WHY LOW VOTER TURNOUT IS NOW A GOOD THING
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, OCT. 5, 2015) — The message began this way: “After my cousin’s windows were shot out on Brown Street Saturday afternoon …”
It gets your attention.
“After my cousin’s windows were shot out on Brown Street Saturday afternoon, I wrote a letter to the editor [The Berkshire Eagle] urging that the incident be reported and asking that something be done to address the perils we are facing. The editorial staff just informed me that since there is no proof (no bullet recovered ) they will not print my letter. Our only proof is that two thick shatterproof windows were completely blown out as she was driving down the street in broad daylight. I will be canceling my subscription in the morning. Stay safe out there.”
Later, our correspondent told THE PLANET that her cousin tried to report the incident to the police department, but when she called, no one answered — after four minutes. The event disappeared into the evening mists, like so many acts of random violence now plaguing the city of Pittsfield that are the sad adjuncts of the booming gang and drug trades.
You won’t hear about an event like this on the campaign trail, but does it matter? What will candidates say about it that will amount to a difference?
With voter participation hitting new lows, why bother to parse the dynamics of such matters?
Ignorance as a Self-Disqualifier
THE PLANET has come to an epiphany on voter turnout. The lower the number the better. It used to be that democracy could only work with informed voters casting intelligent ballots. But as America’s dumbing down went from an avocation to an art form, low turnout has become a blessing in disguise. How to put it? If you’re to stupid not to vote, you’re too dumb to vote.
It’s a sad walk of the line from Lady McBeth to Lady Madonna to Lady Gaga. Consider this, from economist Michael Snyder: “Even though more Americans than ever are going to college, we continue to fall farther and farther behind intellectually. So what does this say about us? Sadly, the truth is that Americans are stupid. Our education system is an abysmal failure, and our young people spend most of their free time staring at the television, their computers or their mobile devices. And until we are honest with ourselves about this, our intellectual decline is going to get even worse.” (Center for Research on Globalization, March 15, 2015).
Why would you want some pulling a lever who can’t name the mayor, can’t tell you who their city councilor is, and has not a clue about the issues? Ask them about the Kardashians, however, and they can cite verse and chapter. When such civic zombies do not vote, they do everyone a favor. Sure, it give the copyright and trademarks for local elections to The Special Interests, but at least they care about the process of government. They care to such an extent they have made it their private property, grabbing Pretty Polly ripe off the tree. And why not? If We the People are too vacuous to participate with insight, The Suits are fully entitled to the spoils.
Voter participation? It is a dismal fallacy.
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“Complexity is not a crime.” — Marianne Moore, from “In the Days of Prismatic Colour,” (1919).
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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Don’t worry, the union block will be out in force.
The Good Old Boys suppress and intimidate citizens from participating in Pittsfield politics. All they want to hear is how great they all are, as Pittsfield continues on its never-ending downward spiral of population and job loss, poverty, welfare caseloads, crime, and political corruption.
Not one of the Berkshire delegation from Beacon Hill ran opposed in 2014! Ben Downing, Tricia Farley-Bouvier, et al, all won uncontested “elections”. How many terms is career politician William “Smitty” Pignatelli going to serve? If he runs (unopposed again) next year, Rep. Pignatelli will be entering his 8th of about 20 terms of being a G.O.B., do nothing, political hack!
The G.O.B.’s do NOT want to hear the words opposition, participation, dissent, or high voter turnout! Pittsfield politics is ran by the Good Old Boys and it is totally corrupt!
I wish i could say your cousins dealings with the police and the newspaper comes to a shock to me.
Hmmm… i wonder what type of thing they could be more concerned with?
They sure have their priorities straight….
This was probably just a stray bullet from a driveby. Perhaps from a drug deal gone bad.
We are living in Biff Tanner’s skewed version of the future.
We need to set the time machine back to 1955.
Go back and see what went wrong.
Set the Delorian, reach 88 mph, go back and fix this.
We only need 1.21 jigawatts of power into the flux capacitor.
The Roman Empire was never conquered, it fell apart.
The people living there experienced a total breakdown of society.
Does history repeat itself?
“You know that history repeats itself
But you just learned so by somebody else
You know you do, you’ve got to think up fast
You’ve got to figure what it’s going to take to make it last
Make It
Don’t break it
I said Make It
Don’t Brake it
Do then you feel like the world’s coming down on you”
– AeroSmith (1973)
The “dumbing down of America” has intensified within the last twenty five years or so in my opinion. This is why when we have a presidential election voter turnout is higher, but we end up with terrible presidents. People have no idea who they are voting for, what they believe in and really they don’t care. They are basing their vote on a popularity contest and not the issues.
Presidential candidates go to places like bars when they are campaigning and try to drum up support. They convince people who are often drunk to vote for them. College campuses are more like recruiting grounds for progressive liberal causes and actual education where people are taught to think critically is a thing of the past. Colleges don’t want students to know how to actually think because if they taught them that the students would quickly see through all of their gimmicks to make them think a certain way, and their power over these students would come to a very quick end.
Even with the low voter turnout in Pittsfield, the people who end up actually going to the polls are usually from the Pittsfield school system and you would think such people would have a chance at making intelligent decisions, but actually the people from the schools are generally voting for one quality and one quality only in their candidate. They only care about whether the candidate will send more money toward the school system. If the candidate meets that basic criteria, the Pittsfield voter from the school system will vote for them. We wonder why this city and this country are in trouble. People get the government they deserve and with an electorate this dumb we shouldn’t be shocked with the end result.
If you really want to see what you are getting for your education dollars ask any of our high school kids a few questions.
1. How many branches of government do we have and what are they?
2. Who is the Secretary of State and what do they do?
3. How many stars are on our flag?
Have fun. 🙂
You’re so right Dan. Unfortunately, ‘dumbing down’ isn’t the only factor at play. And I refuse to believe that it is only incidental to the Information Age but intentional by the ruling classes.
I grew up poor in Pittsfield. I remain a member of the working poor even though I earned a BA many years ago. Having this degree raised my earning potential 3 to 4 dollars an hour but that still only puts me right around 13 an hour. I can tell you that the poor do not see what politics have to do with them (generally speaking). They don’t believe that going to vote for Tyer, for example, will change their situation. They are correct. Most often, they can’t see the bigger picture. It has nothing to do with them. The Eagle sucks but how many connect it to the powers that be?
We are taught that if we fail to achieve the American dream it is our own fault. We have all we need to do it and if we do not it’s because we haven’t worked hard enough or aren’t smart enough. It’s an ideology that works fantastically. I believe I only know better because I went to a private college that didn’t teach that crap. How to teach people about the connections between their own lives and political power after a lifetime of state indoctrination? I don’t know. But I do know that what you do is at least a start and I thank you.
Speaking of Tyer. I dropped into the senior center today and I see a table with campaign stuff on it. But only for Tyer and Marchetti. How come the other candidates are not taking advantage of this voter haven? And is this even legal?
It depends on who own’s or leases it. If it’s run by local, state or federal government you can not campaign there.
I stopped in there today. Dropped off flyers, thanks for the tip!
Great article. There’s irony here and truth.
As someone who has spent his entire career as an academic, I don’t take lightly the view that our educational system has “failed”. It certainly has not failed the best students who are better educated than any in the world. This is why so many foreign students want to come here to study. It probably has not failed the average college student who find it in their interest to go into debt to pay for it. But it probably has failed the average voter. Universities seem incapable of intelligently presenting the real choices facing voters and keeping the average voter from being swayed by the Trumps and Sanders of the world who make promises that are impossible to fulfill. But this has been the case for American politics since its inception and was used as an argument against democracy by the Europeans for over a hundred years. Voters who are ignorant, especially those who are willfully ignorant, should not vote. This is why we need to resist making voting easier. It should be a thoughtful and somewhat time consuming process that is open to everyone.
Hear hear!!!
Sounds right. But how are you going to stop the unions being bused to the polls with their lists of who they should vote for?
Great question.
Appreciate the thoughtful comments, CT.
There is one way to get the numb apathetic citizen to vote. Give em 50 bucks to vote.
I must admit, it’s a foolproof method.
You can surrender to the Good Ole Boys or you can select the write in candidate
Eye in the sky give it a rest. Nobody in their right mind is going to vote for your clown.
I am.
Which Bianchi or Tyer campaign promises or policies are superior to those of the write in candidate? What in Bianchi’s or Tyer’s background qualify them to be mayor?
Neither one is in touch with the needs of the average person in the city who is struggling with higher prices on everything and stagnant wages. So I would say that neither candidate is qualified to be mayor on that basis.
Check out ordinance and rules, Poor Rinaldo is not only getting disrespect from the committee, but check out the bald headed suit sitting behind him, making gestures and faces.
I’m voting for Gaetani.
Thanx Cat. yeah he looks familiar? Why does LOw always state how he articulates and he doesn’t pretend to be a lawyer, or scientist ect. believe me LOw, I don’t consider you being neither….either.
Etc…..PPS’s …grad
Connells turned into a disappointment.
The bald headed gentleman is speaking now, watcha got?
I think it’s a totally absurd and foolish idea to pay people to vote.
Fool proof?
It’s fool hardy.
Can Greg Gaetani pay for your vote?
Or do the tax payers foot the bill?
We step deeper into the labyrinth…….
Tongue in cheek.”. Thomas.
the Planet is great!