not devoting enough time to learn what our elected officials are doing—not just in public, but also behind the scenes hiding it from the voters. The politicians are putting way too much effort into their own welfare instead of ours.
We shouldn't blame this ALL on politicians; we share the blame due to our lack of active participation.
WHAT HAPPENED DECEMBER 2021 TO FEBRUARY 2022
I was learning the new software for producing an up-to-date website and blog. Vastly upgrading my knowledge of politics and how government is supposed to operate. Reading blogs of various types. Reading top rated liberal and conservative political blogs.
Examining the standard meanings and workings of key political entities and terms:
- What issues does the Republican Party push in their platform?
- What issues does the Democratic Party push in their platform?
- What do the political words liberal and conservative actually mean?
- How are "tribal" and "identity" political messages sent out to the voters.
I subscribed to a standard set of news sources—conservative and liberal. My statements and conclusions are based on multiple, credible sources of data source, in combination with political contexts.
After I learned the importance of pictures for blogs, I upgraded my iPhone and began taking shots of anything related to politics and government. Then I had to learn how to resize and reformat pictures for compatibility on the web with cell phones, tablets and desktops. Manipulating photos' properties for correct placement in a blog section was a difficult learning curve!
WHAT HAPPENED IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
I bought and studied collected blogs of the liberal blogger Paul Krugman and the conservative blogger Charles Krauthammer. Those book titles are Arguing With Zombies and Things That Matter. Both are exceptional, award winning writers. Their blogs are usually two or three pages long and a fun way to get familiar with politics.
I learned that in general, online blogs are all about pictures, or all about humor, food, or family, and many diverse topics.
I learned most blogs are chatty and that sharing one’s personality is a good thing.
I experimented writing blogs and deleting many versions of what I wanted my blog to be.
I finally settled on a blog style appropriate for my goals of educating and inspiring voters. As I write about the serious business of politics, I try to use the simplest words; I know I sacrifice entertainment in my attempt to teach vital concepts. The concepts must be understood, thought about, and used strategically. The proper mood is business-like. In grasping this principle, I was helped by Dr. Hersh's book, Politics Is For Power.
WHAT’S HAPPENING FROM MARCH 2022 AND FORWARD
Writing blogs!
I’m finding it’s hard work assembling data from sources, attempting to be nonpartisan but reporting events fairly, and making politics interesting and valuable to read.
I’m really enjoying the books I’m reading. Politics is a big deal and I’m glad I’ve embarked on our Journey of getting power to our votes.
WORKS CITED
For references, see the relevant page on the powertomyvotes.com website.
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