The Future of America Is In Voters' Hands

Cameron,

Your voter motivation and advocacy is well-noted and commendable. However, you have much to learn about realpolitik, American style. This can be attributed to your age, even though your are much more older mature (western born and bred European youth are light-years ahead of their American counterparts in terms of maturity, responsibility, morals, knowledge and a grasp of what is going on in the world). At least you recognize, and very much appreciate, the constitutional right of voting.

If I can give you a few tips, as you contemplate the American political psyche during your stay here, which i presume is permanent, you may want to tap into the investigative journalist within you (i see you study journalism) and learn how to "FOLLOW THE MONEY", in both the macro and micro sense. We've always been for sale to the highest bidder, Cameron, i.e. if not our jobs our political positions. Also, corporations from afar, thanks to that fine institution called the Supreme Court, can buy shares in U.S. elections now as well.

Also, try delving into the realms of "RELIGION" and how it sways the masses into voting in ways they shouldn't. No other western industrialized country merges these two forces together to formulate and implement local, state and national policies, especially within the Bible Belt where you live, as much as we do--and very much to our own detriment. And, since you live in one of the most ultra-conservative regions within a republican, ruby-red state, it's all the more importance to do so. You may find some money, other influential tools and a good dose of hypocracy behind that as well. I mean, think about it Cameron, Americans are the quintessential couch potato, the "s" in Sheeple---if we were not donating money to Jim and Tammy Faye, it's going to prosperity bible thumpers so they can buy new jets or add another swimming pool to their fortresses--or we donate to the legal aid fund of the Catholic church for all their beautiful humanitarian achievements. You sort of have to ask yourself at some point, "why do poor, lower, working and middle class people and families get sucked into voting Republican year, after year, after year, if all they get in return is the hope, prospect, or sometimes assurity, that their neighbor won't be able to get an abortion under any circumstances, smoke medical weed, be tolerant of religions other than Christianity, have a gay marriage, get affordable healthcare while industry ceos and upper-level industry managers receive high salaries and bonuses while denying kids life-saving treatments (all in a Chrsitian nation, mind you), etc., etc.--but by golly can own a firearm--if they can even afford one"? The answer may lie in the "marketing marriage between church and FALSE PATRIOTISM", i.e. wherever you find a preacher, you'll find the stars and stripes a flyin'........."FEAR" is usuall the operative word........

Lastly, you may want to turn most of your attention to the "MEDIA"--as they are the ones who have become a driving force in American politics today--and even sometimes decide who wins an office. Whether it's reporting too much, not enough, not reporting at all but COMMENTING instead, adding extra sound or voice effects, hiring Stepford Wives with no formal educations, breast implants, 10 pounds of make-up and a can of hair spray to every broadcast---you can be assured that the advertising, dollar-chasing ratings "woehrs" are always at the top of their game--and would be shut down in other countries with as much freedom of the press as our's for spreading mis and dis-information. Be weary, Cameron, I believe FUX NEWS has been blaring their own brew of rhetoric for years at our municipal airport, doctor office waiting rooms, etc. If not offered already, you and your student peers should demand professors of the journalism department you attend to offer a course strictly dedicated to analysis of major media outlet reports and how they are presented to the public in terms of delivery and content, compare and contrast those same report topics from various news sources, and holisitcally measure the influence such reporting has had, not only on the general public, but to the bottom line of these "news" corps. themselves. You'll be amazed at the massive differences you'll see just in reporting a sunny day forecast.......the "ratings wohers" they all are. "FEAR", is also the operative word here as well.......

Hope this helps..........

No need to thank me, Cameron. Once you work your way through the smokescreens of money, media and religion, you arrive in a clearing, sitting in a front row seat and looking straight at manipulating opportunists, i.e. master brainwashers of the masses.

If I can give you two examples of this process, first a micro one: look at your colleagues, and probably yourself as well. None of you are receiving the hourly pay and benefits you should be, as some, if not all of you, are challenged and/or actually struggling with finances, childcare costs, healthcare costs, college costs, etc., etc. spiralling out of control. Statistically speaking, you all are probably lower to middle-tier members of the 99%, and your purchasing power has unfairly dwindled, after being adjusted for inflation, in a myriad of ways, due to, among other things, political influence over the years. Yet, you all are told, 24/7, that citizens, as well as their governments, living in the "communist" countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Australia, Germany and France, to name a few--are broke. Check to see who is telling you this in any way, shape or form. Why? Because they are simply lying. Quite the contrary, all of the above rank far, far higher than the U.S., year after year, in terms of safety, healthcare, childcare, sick/vacation/parental leave, trust in government, entrepenualism, environmentalism, lower debt/GDP per capita rates, quality of life, life expectancy, infant mortality rates, exports, etc., etc. The numbers from left, right and center studies simply do not lie--pure factual, such as the sun setting and rising, i.e. no debate. While it is true no place is exactly heaven, the countries above are much more closer to it, if one even exists--ironically, due to the fact that they are more sensible and practical because they eschew religious influence. But, because our media, and the plutocratic players who influence religious figures at all levels preach patriotism and capitalism on steroids as the only way to be truly free--we, as a nation, fall holistically further and further, year after year--and you and your colleagues suffer for it through mafia-like prices for healthcare, college, wage stagnation, benefits, etc., etc. By the way--unions flourish in the countries above, college kids are not soaked in debt, new mothers receving 1-2 or more years with their newborns at home with pay and their same job back when finished--men get the same, everyone working i.e. the reporter, excecutive, banker, carwash attendant, teacher, etc. gets minimum 6 weeks paid vacation, on top of state/national holidays, etc. and everyone's taxes are not much higher than those in the U.S. and the medical treatment is just as good or better than what we receive in the U.S.--at a fraction of the cost, etc. and the middleclass is not broken by such debts. Anyway, point is your bossman-Mr. Raw Hyde, is a red-blooded Republican supporter in more ways than one. Now, compare and contrast that fact and what he preaches and supports, to the facts related to the above country stats--and the social, economic and financial facts related to you and your colleague's respective own personal plights. See what I mean, Cameron? Ask yourself who is fooling who?

Or, to put it another way, i.e. a macro example: do a little research, and find out when the last time the republican party ever groomed just one, or so many young "hispanic" horses before? Go back 10, 20, 30 years. With that in mind--ask yourself why that was all these years? Then, ask yourself why the situation has turned 360 degrees? You know why? Because of demographics. Republicans did not give two hoots about that voting class for years--until they realized how influential their population numbers have, and will, become in the future. "Brown is the new white". As such, political, as well as business opportunists (it's not just the fact that hot dogs and apple pie have been replaced by tortillas, chips and hot sauce as our national eating pastime years ago (it's true)--so all kinds of businesses gear more commericals for their products towards hispanic now)---are trying to win their trust and votes--and money. Yes, black lives matter, as all do--but "brown ones are mattering more now and will more than white ones soon enough"--and they know it. Sad, is the fact that the entire hispanic population is being suckered in by the likes of Rubio, Bush and Cruz--and they are nothing but white, protestant, businessmen in camouflage. Why do they need so many hispanic racehorses grazing in the pasture now? Are hispanics being used for their vote, while being too blind to see? Why should the hispanic population reward the party of the rich with their votes, if the republicans did not care about them before? Is it because the republicans know they'd better finally start cozying up to the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population--and with that comes financial and political influence? If you want more proof of republican loyalty, i.e. hypocracy--look at what they are doing to their own now: The republican party chair personally asked Trump early on not to split into another party--which would jeopardize republican chances of winning the presidency. He said he would not. What does he get in return? Public chastizing from the republican party, former officials, candidates, etc. calling him a con artist, liar, a fake republican, etc., etc. Look what Romney said about him the other day, then look at video from 2012 when he gave Romney his endorsement when Romney was running for president. Romney can't say enough good things about Trump. As such, the republican party has fragmented into 3 parts:

1.old-school, rich establishment 1%er, protestant-types (most don't go to church--too busy in shareholder conference calls, shipping more jobs out) trying to hold on to power and money while planting seeds for the future via sucking up to hispanics--even though most are basically racist anyway--given their hypocracies.
2. teaparty wackos wanting more guns and religion and federal land for welfare purposes (that should go back to the indians they stole it from)--to all be paid for by less taxes......
3. new school republicans, i.e. Trumplicans, who consist of some 1%ers and hardcore racists guntoters--i.e. the newest of the new sheeple--because Trump is pressing the right buttons to get them fired up--he needs their votes because he won't get one hispanic one at all. Note: 1%ers basically buy elections anyway, but the difference between the ones in group 1 and 3 is which group they think is a safer bet to pull the wool over: all the groups are racist to certain degrees--but Trump and 1%ers supporting him bet on fooling different segments of the 99% by treating hispanics the way they feel they should be treated--racial discrimination, while Group 1 1%ers choose to bet on cozying up to hispanics and effectively using them for their votes--even though they have obviously shown over the years they don't like them, i.e.--don't alienate them--use them. As such, any hispanic that gives their "precious right," as you see it, away to any republican candidate--is a fool.

When asked how he could make such sweeping changes to mirror those other more successful countries experience in a political climate of gridlock the U.S. has (obama tried to improve this country, but was blocked by obstructionists because of the color of his skin), Bernie Sanders was spot on: you'd need millions of people marching in the streets demanding 360 degree change--i.e. a literal revolution needed to overturn such financial political influence. He's not lying, either....................

I'd already mentioned to you, Cameron, that you really should ask one of your prof's in your journalsim department, if one does not exist already, to start a course in media analysation, whereby certain news reports and delivery thereof, are compared/contrasted, checked for content, fact-checked, frequency evaluations measured, etc. and exhaustively scrutinized holisitically, to see what the effect or desired effect such media has on society socially, culturally, environmentally, financially, politically and economically--and the effect on those media company bottom lines.

What i forgot to mention was that such a class should begin, on the first day of the semester, with students being simply asked to "write their own definition of journalism within a civil society". The papers should then be collected, read to the class out loud anonymously and the class should be dismissed. After a semester of analysing media reports in a myriad of ways, the final exam for the class should consist of writing a definition of journalism within civil society again, but only if a student feels like their original definition needs to be changed. If it does need to be changed, then the student(s) need to elaborate why this change was/wasn't needed.

Education, Cameron, is the key..............

Cameron, get your education from someone that doesn't call other parties wackos. Don't listen to just one side listen to all sides then make an informed opinion. Nothing worse than an uninformed voter because you may end up with something you don't want